Attendance

School Term Time Leave of Absence:

As of June 2026, we now have a school term time application form to request leave of absence for your child. Permission needs to be obtained before taking a child out of school for leave during term time for any reason, and this is at the Headteacher’s discretion. You can find a copy of this application form below, and there will also be copies of the form in our school office foyer. 

School Term Time Application Form for Leave of Absence

The Bolton Early Intervention Service

Section 7 of Education Act 1996 places a duty on parents to ensure that their children of compulsory school age receive efficient full-time education, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.

• School attendance overview.

The Early Intervention Service works closely with schools and other partners to promote and support regular attendance at school and where necessary, instigate measures to ensure parents fulfil their responsibilities in relation to education.

Target:

Our target for every pupil is that over the whole year they achieve 97% attendance, that is no more than 5 days off in a year. Weekly updates are included in our newsletter, The Sacred Heart Standard.

The Government’s national expectation is 96%, the equivalent of 7 days’ absence in a year. 

We are working very hard to make sure children do not have gaps in their understanding across the curriculum: Parents are reminded that they should not book holidays in term time as this has a significant effect on a child’s progress.

The table to the right shows the number of days off for each equivalent %.

The latest National attendance statistics can be found at:

• https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-attendance-in-schools
• Compare to National by clicking here to visit the compare primary performance service. 

Any requests for holiday absence can be submitted through the parent app.

What do I do if my child is not attending school
Regular attendance at school is both a legal requirement and essential to help your child achieve and get the best possible start in life.  If you are experiencing problems with your child’s attendance, it is important that you work closely with school to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.  

Alternatively, for further guidance and support you can contact the Early Intervention Service on 01204 334450.

If your child continues to miss school a penalty notice may be issued and in certain cases legal means can be used to enforce school attendance.

• Code of Conduct Penalty Notices.

• Attendance & Absence Policy
• Code of Conduct Education Fixed Penalty Notices – Irregular Attendance
• Bolton LA School Attendance and Penalty Notices: Information for parents and carers