Attendance
Attendance Policy October 2024
Start of year parent information letter
Supporting families leaflet
A letter from all the cluster schools
For a child to reach their full educational achievement a high level of school attendance is essential.
We are committed to providing an education of the highest quality for all our pupils/ students and endeavour to provide an environment where all pupils feel valued and welcome. Parents and pupils play a part in making our school so successful. Every child has a right to access the education to which he/she is entitled. Parents and teachers share the responsibility for supporting and promoting excellent school attendance and punctuality for all.
It is our duty to consistently strive to achieve a goal of 100% attendance for all children. Every opportunity will be used to convey to pupils and their parents or carers the importance of regular and punctual attendance.
For our children to take full advantage of the educational opportunities offered it is vital they are at school, on time, every day the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable. The routines children develop around attendance and punctuality at school are the same as the expectations of any future employer in the world of work. High attainment, confidence with peers and staff and future aspirations depend on good attendance.
Good attendance is important because:
- Statistics show a direct link between under-achievement and absence below 95%
- Regular attenders make better progress, both socially and academically
- Regular attenders find school routines, school work and friendships easier to cope with
- Regular attenders find learning more satisfying
- Regular attenders are more successful in transferring between primary school, secondary school, and higher education, employment or training
Attendance facts
Above 97% | Less than 6 days absence a year | Excellent attendance! Pupils with this attendance should achieve the best they can. |
95% | Less than 10 days absence a year | Pupils with this attendance are more likely to achieve their targets at the end of the year. |
90% | 20 days absence over the year | Pupils with this attendance are missing approximately a month (20 days) of school per year and may fall behind in Maths, English and other subjects; it will be difficult for them to achieve their best. |
85% | 30 days absence over the year. | These pupils are missing approximately 6 weeks of school a year. It will be very difficult for them to keep up and achieve their best |
80% | Pupils with this attendance are missing a day for every week of school. | It will be almost impossible to keep up with their work and achieve their best. |
Overall Punctuality
Being late can mean:
5 minutes late every day | 3 days of school lost learning time a year |
10 minutes late every day | 6.5 days of school lost learning time a year |
15 minutes late every day | 10 days of school lost learning time a year |
20 minutes late every day | 13 days of school lost learning time a year |
30 minutes late every day | 19 days of school lost learning time a year |
Can I take my child out of school for a family holiday?
Since September 2013, changes to Government regulations and guidance mean that Headteachers can no longer authorise leave of absence unless there are exceptional circumstances.
As set down by the Department for Education, Penalty Notices can be issued for unauthorised absence. In Hampshire, Penalty Notices are issued when a pupil has had 10 or more half-day sessions (equivalent to five school days) of unauthorised absence, in the last 10 school week period or where a parent/carer is deliberately avoiding the national threshold.
Unauthorised absence is absence not approved by the school and will be coded on your child’s attendance record as one of the following:
O: unauthorised absence
U: late after close of registration
G: non-approved leave of absence (holiday)
Each penalty notice will incur a £80 fine per parent/carer, per child, if paid in the first 21 days, or £160 fine per parent, per child if paid within 28 days. If unpaid, this may result in legal action being taken.
From the 2024 to 2025 school year, each parent will only get up to 2 fines for the same child in a 3-year period.
If you get a second fine in 3 years it will be £160. If you do not pay the fine in 28 days you may be taken to court for keeping your child out of school.
If your child is off school 3 or more times within the 3 years you will not be fined but may be taken to court.
Absence of any type will only be authorised in an exceptional circumstance or genuine illness.
Exceptional circumstances can be defined as an event arising as a result of factors beyond a family’s control e.g. to attend a family funeral.
Holidays will not be authorised during term time.
Fixed penalty notices will also be issued to parents/carers of children who we are told were absent due to illness but subsequently discover to have been on holiday.
Should you have any further question about requests for absence from school, then please contact the School Office.