Term Dates

School times: 8.45am to 3.10pm

School doors open at 8:35am for children to enter the classrooms

If your child is ill and cannot attend school, please inform the office by 9:30am, each day of absence

Children do not attend school on the dates marked: Occasional Day or Staff Inset Day

Attendance

We are often asked what is the single most important thing that parents can do to support and maximise their child’s learning?

Our response is always the same: send them to school every single day of the term. Children form the long life habits of commitment, good attendance and punctuality from their parents at a very early age – as young as 3 years old! They soon learn the importance of good attendance which remains with them for life. Children also know how tricky it is when the learning of key skills is missed. This of course impacts on subsequent learning.

The attendance at Commonswood School has improved enormously over the past 5 years and as a result, combined with high quality teaching and an outstanding curriculum, standards have vastly improved. Good attendance cannot be emphasised enough.

Term time holidays

We are unable to authorise term time holidays. Absence can only be authorised if a child is unwell. If however, the number of unauthorised sessions reaches 15 or more within 2 terms, the local authority may issue you with a Penalty Notice. The Penalty Notice requires parents to pay a fine of £60 within 21 days. If this is not paid within the time limit, the penalty rises to £120 which must be paid within 28 days.

Term time holidays have a negative impact on friendships and learning.

Please avoid taking your child out of school.

Governors’ policy no longer allows term time holidays to be authorised unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Section 7 Education Act 1996 places a duty on parents to ensure that their child of compulsory age attends school.