Attendance Updates

Weekly Attendance  Week ending 7th December

Authorised and unauthorised absence at school

Consequences to parents and pupils

If a pupil fails to attend or arrives late they can be marked as an absence for that session. The attendance target for every pupil is 96%, this is set by government not the school.

If a pupil is absent, the register must show whether the absence was authorised (acceptable) or unauthorised (where no acceptable reason is given for absence). Only the school can approve the reason for absence.

Authorised absence from school

If your child is absent due to sickness and is genuinely unable to attend school, then you must inform the school as early as possible and they may authorise the absence. If your child has low attendance this will not be authorised without medical evidence.

You should contact the school by telephone or text if your child is going to be absent at the start of the day. You must also provide a letter to explain this absence when your child returns to school.

Unauthorised absence

The law states that parent/carer(s) must ensure that their child regularly attends the school. Should your child fail to attend school regularly you will be issued with a Penalty Notice. Penalty Notices carry a fine of £60 per parent per child if paid within 21 days increasing to £120 per parent per child if paid between 22-28 days.

Parent/carer(s) may be issued with a Penalty Notice if:

• Overt truancy (including pupils caught on truancy sweeps).
• Parentally-condoned absences.
• Unauthorised leave for the purpose of a family holiday in term-time.
• Delayed return from leave of absence without prior school agreement.
• Persistent late arrival at school (after the school register has closed).
• Where an excluded child is found in a public place during school hours during the first five days of exclusion.

Family holidays and extended leave during term time

From 1 September 2013, head teachers are unable to agree leave of absence during term time unless they are satisfied there is very exceptional circumstances. The DfE defines exceptional circumstances as:  “The fundamental principles for defining ‘exceptional’ are rare, significant, unavoidable and short. And by ‘unavoidable’ we mean an event that could not reasonably be scheduled at another time.”

Should absence be agreed, head teachers can specify the number of days a pupil will be allowed to be absent from school.

Where leave of absence is not agreed and the pupil is out of school or the pupil is away longer than was agreed or an application has not been made in advance, the absence is recorded as unauthorised. Head teachers cannot give retrospective approval.

Where leave of absence is taken for a holiday that has not been authorised, a head teacher may request the local authority to issue a Penalty Notice. Penalty Notices are issued to each parent for each child who is absent without the agreement of the head teacher.

Lateness

It is a parent’s responsibility to ensure their children arrive at school on time. Lateness can disrupt the learning of others and can result in a pupil feeling greater stress and achieving poorer outcomes.

Research shows a close link between attendance at school and a child’s achievement. Being late adds up to a loss of learning. All time out of school affects learning and achievement for pupils. It is your responsibility to make sure your child arrives at school on time.

If a pupil arrives after registration has closed the absence will be recorded as unauthorised for that session. If this persists legal action, in the form of a Penalty Notice may follow.

Common questions regarding attendance

 My child doesn’t want to come to school. What should I do?

Most children will, at some point, tell you that they do not want to go to school. This is quite normal. Always do your best to find out what has upset them and talk to your child about how to resolve any problems.

If your child says they are not happy going to school, or show other signs of reluctance i.e. recurrent minor ailments that quickly get better once the school day is under way, reluctance to do their homework or share information from school, friendship difficulties, concerns about bullying, etc., speak to a member of school staff as soon as possible.

 Try to be calm and organised at the beginning of the day so that there is little opportunity for your child to become anxious. Praise achievement at school, however small. Make sure you understand and support the school’s behaviour and attendance policies, giving your child clear guidance about what is expected of them and explain why they have to go to school. If the problems persist please ask for support from the school.

 My child has a medical/dental appointment in school. Should I re-book it in non-school time?

Schools request that parents make all non-emergency appointments for medical and dental check-ups outside of the school day. If this is not possible please give as much notice as possible to the school of the appointment. You will need to collect your child from school for the appointment, sign them out and back in again when you return. This is a legal requirement for Health and Safety purposes. Your child must attend school before and after the appointment where appropriate so that as little of the school day is missed as possible.

Illness leaflet page 1

Illness leaflet page 2

Illness sheet