At Gamlingay Village Primary School, we are committed to ensuring that every child attends school regularly. Strong attendance is closely linked to academic progress, wellbeing and long‑term success. While we recognise that absences are sometimes unavoidable, we ask for your support in keeping them to a minimum.
96% attendance
- 8 days absence per year
- Equivalent to 11 weeks missed over 7 years
95% attendance
- 10 days absence per year
- 70 days (14 weeks) missed over primary school
90% attendance
- 19 days absence per year
- 133 days missed (almost three‑quarters of a school year) over primary school
Our target is for all pupils to achieve 97% attendance or above.
Further guidance is here –
School begins at 8:45am. Please ensure your child arrives in good time so they can enter promptly when the doors open.
- If a child arrives after 8:45am and the gates are locked, they must enter through the school office and will be marked as Late.
- If they arrive after registration has started but before it closes, they will receive an L code.
- If they arrive after the register has closed, they will receive a U code, which counts as an unauthorised absence.
Illness
If your child is unwell, please inform the school before 8:45am by:
- Emailing [email protected]
- Phoning the school office
- Completing the absence form on ParentHub
You must contact us each day your child is absent so we can code the register correctly. If we are unable to reach you, the absence will be marked as unauthorised.
Appointments
If your child has a medical or other essential appointment, please notify the office in advance and provide a copy of the appointment letter or text message. Without this evidence, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised.
If you need to request leave for any other reason, please complete a Term‑Time Leave of Absence Form (available from the office or as a download below).
Please note:
- Term‑time holidays cannot be authorised.
- The Department for Education allows schools to authorise planned absences only in extremely exceptional circumstances, such as a funeral of a close relative or a medical appointment.
- Holidays do not meet this threshold.
Can a school fine parents for taking a child on holiday during term time?
Yes. Parents have a legal duty to ensure regular attendance. If a term‑time holiday is unauthorised and meets the criteria set out in the Local Authority’s code of conduct, a Penalty Notice may be issued by either the school or the Local Authority.
Can schools decide whether parents are prosecuted?
No. Only the Local Authority can decide whether to prosecute for attendance offences. Schools must refer cases of regular absence—authorised or unauthorised—to the Local Authority, along with evidence of the support offered to the family.
The Cam Academy Trust employs an Education Welfare Officer (EWO). The school and EWO work closely with families to resolve attendance issues at an early stage. While this is usually successful, the EWO also has a legal role and may issue Penalty Notices or pursue prosecution if attendance does not improve. Rachael Panther can be contacted via the school office.
If we have not been informed of a child’s absence, the school will contact parents as soon as possible to establish the reason. If you have concerns or circumstances that may affect your child’s attendance, please speak to your child’s Class Teacher or the Headteacher.
A copy of our full Attendance Policy is available on The CAM Academy Trust website.