Attendance and Term Dates

New Attendance Regulations

You can find out more about the new regulations published by the DfE in August 2024 that outlines how parents/carers, schools and Local Authorities are expected to work together to improve attendance for our children in this document on the Gov.co.uk website: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66bf300da44f1c4c23e5bd1b/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance_-_August_2024.pdf

You can find our policy at the bottom of this page.

Here is a summary of expectations for each of us working together to improve your child's attendance from the DfE summary document:

Summary of expectations for all pupils attendance.png

Term Dates 2025-2026

25 26 NEW HOL .jpg

Please find attached the 2025 - 2026 holiday pattern for the next academic year from September 2025.

You will see that there are now two inset days on 1st and 2nd September which means that children will return to school on Wednesday 3rd September 2025 we hope this will enable parents and carers to benefit from this later return date if making holiday bookings.

Term Dates 2024-2025

Please note our positioning of INSET days and a different Spring Break where school is closed to children to enable you to book a cheaper holiday each season without your child missing learning or any penalty fines! We understand the financial pressures on families at the moment and know that the well-being benefits of holidays are necessary for all of us so we will always structure our INSET days the best we can to enable our community to seek cheaper holidays out of term time.

Term Date 24 25.jpg

2024- 2025 Term Dates

The below dates are when school is closed to pupils:

Training Day -

Monday 2nd September 2024

Autumn half term

Monday 28th October - Friday 1st November 2024

Christmas

Monday 23rd December- Friday 3rd January 2025

School reopens Monday 6th January 2025

February half term

Monday 17th February - Friday 21st February 2024

Training Day - Monday 24th February 2025

School reopens Tuesday 25th February 2025

Easter

Monday 31st March 2025 - Friday 11th April 2025

Bank Holiday

Friday 18th April 2025 / Monday 21st April 2025

School reopens Tuesday 22nd April 2025

May Bank Holiday

Monday 5th May 2025

Bank Holiday

Monday 26th May 2025

Spring Half Term

Tuesday 27th May - Friday 30th May 2025

Summer holiday

School closes at 3.25 on Friday 18th July 2025

(Training Days - Monday 21st July / Tuesday 22nd July / Wednesday 23rd July 2025)

We recognise the importance of regular school attendance in fostering your child’s academic and social development. We also understand that there are times when children may feel unwell, and it can be challenging to decide whether they should attend school.

To help us work together to ensure your child’s education is as uninterrupted as possible, we would like to share some guidelines based on recommendations from the NHS and GOV UK (files below). These guidelines outline when children can attend school even with minor illnesses and when it’s necessary to keep them at home to recover and prevent the spread of illness.

Every school day is carefully planned to maximise your child’s learning opportunities. Even occasional absences can disrupt your child’s routine. By attending school whenever they are well enough, children build resilience, develop good habits, and remain engaged in their education.

We are committed to supporting our families in achieving good attendance. If you’re ever unsure whether your child should attend, please feel free to contact the school office for more guidance.

By working together, we can ensure the best possible outcomes for all our children.

July 2024- Whole School Attendance

Class

Attendance to date 17.07.24

Attendance this time last year

Class

Attendance to date 17.7.24

Attendance this time last year

Easby Nursery

87.0%

79.9%

Whitby

Y3

95.5%

91.2%

Rosedale FS2

94.2%

92.3%

Fountains Y4

93.7%

94.1%

Roche

Y1

93.4%

94.9%

Kirkstall

Y5

96.1%

93.8%

Selby

Y2

95.5%

94.2%

Rievaulx

Y6

94.3%

92.7%

attendance winners 100% dec.jpg

Well done, 100% Attendance Stars!

October 2024

We are incredibly proud of our children who have achieved 100% attendance! Their commitment, resilience, and dedication to learning inspire us all. Attending school every day helps children develop lifelong habits of responsibility and perseverance, setting them up for success both academically and personally.

Extra Playtime for you all following the October break!

100% Attendance Winners 2023-2024!

100% Attendance 2023.jpg

We are really proud of our improvements in attendance and punctuality and thank all parents and carers who have worked with the Attendance Team to improve attendance and punctuality. Our school has been recognised and we have been asked to share our best practice with Sheffield Schools as well as Heads across the North of England in September! Although we have made improvements, there is still work to do to improve persistent absenteeism, reduce holidays in term time and to ensure all children are consistently on time every day.

Please note that holiday penalty fines are increasing to £80.00 per child per parent/carer for (holiday) absence in term time and it remains a National agenda across all schools everywhere.

Please see our policy below. We have started the 4 weekly Attendance Meetings on Friday 27th September and ask parents to check their emails and Spider App for information regarding your child's attendance and punctuality from the Attendance Team and your child's class teacher, respectively.