Attendance & Absence
Attendance: Good attendance is vital for children to achieve well and be happy at school. Children who are absent regularly may fall behind or be unhappy coming to school.We have high expectations for your children and our pupils, as a school with an attendance target of 96% we expect children to attend at least 96% to enable them every opportunity to do well and make the progress they are capable of.
What is good attendance?
If your child has better than 96% attendance at school they are doing well. The national average is about 95%. Children with 80% attendance will miss an average of one day a week and two years of school by the time they are in Year 11. Similarly attendance of 90% may sound good but it is still half a day a week and a year of missed education by the time they are 16. We don’t need to explain how difficult it can be for some children to make up for a year of lost time. Under new guidance issued by the government a child is considered persistently absent (PA) if their attendance is below 90%. In this instance the school is required to report to the Local Authority every term and we ensure parents are also aware of this classification.
What do we do?
We reward very good attendance at the end of the year - we give certificates out for pupils with very high attendance 99-100%. We also reward pupils who improve their attendance greatly. We monitor attendance and try and support families, if we can, to improve attendance. We will work with other agencies e.g GP surgery, to do this. We will also set up plans for children who need to improve so that they can be rewarded when they come to school regularly. We try and make it part of our school ethos that good attendance is expected and rewarded. We have an Independent Family support worker who may contact you where concerns remain.
What can parents do?
We value parents and children’s efforts to attend school on time and regularly. Of course it is important that when children are not well that they are properly cared for. Ensure you phone in on the first day of absence to give the reason for your child being absent and if possible every subsequent day. On return to school a letter confirming the reason for the absence should be handed in to your child’s class teacher.
If you are concerned about your child’s attendance or they seem unhappy to come to school please talk to someone as soon as possible. Normally it is best to speak to the class teacher in the first instance and then the Headteacher or another member of senior staff.
Authorised absence:
- Absence due to illness, medical or dental treatment (please provide evidence of appointment).
- Absence due to educational visits, school trips, etc.
- Exceptional circumstance, bereavement, family emergency
- All other absences are unauthorised:
- Lateness is unauthorized absence unless this is due to illness or medical appointments. Please provide the school with a written and dated letter explaining the absence.
Requests for Leave of Absence in Term Time
Any request should be made a minimum of 3 weeks prior to the leave of absence and should be submitted to the school using the 'Request for Leave of Absence' form, Parents/Carers may be asked to provide additional information/evidence or meet with the school to discuss the circumstances.
Parents/carers will be notified of the Head Teacher’s decision at the earliest opportunity. If the circumstances are not considered to be exceptional then parents/carers will be informed of this and made aware that the Local Authority may be asked to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice if a child fails to attend school.
A Penalty Notice involves a fine of £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days. this will increase to £160 per parent, per child if paid within 28 days. If this is a second fine for the same child within any three-year period, this will be charged at the higher rate of £160. Fines per parent are capped to two fines within any three-year period. Once this limit has been reached, other action like a parenting order or prosecution will be considered.
Request for Leave of Absence form (available below or from the school office)
Children arriving at or leaving school during school hours:
Gates open at 8:30am and children need to be in class for 8:40 when the registers are taken. If they arrive late but before 9.00am they will need to come in via the office and will be marked as late (L code). After 09.01am it will be a U code and considered an unauthorised absence.
All children taken out or returned in school time must be signed in or out at the office. Parents should not collect children from classes – this is done by a member of school staff.
Travel Guidance
Parents / Carers are asked to make every effort to walk to school with their children – it not only contributes to the health of the children – but to the safety around the school. Children at the end of Year 5 and the beginning of Year 6 participate in cycle training – then and only then can they cycle to school without a parent. The issue of safety and congestion at the entrance to the school can be addressed if parents / carers make sure they do not park on the yellow zig-zags at any time. Notices indicating parking restrictions are clear and enforceable. The school has a travel plan which outlines the measures we plan to take to contribute to healthy living and safety.
All parents / carers who drive to school are encouraged to park on the neighbouring roads outside the school and walk their children into school. Only those parents / carers who have written permission from the headteacher will be allowed access to the school drive. Locked gates are in operation throughout the school day and access is via an intercom system linked to the school office. Please do not use the church car park this is often in use by parishioners and occasional ceremonies