Attendance
Important Information Regarding Attendance
Following updated guidance from the Department for Education, we have reviewed our Attendance and Absence policy.
The Department for Education guidance regarding school attendance states;
Central to raising standards in education and ensuring all pupils can fulfil their potential is an assumption so widely understood that it is insufficiently stated – pupils need to attend school regularly to benefit from their education. Missing out on lessons leaves children vulnerable to falling behind. Children with poor attendance tend to achieve less in both primary and secondary school.
The government expects:
• schools and local authorities to:
• promote good attendance and reduce absence, including persistent absence
• ensure every pupil has access to full-time education to which they are entitled
• act early to address patterns of absence
• parents to perform their legal duty by ensuring their children of compulsory school age who are registered at school attend regularly
• all pupils arrive at school on time.
Research shows that there is a direct link between school attendance and attainment and progress. Poor attendance and missing lessons has a direct negative impact upon a child’s success in learning. Missing out on lessons leaves children vulnerable to falling behind. We aim to support and enable our pupils to fulfil their potential and provide them with every opportunity for a positive and successful future. In order to achieve this you have a responsibility for ensuring the attendance and punctuality of your child. Your child deserves the best start in life and a regular education will provide this.
What can parents / carers do?
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Ensure your child attends school every day and on time.
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If your child is not well enough to attend contact the school by 9.00am on the first day of absence.
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Have everything ready the night before to avoid delays in the morning.
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Have good bedtime and morning routines with set times for going to bed and waking up.
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Try to make dental and medical appointments outside of school time.
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Take family holidays during the school holiday. We are unable to authorise term time holidays.
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Contact us immediately if you need help or support with your child’s attendance or punctuality.
You must have the school’s permission to take your child out of school only in exceptional circumstances.
Taking your child on holiday is not an exceptional circumstance.
Let’s work together to achieve consistently high attendance and punctuality. There are only 190 school days in a year and we want to see every child at school every day because every school day counts!