Term Dates, Timings and Attendance

Barton Clough Primary School has a 32.5 hour school week. Our gates open at 8:30am, and the school day starts at 8:45am with morning registration.

The school day finishes at 3:15pm, and all children should be picked up from the Key Stage 2 playground.

Please note that children who arrive after 8:45am will be marked as late. We run a free breakfast club from 8:00am which all children are welcome to attend.

Academic Year 2024/2025

School Closed (Public Holidays)

Monday, 5th May 2025

In service Days

No holidays in school time will be authorised 

Absences

Please remember to telephone the office before 8.45am if your child is absent from school so we can record the reason, otherwise the absence will be classed as unauthorised. If you telephone school it enables us to make sure that children who walk to school alone are absent with their parents’ permission. If we do not receive a message we will contact parents either by telephone or text.

Holidays in term time 

Holiday or days off in school time are not permitted except in exceptional circumstances.  The Principal will review each application and will give you an answer as soon as possible. Holidays in term time may lead to a £80 per child, per parent Penalty Notice which will be issued once your child/children return to school from their holiday.

Please note that if you require an exceptional circumstance absence during school time please contact school to arrange an meeting or telephone call with the Principal BEFORE you make any arrangements. Any unauthorised absences are passed to Trafford Council who may fine both parents.

Fine

Your local council can give each parent a fine of £80, rising to £160 if you do not pay within 21 days.

From the 2024 to 2025 school year, each parent will only get up to 2 fines for the same child in a 3-year period.

If you get a second fine in 3 years it will be £160. If you do not pay the fine in 28 days you may be taken to court for keeping your child out of school.

If your child is off school 3 or more times within the 3 years you will not be fined but may be taken to court.

If you’re taken to court

You could get a fine of up to £2,500, a community order or a jail sentence up to 3 months. The court could also give you a Parenting Order, This means you have to go to parenting classes. You’ll also have to do what the court says to improve your child’s school attendance.

Attendance Matters

At Barton Clough Primary we are working very hard to improve attendance and punctuality. It is vital that children attend school every day so that they have the best chance of reaching their full potential – every day counts!

Coming to school every day helps children to learn new exciting things, build lasting friendships and promotes self-esteem and confidence.

A child with 90% attendance may seem good, but it actually means that you child would miss:

• one half day each week.
• nearly four weeks of a school year.

We understand that children will miss school due to illness or other unforeseen circumstances, but we urge parents to send children in when they are well enough to attend. For information about attendance procedures please see our school attendance policy.