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Bronze Duke of Edinburgh: 

On the 11th and 12th of June, Aspen and 4 pupils from Oaks completed their D of E Bronze Expedition.  We set off from Mousehole on a very rainy Thursday morning and walked to Newlyn Boating Lake, where we met Freddie and Sennen from Maple.  We all had lunch together and then walked along the prom to the train station.  The weather had brightened up through the morning, and it was quite dry by the time we finished.  After walking/bussing back to school, we set up our tents and started cooking our dinner.  It was burgers, hot dogs and veggie kebabs and then cake.  Once everyone was full, we played games and then watched the first match of the football World Cup.  Dillon and Lucas 'zoomed in' for a virtual signing choir session too.  Then it was time for bed and sleep for some, but not all!  By 3.30, everyone had settled down, but most pupils were still up early, ready for breakfast!  After some eggy bread and tea, we packed up our stuff and then got on the bus for our final walk – from Marazion Cemetery back to the train station and on to school.  It was quite breezy on Friday and quite a few of us got windburn, even though we were wearing hats!  When we got to the train station, we cheered everyone across the finish line and then some of us, who were exhausted by this point, took the bus back to school.  Others carried on up to school for more cheers.  What an achievement and great fun was had by all!  We were so proud of all the pupils – they did brilliantly. 

A special shout-out to Hollie too, for fantastic organisation – thank you very much.  We are keen to try Silver next year.

Here are some quotes from pupils about D of E:

 "Camping was my favourite."

"It was something new I hadn't done before."

"I like walking."

"My favourite thing about D of E was breakfast because I had a laugh with Nikki about how I accidentally put too much jam on my toast.  "That's too much jam even for you!"

"I liked staying in a tent on my own, it felt very grown up."

If your child is absent from school without authorisation, you will be committing an offence under the Education Act 1996. We may submit a request to Cornwall Council for a Penalty Notice to be issued, in accordance with Sections 444A and 444B of the said Act. Penalty Notices are issued per liable parent, per child and each carry a fine of £80 if paid within 21 days or £160 if paid after this but within 28 days.

If your child is further absent from school without authorisation within any 3-year period, you will be committing a further offence under the Education Act 1996. We may submit a request to Cornwall Council for a Penalty Notice to be issued, in accordance with Sections 444A and 444B of the said Act. Penalty Notices for a second offence are issued per liable parent, per child and each carry a fine of £160, payable within 28 days.

Importantly, fines per parent will be capped to two fines within any three-year period. Once this limit has been reached, other action such as a parenting order or prosecution will be considered. 

Failure to pay the Penalty Notice may also result in legal action. If you are prosecuted and attend court because your child has not been attending school, you could get a fine of up to £2,500. Cornwall Council may also apply for the costs incurred in taking the matter to Court, including legal costs.

 Absence not authorised by the school may also result in a prosecution in the Magistrates’ Court under Section 444(1) or Section 444(1A) of the Education Act 1996, leading to a fine of up to £2,500 and/or a custodial sentence. Again, Cornwall Council may also apply for the costs incurred in taking the matter to Court, including legal costs.

Money raised from fines is only used by the local authority to cover the costs of administering the system, and to fund attendance support. Any extra money is returned to the government.