School Attendance

                                                                             

If you take 2 weeks holiday during term time your child’s attendance can never be higher than 94.7% even if they are in school every other day.

Following the changes to the attendance regulations made by the Department for Education it has been made clear that head teachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are ‘exceptional circumstances’. Any absence requests must be made in writing, in advance to the school, please collect a form from the school office.

                                                               

What is the expected attendance for primary school children?

The Government expect that pupils attend school for at least 96% of the school year. We aim to achieve at 97% attendance across our school. If you are not sure if your child should be in school you may find the guidance from the NHS useful. Please follow this link or search for ‘is my child too ill for school?’

If your child’s level of absence concerns us or attendance falls below 95%, you may be contacted by the school to look at what support can be offered to improve your child’s attendance. We want to work with you to ensure we give your child the best opportunities to grow and succeed.

 

Attendance that falls below 90% is categorised as persistent absence.

An attendance figure of 90% is the equivalent of a half day absence every week. If your child is persistently absent, a number of things may happen depending upon the reasons for absence and your child’s previous attendance record.

You may receive a letter, an invitation to an attendance meeting, a home visit or, in serious cases, your child’s attendance may be closely monitored, and you may be asked to provide medical proof of absence.

If your child is absent for any reason, please contact school on 01905 522402

If no message has been received about an absence, for the safety of your child, good practice requires schools to try to contact parents as soon as possible to establish the reason for absence. If we are unable to contact parents, we may contact other sources such as other emergency contacts provided by you. If contact still isn't made, it may be necessary to do a home visit and/or contact the police. This is good safeguarding practice to ensure the safety of you and your child.

Please remember that if a child has vomited or had diarrhoea they must not return to school until they have had two school days clear of symptoms. Thank you for your continued support.

The Education Hub is a site for parents, pupils, education professionals and the media and is hosted by GOV.UK. The site contains lots of straight forward and accessible information about the education system. Please follow the link below to access their blog about school attendance.

The Education Hub - Why is school attendance important?

How can you support good attendance in school?

• Take trips during school holidays rather than term time
• Don’t allow your child to stay off school for a minor ailment
• Arrive at school on time so your child doesn’t get a Late mark
• Ensure your child has a good understanding of why attendance is important
• Figure out the reasons for absence as this can help you understand where your child needs support in overcoming barriers to attending school
• Try to establish a good routine early so that when your child does start school, they have developed good habits such as getting plenty of sleep
• If appointments are needed for health reasons, try to make them during after school hours or out of term time where possible
• Offer support with homework and take an interest in their learning
• Attend parents’ evenings to discuss your child’s progress

We want children to be happy in school and have the best chances for their future.  Being in school as much as possible gives them the biggest chance of success.

 

 

 

If you require any more support or advice regarding school attendance please do contact us at school and we will do everything we can to help.