Attendance & Punctuality

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Term time absence request form

Please may I draw your attention to some changes to the Educations (pupil legislative) (England) Regulations 2006 which became law on 01 September 2013.

This clearly states that Headteachers cannot grant leave of absence for a holiday or other time off unless there are exceptional circumstances. In these rare cases, it is the Headteacher who determines the number of days a child can be away from school if leave is granted.

Absence may only be authorised for:

• Genuine illness
• Emergency medical/dental appointments (routine appointments should be made outside of school hours)
• A maximum of 3 days, in an academic year, for the religious observance of the religious body to which the parent belongs.
• Education off-site e.g. transfer days to Secondary Schools.
• Approved Educational Activities – with supporting evidence, e.g. to attend a sports tournament, ballet exam.

All other forms of absence will NOT be authorised:

• One-off short absence for family events or closure of a sibling’s school
• Holidays, including days overlapping the beginning and or end of term, availability of cheap flights or previous inability to take a holiday.
• Sickness absence will be recorded as unauthorised if the school is not advised of the reason why the child is out of school.
• An absence that falls into one of the other categories listed above, will be unauthorised if it is taken without prior permission.

We are required to monitor the attendance of all pupils. If a child’s attendance rate slips below 95%, letters will be sent home to the parents informing them of this. Within the letter, the parents will be asked to ensure that the child’s attendance rate improves and the school will continue to monitor this closely. If the attendance rate slips below 85%, absence for illness will only be authorised with medical evidence.  We expect to see an immediate improvement in the child’s attendance rate. If attendance does not improve during the following term, we may refer to the Educational Welfare Service and they may make contact with you.

The following information highlights the effect of absence on your son or daughter.

Why attendance matters

• Of pupils who miss more than 50% of school, only 3% manage to achieve five A* to C’s including English and Maths.
• Of pupils who miss between 10% and 20% of school, only 35% manage to achieve five A* to C’s including English and Maths.
• Of pupils who miss less than 5% of school, 73% achieve five A* to Cs including English and Maths.
  DFE 2011

In the event that you should require a leave of absence for exceptional circumstances then you should put in a request in writing at least two weeks before the absence is required. Please outline in detail why you consider this request to be of an exceptional nature. Leave of absence requests will not be made retrospectively.

The importance of attendance 

Attending school every day is the most important thing your child can do. Education has been severely interrupted in recent years and therefore children simply cannot afford to miss any further school time.  

Poor attendance has a significant impact on a child’s academic achievement. However, it has also been demonstrated that those with excellent attendance enjoy better levels of wellbeing, secure social groups and demonstrate greater levels of self-esteem. Moreover, non-attendance is a safeguarding issue. If children are not present, we cannot vouch for their safety. 

When your child must not stay at home: 

• Most common ailments such as headaches, coughs, colds and sore throats are not reasons to keep a child off from school, according to NHS Advice. 
• Holidays must not be taken during term-time. This includes a departing a couple of days prior to the end of term or arriving back later at the start of a new term. 
• If your child has had a disagreement with a peer, this must never be a reason to stay at home “until the matter is sorted”. We can only sort things out if your child is in school. 
• Being tired after not sleeping properly. Taking time off due to tiredness will only further create bad routines. 

How we celebrate attendance 

• At the start of each week, we reward all pupils who achieved 100% attendance in the previous week.  
• We positively welcome pupils into every session of the day, grating them at the door with a smile. 
• We celebrate the tutor groups with the best attendance each week in assembly.  
• We present special awards for 100% attendance at the end of each term and year. 

How we respond to poor attendance 

Where there is poor attendance, we take quick steps to resolve any underlying issues and reward improvement at the earliest opportunity. 

What if my child struggles to come to school? 

We know that some pupils may struggle to come to school and may even refuse. This issue has been particularly prevalent since the disruption caused through the pandemic.  

In any situation where your child refuses to attend school, please do reach out to the school at the earliest opportunity. Our pastoral team will be in touch to do everything we can to support.  

Please be assured that the vast majority of school-refusal issues are quickly resolved, but we know some situations are more complex than others.