We are required to produce attendance information for the last academic year. The information below shows the overall attendance percentage for the academic year 2023-24.
Period: 01/09/2023 to 19/07/2024
| Group | Authorised Absences | Unauthorised Absences | Possible | % Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole school | 3.3 | 1.3 | 100 | 95.4 |
Absences
If your child is absent, even for a short time, we expect a telephone call before 9.30 a.m. on each day of absence; if not you will be contacted between 9.30am and 10am. A note to explain the reason for absence will also be required on the child’s return to school. This is a legal requirement as the LA attendance officers check our registers regularly. Please do not write letters regarding absence in your child’s home contact book or homework diary as absence letters have to be kept alongside the class registers. Please ensure that all letters are dated and signed.
It is very important that we record absences correctly. Different marks are used in the register to show reasons for absence, e.g. I =illness, M= medical appointment – Doctors, Dentist etc. If we do not receive written confirmation for the reason for absence or the reason does not fit into any of the given categories, we have to class this as unauthorised. Each day is broken into two sessions, morning and afternoon and attendance is reported in sessions rather than days. The register is taken at the beginning of each session. If your child is absent at the close of register (9.10am) but returns later in the session, due to attending an appointment, the whole of the session will be recorded with the appropriate absence mark. We monitor our pupils’ attendance on a regular basis and highlight those pupils who fall below 90% attendance who are identified as persistent absentees.
Attendance less than 90% can lead to a school referral being made to the Attendance Improvement Team. The Attendance Improvement Team has the authority to impose fixed rate penalty notices and can arrange for children to be examined by a Doctor. Lateness of all pupils is also monitored and recorded and parents are informed in writing the number of late sessions recorded for their child. Regular and continued lateness may also result in a referral being made. All procedures are carried out in accordance with legal obligations laid down by the Government and the Local Authority. It is essential in cases of contagious or infectious disease that the school is notified and a Doctor’s clearance obtained before a child returns to school.
Parents can monitor their child’s attendance at school via the Arbor app.
Absence During Term Time
National school attendance legislation and guidance came into effect on the 1st September 2013.
As a result, Headteachers cannot grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. This will mean that we are not able to authorise absence from school during term time and holiday absence taken during term time will therefore be classed as unauthorised.
We have sought clarification on what constitutes ‘exceptional circumstances’ and this does not include instances where work place holiday availability / rotas, etc. dictate that holiday dates are tied to certain weeks of the year which may unfortunately coincide with term time dates when children would be in school.
Should you wish to make an application to the Headteacher for pupil absence during term time for exceptional circumstances, please complete the form below and return to the school office.
