Central to raising standards in education and ensuring all pupils can fulfil their potential is an assumption so widely understood that it is insufficiently stated – pupils need to attend school regularly to benefit from their education. Missing out on lessons leaves children vulnerable to falling behind. Children with poor attendance tend to achieve less in both primary and secondary school.
If a student is going to be absent from school, a parent or carer must contact the school before 8:30am on the day of the absence, and any subsequent days. The easiest way to do this is to email the Attendance Officer on absence@eastbarnetschool.com or to complete our online absence form (below). Parents/Carers may also ring the school on 020 8344 2100 and follow the instructions to leave a message, although this can take longer at busier times. If a student is absent for more than a few days then medical evidence will be required (labels from medication prescribed is acceptable) for our records.
Punctuality is an important part of self-discipline and is essential for good time management. Students must ensure they are in the appropriate classroom no later than the times shown on their timetable. Please encourage your child to be on time. They should arrive at school no later than 8.40am for registration at 8.45am. Students arriving late will be given a late detention at lunchtime on the same day.
On 26th September 2023 it was communicated to parents/carers that East Barnet School intended to begin issuing fixed penalty notices to EBS parents/carers if their child has repeated lateness to school. This came into force on 30th October 2023.
A parent is defined by Section 576 of the Education Act 1996 is any natural parent, person with Parental Responsibility under the Children Act 1989 or a person with whom the child lives and who looks after the child, irrespective of his or her relationship with the child.
All parents whose children attend a maintained school or academy in Barnet are subject to the rules in respect of penalty notices. Parents can be issued a maximum of three penalty notices each in respect of the same child in any calendar year.
Each penalty notice is £60 if paid within the early-payment period, up to the 21st day after issue, rising to £120 up to the 28th day. If the notice remains unpaid the Local Authority prosecutes the parent in the Magistrates’ Court for a non-attendance offence under The Education Act 1996, section 444, not for non-payment of the penalty notice. If found guilty, parents have a criminal record, are liable to a fine of up to £1000, and may have to pay costs to the Local Authority.
On payment of a penalty notice, the parent cannot be pursued legally for the same period of evidence.
As with prosecution in a magistrates’ court, penalty notices can only apply to offences relating to a child of statutory school age enrolled at a maintained school, academy school or a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU).
Further information can be found here: Barnet Education and Learning Service Fixed Penalty Notices Code of Practice
Penalty notices are used in the following circumstances at the request of the relevant party, as described below:
| Reason | School action | Requesting party | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Unauthorised lateness to school
Registration code: U |
A parent regularly fails to ensure a child is in school before the closure of registers. |
Schools must advise parents in writing of the possible imposition of a penalty notice if their child has six unauthorised lates (U) in any four-week period. The request for the penalty notice must contain the original warning letter and the attendance register for the review period with the trigger number of U codes. There must be liaison between the school and the Education Welfare Officer where the latter is already involved in casework with the parents to avoid legal confusion. |
Headteachers, and those delegated by them. The request form must be completed by the Headteacher or delegated senior colleague. |
Morning registration at EBS is from 8:45am until 9:15am (9:35am on a Wednesday). If a child arrives between these times, they are late and receive an L code in the register. If there is no valid reason for the lateness the child will have a lunch detention the following day.
If a child arrives after 9:15am then the registration code U is used. The school will monitor children with a U code closely and follow the procedures below to avoid children reaching the threshold for a fixed penalty notice: six unauthorised lates (U) in any four-week period.
| Number of Unauthorised Lates (U) | School Action | Staff Involved |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Text message sent home | Attendance Officer |
| 2 | Phone call home | Attendance Officer |
| 3 | Letter home | EWO |
| 4 | Meeting/call (depending on timeframe) | HoY and EWO |
| 5 | Final letter home | AHT and EWO |
| 6 | Fixed Penalty Notice | Headteacher or SLT with responsibility of attendance |