At St Thomas Cantilupe we set high expectations about attendance from nursery to Year 6. If your child has a place in our nursery or school we expect them to attend. It is every child's right to attend.

We have created a welcoming environment to allow all children to gain a sense of belonging and ultimately achieve academically through regular school attendance. All staff have been trained in our approach and understand their roles in improving attendance. 

We record details of every child's attendance and absence from school at the start of each morning and afternoon session. The Local Authority receives this attendance information for each child and the Department for Education receives attendance data for each school.

Registration takes place each morning at 8.50 am and each afternoon at 1.00 pm

We understand that on occasion some children may experience illness or have exceptional reasons preventing regular attendance. To assist parents deciding whether their child is too ill to attend school or otherwise, the NHS have produced a guide that you may find useful  NHS guidance: Is my child too ill for school?

Your responsibilities as a parent:

By law, all children of compulsory school age must receive a suitable full time education. For most parents this means registering their child at a school. Once your child is registered at our school you are legally responsible for making sure that they attend on a regular basis. If your child does not attend school on a regular basis we will talk with you about this and make a plan to improve it. 

Due to national legislation, we are unable to grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances (which doesn’t include a holiday).  Therefore, any unauthorised absence (5 days or more within a term), may result in a referral to Herefordshire Council who will consider a penalty notice of £80 per child per parent or other legal intervention. You could also be subject to a fine or to be prosecuted in court. See more information here on the Herefordshire Council website. 

If your child is absent please let us know on the first day of absence on 01432 268400 or admin@st-thomascantlupe.hereford.sch.uk. We aim to listen, understand and empathise with attendance but always seek improvements. 

You can help prevent your child missing school by:

• Making sure your child understand the importance of good attendance and punctuality
• Taking an interest in their education – ask about school work and encourage them to get involved in school activities; 
• Discussing any problems they may have at school and letting us know 
• Not letting children take time off school for minor ailments – particularly those which would not prevent you from going to work. 
• Arranging appointments and outings after school hours, at weekends or holiday times

You should not expect St Thomas Cantilupe  Primary School to agree to your child going on holiday during term time.

• Further information can be found on the DFE website
  Securing good attendance and tackling persistent absence

• Further information can be found on the DFE website
  Working together to improve school attendance

• Further information can be found on the Herefordshire Council website 

• St Thomas Cantilupe School Attendance and Punctuality policy can be found here. 

 

In 2026 St Thomas Cantilupe primary school has been announced as a lead school for Attendance and Behaviour as part of the government’s RISE hub school programme, leaders from the school will share their knowledge and experiences and offer practical mentoring support to schools across the West Midlands for the benefit of thousands of pupils. Gov.uk