Attendance
Attendance Expectations
We believe that regular attendance at school is vital to help children achieve and get the best possible start in life. Children who frequently miss school often fall behind and there is a strong link between good school attendance and achieving good results. Our whole school attendance target is 96% or above and together we can achieve this. The School Day:
Parents are expected to:
Arriving to school on time
Requesting a ‘Leave of Absence’ in term time The Government issued new regulations in September 2013 regarding Leave of Absence; The Education (Pupil Regulations) (England) Regulations 2006 as amended by Education (Pupil Regulations) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013. A leave of absence can be requested by completing a ‘Leave of Absence' form available from the school office.
Medical Appointments Routine medical appointments such as dentist, opticians, etc should be made outside of the school day and a copy of appointment letter is required if this has not been possible. All specialist medical appointments such as consultants, paediatricians, orthodontist, etc. may be authorised, as long as school is in receipt of a copy of the appointment letter. This needs to be provided to the school’s office. Unexplained Absence from School When no reason has been provided for a child/young person’s absence the school will initiate a First Day Contact’ response in line with ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023’ and ‘Children at Risk of Missing Education’. The following steps take place:
Persistent Absence from School A ‘persistent absentee’ is any child/young person whose attendance falls below 90%. Absences will be unauthorised if a parent fails to provide a reason for absence or the school does not accept the reason for absence provided Our school monitors attendance very closely, looking at patterns and trends of absence - this information will form part of a support plan when we work with parents to improve their child’s attendance at school. Supporting parents It is in the best interest of the child, family and school if problems with attendance are identified early. School staff will support wherever possible in encouraging your child/young person to attend school regularly by creating a safe and welcoming environment to be in. Section 7 of the 1996 Education Act states that parents have a duty to ensure their child (ren)’s regular attendance. The Local Authority now have powers under sections 444, 444A and 444ZA of the Education Act 1996 to bring legal action against parents in order to enforce attendance at school. |
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Encouraging excellent attendance by being in school, on time, every day.