Attendance
Attendance: general
Bickerton Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School recognises the importance of good attendance and the impact it has on children’s progress, attainment, enjoyment of learning and relationships within school. Good attendance helps a child to realise their potential and ensure they are motivated, confident and enjoy a diverse range of curricular opportunities and experiences. Our school policy promotes good attendance, which is recognised and rewarded as an achievement. The school monitors attendance and ensures quick and early intervention if a problem is identified. We recognise that whole school preventative and proactive approaches are key to promoting children wellbeing and attendance. A child must attend school every day that they are required to do so unless an exceptional circumstance applies.
If your child is not in school for any reason this needs to be reported by ‘someone with parental responsibility’.
Parental responsibility means:
- All natural parents, whether they are married or not;
- Any person who has parental responsibility for a child or young person; and,
- Any person who has care of a child or young person i.e. lives with and looks after the child.
This includes adults living with the children and relatives but not siblings or family friends.
This can be done through direct contact with a member of staff, a telephone call, or a letter. If we do not receive this notification, the child’s absence will be marked as unauthorised.This will need to be done for each day that the child is absent from school.
Any absences that are not reported before 9.15am will be marked as unauthorised unless there are exceptional circumstances. Any illness or absence that is not reported to the office will be unauthorised.
If you need help ensuring that your child attends school everyday then please let us know - we may be able to help! Mrs. Williams (Head Teacher and attendance lead) and Mrs Long (ELSA) are there to help and support families.
The Importance of Punctuality
Punctuality is a very important learning habit as there is a clear link between attendance/punctuality and attainment; the more time a pupil spends in school the more likely they are to improve their opportunity to fulfil their full potential.
Being frequently late for school or lessons adds up to lost learning time:
- Arriving 5 minutes late every day adds up to over 3 days lost each year.
- Arriving 15 minutes late every day is the same as being absent for 2 weeks a year.
- Arriving 30 minutes late every day is the same as being absent for 19 days a year.
Being on time is a good thing:
- It gets the day off to a good start with everyone in a positive frame of mind.
- It helps your child make the most of their learning and sets positive patterns for the future.
- It helps children develop a sense of responsibility both for themselves and for others
- It helps your child make and keep friends.
- It improves self-confidence.
Children are welcomed into school from 08:30am and registers are taken at 08:50 am. For safeguarding reasons, the doors will be closed and the gates will be locked at just after 8:50am
Any child arriving after this point will need to be signed in at the main office and will be marked as ‘late –after register closes’.
Any child arriving after 9:15am will be marked in as a U and this counts as an unauthorised absence for the morning session.
Parental Guidance
Members of the Attendance Action Alliance have worked with the Department of Eduation to develop a short guide to help parents understand how they can work with school and the local authority to support their children to attend school and get the right support.
DFE guidance for parents on school attendance
When should I keep my child off school?
Your child should only be kept away from school due to illness if they:
1. Have an infectious illness which could spread to other people
2. Need care during school hours that cannot be carried out in school
3. Are so unwell that they are not able to cope with lessons
The NHS website has useful advice here:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
Every moment in school counts and days missed add up quickly. Evidence shows that pupils who have good attendance enjoy better wellbeing and school performance than those who don't.
The school day is split into two sessions – one session counts as a morning or afternoon spent in school. There are only a few occasions where a child is allowed to miss school, such as illness or where the school has given permission because of an exceptional circumstance.
Penality Notices will be issued for:
10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a rolling 10 week sessions this includes the following codes:
G (holiday not granted by school)
U (late after school registration closes)
O (absent for other or unknown circumstances) codes
Leave of Absence
A child’s absence during term time seriously disrupts their continuity of learning. Not only do they miss the teaching on the days they are away but are less prepared for the lessons building on that teaching when they return to school. There is a consequent risk of under achievement, which we must seek to avoid.
In September 2013, amendments to the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006, make it clear that Head Teachers may not grant any Leave of Absence (holiday) during term time unless there are ‘exceptional circumstances’.
The Head Teacher and the Governing Body will determine what constitutes an exceptional circumstance on an individual basis. If parents/carers need to request Exceptional Leave of Absence, they must complete an ‘Exceptional Leave of Absence’ form available from the school office. It should be noted that if any application is declined and absence occurs of a consecutive 5 or more unauthorised days, then school may apply to the Local Authority for a Fixed Penalty Notice to be issued to each parent/carer.
The following will not be deemed to be exceptional circumstances:
- Family holiday
- Availability of less expensive holiday
- Availability of holiday accommodation
- Parent/carer’s working commitments
- Holiday pre-booked by another family member
The Children's commissioner has produced a range of resources and guides to parents to help with attendance and school worries.
please click here to visit the site.
Please see below, our school's attendance policy.