Regular attendance and punctuality are very important if children are to achieve their educational potential. Statistics show that children who attend school regularly make more progress and achieve better than those who do not. Every lesson is important and it can be difficult for children to catch up if they miss too much of their learning. However, it is highly likely that a child will be unable to attend school at some point, usually due to illness. Parents have a legal responsibility to ensure that their child attends school regularly.  The school and the Educational Welfare Officer monitors attendance and punctuality regularly.  Letters will be sent to parents when attendance falls to raise awareness of the potential impact on children's progress and sense of well-being.

Late Arrival

Children who arrive at school after 8:55 a.m. must report to the office to explain the reason for their late arrival in school and make their lunch choice for the day.

Regular and habitual lateness for school is not acceptable as it :-

• Disadvantages your child educationally because they then do not know what to do and they have to catch up.
• Disrupts teaching time when lessons have already started.
• Involves the remarking of registers.
• Affects the provision of school meals
• Conveys a message that lateness is acceptable.

Being punctual and arriving at school on time will ensure that your child is able to settle, organise themselves and ready to learn every day, establishing good habits which will prepare them well for later life.

Absence From School

Statistics show that children who attend school regularly make more progress and achieve better than those who do not. Every lesson is important, and it can be difficult for children to catch up if they miss too much of their learning. However, it is highly likely that a child will be unable to attend school at some point, usually due to illness. If this happens, please note the following, when your child is ill, you should contact us by telephone, email or note at the earliest opportunity to inform us of the reason for your child being absent. We will then know that your child is absent for a valid reason.

* If we have not heard from you by 9:30 am on the first day of absence, we will call or text you to alert you to the fact that your child is missing from school.

Above 97% – Less than 12 sessions (6 days) absence a year
Excellent Attendance!  These students will almost certainly get the best grades they can, leading to better prospects for the future.

95% – 20 sessions (10 days) absence a year
These pupils are likely to achieve good grades.  Students who take a 2 week holiday every year can only achieve 95% attendance

90% – 38 sessions (19 days) absence a year
Students in this group are missing a month of school a year.  It will be difficult for them to achieve their best

85% – 58 sessions (29 days) absence a year
The government classes students in this group as ‘Persistent Absentees’ and it will be almost impossible for them to keep up with work. Parents of students in this group could also face the possibility of legal action taken by the local authority.

Absence Requests

The Absence Request form is available from the school office and should be completed by parents/carers when requesting term time absence from school for their child, regardless of whether the absence is for a holiday, or any other reason. Also, all requests for absence should be evidenced based, e.g. medical appointment cards, letters from employers etc.

The Local Authority, through the school's Educational Welfare Officer, also regularly checks the attendance of all children at school and will investigate cases of absence when a child is away for more than an average of one day a fortnight, whether the absence is authorised or not.

Term Time Holiday Requests

The Government changed their policy regarding school attendance and new legal regulations came into force from September 2013. This means that holidays from school in term time have been removed from the regulations and therefore Headteachers are no longer allowed to authorise absence from school unless it is due to exceptional circumstances. Schools have received specific guidance from the Department for Education which lists reasons that are or are not acceptable.