Attendance
Regular attendance is essential for a child to make satisfactory educational progress. It is the best way of ensuring greatest benefit from education and the way in which friendships are developed and membership of groups is formed. Punctuality is important to help a child become a dependable adult and, eventually, a reliable employee.
Aims
- For all children to attend school as often as possible (97% or better).
- For the average attendance to be above 97%.
- Everyone in school has a responsibility to improve or maintain excellent attendance and adults in school should model these expectations as well as encouraging them (i.e. by not being late to class or to pick up the children from the playground).
Actions taken when attendance/punctuality is causing concern
Attendance is beginning to cause a concern when a child is absent for a number of sessions that would lead to attendance below 90%, has an identifiable pattern of absence (e.g. most Fridays) or changes suddenly without explanation.
- At this point a letter and a copy of the detailed attendance record will be sent home to parents to inform them of their child’s attendance and how this may impact upon their learning. This letter also informs them that we will no longer be authorising any absence without appropriate evidence (appointment cards, prescriptions etc.).
- We will then start monitoring their attendance every 3 weeks and, if attendance does not improve, parents and carers with be asked to come into school and meet with the Headteacher and Child and Family Wellbeing Leader to discuss their child's absence and if the school can help with improving attendance in any way. A plan will be put into place to improve attendance and the legal duty will be explained to parents/carers.
- If parents/carers chose not to engage with the plan and attendance does not improve, the Local Authority may decide to serve a penalty notice. This requires the parent/carer to pay a fixed amount as a fine for their child’s non-attendance.
Holiday requests during term time
Taking children out of school for holidays is not a right. Only the school can authorise these absences.
In September 2013 the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 came into force. These regulations make it clear that Headteachers should not grant approval for any leave of absence during term-time, including holidays, unless there are exceptional circumstances. These regulations also state that holidays cannot be authorised retrospectively. If the circumstances are considered exceptional the headteacher should determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if leave is granted.
Any requests should be on an official school absence request form and handed into the school office for consideration prior to any holiday/leave arrangements being made.
You may be issued with a Penalty Notice should leave be taken which is not authorised. If unpaid this could lead to prosecution under section 444(1) of The Education Act 1996. Please note that penalty notices will apply to both parents for each child who fails to attend school.
Children need to attend school to ensure they have the best opportunity to succeed. There are 13 weeks holiday each year and therefore family holidays during term time will not be granted. Work cannot be given to take on holiday as children need to be taught in school.
Previous attendance is not taken into account when considering exceptional circumstances. It is an expectation that children are in school.
Where siblings attend other local schools, decisions will be reached with the headteachers in those schools. The decision of the headteachers is final.
