School attendance Guidance
Who is this guidance for? This guidance is for local authorities, all school staff, head teachers, governors, alternative provision providers, independent schools for pupil registers, and may also be useful for parents and carers. To read the guidance, please click HERE.
Compulsory School Age
A child reaches compulsory school age on or after their fifth birthday. If they turn 5 between 1 January and 31 March, then they are of compulsory school age on 31 March; if they turn 5 between 1 April and 31 August, then they are of compulsory school age on 31 August. If they turn 5 between 1 September and 31 December, then they are of compulsory school age on 31 December. A child continues to be of compulsory school age until the last Friday of June in the school year when they reach sixteen. (DfE July 2019)
Attendance
If your child is absent due to illness, please call the absence line and leave a message, on each morning of the absence. If the school considers the level of attendance to be of concern we will request medical evidence for each absence in order to avoid each missed session being marked as unauthorized. “Headteachers have the discretion to grant leave, but they should only do so in exceptional circumstances. If a Headteacher grants a leave request, it will be for them to determine the length of time that the child can be away from school”. This leave is unlikely, however, to be granted for the purposes of a family holiday parents/carers will need to complete an absence request form which is available from the school office/main foyer or Forms section of our website.
The Headteacher, Mrs Brett, works with the school’s Attendance Officer, Mrs Rebair, to promote excellent attendance, reduce levels of absence and work with children and families to promote high levels of attendance. It is important to promote and support high levels of attendance, to support students in achieving their full potential and to promote a positive attendance and punctuality culture. Schools should monitor attendance and address it when it is poor or irregular. All schools must inform the local authority of any pupil who fails to attend school regularly.
“Where school staff have concerns about a child, they will use their professional judgement and knowledge of the individual pupil to inform their decision as to whether welfare concerns should be escalated”. (DfE guidance September 2018).
Punctuality
It is most important that the children are able to begin their day calmly and on time. Registration takes place immediately when pupils have entered the classroom. This is often the time when teachers give them notices and information. We thank all those parents whose children are on time. If your child is late, their lateness may be marked as unauthorised for that session. The Educational Welfare Officer tracks any late arrivals to check for patterns of poor punctuality; those families causing concern will be contacted to arrange a formal meeting. Persistent absence from school is a serious problem.
