Attendance

Children’s learning is based on small steps taken daily and weekly. Missing one of these small steps makes learning more difficult for your child.  Absence affects continuity of teaching and learning. Children should be in school unless they are too sick to attend.

It is assumed that medical, dental and hospital appointments will be arranged out of school time. Where such appointments are unavoidable, parents should show the appointment card/letter to the school office so the absence can be coded accurately. 

If your child is absent for any reason school must be informed early on the first day of absence by phone on 01772 743531 about the absence and reasons for it.

The Government requires school to keep detailed records of attendance and of the reasons for absence for all pupils.  Records are kept of individual pupil level attendance and also regarding which absences are school approved (i.e. authorised) and which absences are unauthorised (i.e. taken without the permission of school).

Only school can make the decision to authorise absences. Absences caused by illness and verified appointments are authorised.  Avoidable absences such as shopping trips are unauthorised.

The Local Authority Attendance officer regularly visits school and expects the school to follow up any unresolved absence issues.

If attendance continues to be an issue school will follow various stages as indicated in the School Attendance Policy; letters, meetings with parents, use of parenting contracts, referral to the Local Authority Pupil Attendance Support Team etc.  Where attendance continues to be an issue, we will have to take individual cases to the governors which may result school requesting that the Local Authority issue a penalty notice proceed to prosecution. 

Please support us to improve our overall school attendance.  Our aim to ensure that our school has attendance which is higher than the national figure of 95.8%.