Absence from School

Absence from school is a serious issue that can have a deleterious effect on the ability of students to get the best from their time at school. Whilst it is appreciated that some children are unwell from time to time and that there can be exceptional circumstances that may cause absence, please think carefully before allowing your child to be off school.

Please note that holidays resulting in absence from school can only be authorised for exceptional reasons. 

In line with the Government’s commitment to reduce absence, the Persistent Absence threshold has been raised from 85% to 90%, with effect from September 2017.  Any student whose attendance at school is lower than 90% at any point in the school year will be placed in this category.

Please see the table below showing the Department for Education expectations, as it has been shown that Students with attendance below 96% make significantly lower rates of progress. The expectation is that every pupil attending school maintains an attendance level of 96% or above. 

This expectation also relates to punctuality; those students who arrive after registers have closed at 9.15am may not receive an attendance mark for that day.

The table below shows the new Department for Education expectations:

Descriptor

Attendance %

Whole Days

Absent

Learning Hours

Lost

Excellent

100-99

0-2

0-10

Good

98-96

4 – 7.5

20 – 37.5

Cause for concern

95-91

9.5 – 17

47.5 – 85

Unsatisfactory

90-87

19- 25

95 – 125

Serious concern

86

27

135

Critical

85-80

28.5 – 38

142.5 - 190

If a students attendance falls into the Cause for Concern category parents/carers will be contacted by the Pastoral Coordinator for that year in the first instance. 

In cases of Persistent Absence the school will request medical authorisation before an absence is marked as illness. Please note that it is ultimately the decision of the school how absence is marked.

In some cases, it may be necessary to invite parents/carers in to school to discuss the issues around an absence. In a few cases, it will be necessary to hold a formal School Attendance Meeting with the Pastoral Coordinator and the School’s Attendance Improvement Officer.

Persistent Absence is proven to have a major impact on both pupil performance and personal development; as a school we are committed to working with parents/carers to support success for all of our students.

For full details of the school's Attendance Policy please click on the 'Our School' tab and go to the Policies page. 

 

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