How We Support Attendance & Fixed Penalty Notices

A Penalty Notice is a fine that the local authority can issue when a child has periods of unauthorised absence from school. It is part of the national approach to encouraging strong attendance and making sure every child has the best possible chance to succeed.

It’s important to know that Penalty Notices are not the school’s first step — they are used only when other support and communication haven’t resolved attendance concerns.

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Why Are Penalty Notices Given?

Penalty Notices exist to help make sure:

• Children don’t miss valuable learning time -  Every day of school matters. Regular absence can lead to gaps in understanding and affect progress. 
• Children stay connected with friends and routines - Missing school can make a child feel left out or anxious about returning. 
• Parents, carers, schools, and the local authority work together -  The system encourages early conversations and shared responsibility for attendance. 
• Unauthorised absences are reduced - This includes holidays in term time or repeated absences without a valid reason.

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How We Support Attendance

We are committed to working closely with students, parents, and carers to promote excellent attendance. Our approach is supportive, proactive, and centred on understanding individual needs so that every student can attend school regularly and thrive.

All attendance cases are considered individually, as one size does not fit all. However, the general process we follow is outlined below:

1. Weekly Review
We monitor attendance on a weekly basis to identify patterns of absence at the earliest stage.

2. Pastoral Contact (First Response)
If a student has several absences, our pastoral team makes a supportive phone call to parents and carers. The purpose of this call is to check that everything is okay and to understand any emerging concerns or barriers to attendance.

3. Letter Home
If absences continue, we send a formal letter highlighting the attendance concerns and outlining the importance of regular attendance.

4. Informal Meeting
Should attendance not improve, we invite parents/carers to an informal meeting. This meeting provides an opportunity to discuss any issues in more detail and explore appropriate support.

5. Formal Meeting & Attendance Agreement
If further absences occur, we arrange a formal meeting. Together with the family, we agree on an Attendance Agreement that outlines specific actions and support designed to help improve attendance.

6. Attendance Contract
Where concerns persist, we hold a final meeting to put an Attendance Contract in place. This sets clear expectations and support strategies, and the school continues to work in partnership with the family to ensure success.

In addition to the above process, we also make absence calls to families once a student has been absent from school for three days, or when a student is absent on a Friday and does not return on the following Monday. These calls are supportive in nature, intended to check in on the student’s wellbeing and to identify whether any further help or support is required.

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Medical Absence

Where a student has a high number of absences due to medical conditions, medical evidence may be requested to support and authorise those absences.

Penalty Notices

A Penalty Notice is only considered when the above steps have not been successful, or when there is a clear case of unauthorised absence—such as a term-time holiday.

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How Fix Penalty Notices Work

From 19 August 2024, The Education (Penalty Notices) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 came into force. These regulations set out how and when Fixed Penalty Notices are issued.

Please refer to our Attendance Policy for full details. The amounts payable under a Penalty Notice are outlined below:

1. First Penalty Notice in a rolling 3-year period (since 19 August 2024)

If you have not incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children in a rolling 3‑year period since 19 August 2024:

• The penalty notice will be charged at £160.00 per parent/carer per child if paid within 28 days.
• This will be reduced to £80.00 if paid within 21 days of receipt.
• Failure to pay will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings in the Magistrates’ Court.

2. Second Penalty Notice within the rolling 3-year period

If you have incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children since 19 August 2024:

• The rolling 3‑year period is activated from the date of the first notice.
• The second notice will be charged at the flat rate of £160.00 per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days.
• There is no reduction for payment within 21 days.
• Failure to pay will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings in the Magistrates’ Court.

3. Two previous penalty notices within the same 3-year period

If you have already incurred two penalty notices relating to this child/children within the rolling 3‑year period:

• You will not receive a third penalty notice.
• Surrey County Council will have no option but to consider a prosecution per parent/carer per child in the Magistrates’ Court under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996.