Why does attendance matter?
Missing a few days of school here and there may not seem a big deal, but research shows that it can have a significant impact on children’s learning.
Children who miss a substantial amount of school fall behind their peers, and struggle to catch up.Most of the work they miss is never made up, which can lead to big gaps in their learning.
Poor attendance often starts at primary school, and children who fall into this pattern are likely to underachieve at secondary school. Pupils who miss between 10 and 20% of school (that’s 19 to 38 days per year) stand only a 35% chance of achieving five or more good GCSEs, compared to 73% of those who miss fewer than 5% of school days.
Friendships can be affected by persistent absence, too: it can be hard for a child who misses lots of school to form relationships with their classmates.
What counts as good attendance?
An attendance rate of 95% is generally considered good.
Persistent absence (PA) is defined as an attendance rate of 90% or below.
What absences are not authorised?
Certain types of absence will be marked as unauthorised. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, agreed by the headteacher, time off for holidays is always unauthorised.
Absences where the parents haven’t given the school a reason are also recorded as unauthorised.
Please click here for the procedure for the issue of penalty notices
What to do if your child is ill?
If your child is too ill to go to school, you must phone school on 01642 676768 on the morning of the first day of absence and each day after.
If we dispute the authenticity of your child’s illness or it happens too frequently, we could ask you for medical evidence such as a doctor’s note, an appointment card or a copy of their prescription.
What happens if your child’s absence is not authorised?
As a parent, it’s your responsibility to make sure your child is at school, unless you’re home educating or they have a long-term health problem.
If your child doesn’t go to school and you haven’t phoned in your notification, you’ll be contacted by the school to find out why they’re absent.
If your child is persistently absent, you will be contacted by the schools Education Welfare Officer. You can download a letter below that will tell you all about our Education Officer.
They will discuss your child’s attendance with you, and help you come up with a plan to make sure they get to school.
Please click here for the procedure for the issue of penalty notices.
The emphasis in the first instance will be on providing support to help you improve your child’s attendance. Our PSA Mr Dixon is available to support you with attendance issues.
Ultimately, if your child continues to miss school, legal action can be taken.
Please take time to read our school attendance policy.