Our Attendance Policy is baed on the DfE’s statoutory guidance ‘Working together to improve school attendance’. and continues to be updated at least annually. Whilst of course I would recommend that all parents read the policy, it is quite long and I would like to summarise the main relevant points below.

 

Attendance

As you will appreciate, good attendance – of over 95% - has an absolutely huge impact on the children’s learning, as well as on their social and emotional development, and is a key safeguarding matter. In school we are celebrating really good attendance through the awarding of the Buryfields Bear every Friday to the class with the highest attendance that week, and at the end of each term we will be giving certificates to children with 100% attendance for that term (meaning that if even if they were poorly and had to stay home in the autumn term, they may still get 100% attendance for the spring and summer terms). Likewise, if a child has ongoing medical appointments that have been made for during the school term, these would not be counted for the purposes of our certificates, though I would remind parents that routine dental appointments are not authorised and should be made for before or after school or in the school holidays.

I do appreciate that achildren can get some really nasty, long-lasting bugs and also there is absolutely no intention to penalise children for being ill. However, we do really want to encourage children to be in school when they just have a blocked or runny nose, a mild cough or when they might seem a ‘bit off colour’. Oftentimes coming into school is the best distraction, and they soon perk up; we will always phone parents if we think that a child is really flagging or is too poorly to remain in school. If you are unsure about whether to send your child into school or not, the following web page from the NHS might be useful - Is my child too ill for school?

 

Persistent Absence

Where attendance falls below 90% the child is deemed by the government as being a ‘persistent absentee’. Attendance of less than 90% is equivalent to one day off per fortnight across the school year – the impact of which will be clear. Where this happens, or is at risk of happening, and where there is no obvious cause (such as the sickness bugs this term or chicken pox), the school will contact parents to both let them know how low their child’s attendance is and also to find out if there are reasons for the absence that can be addressed. Our main focus for these children will be to support, not penalise; we want to work with parents to find solutions to the causes of the non-attendance – whether that is a bit of Iolo-bribery, a sticker chart or a slightly earlier arrival time – whatever it takes to ensure that all children are in school, on time and happy and ready to learn.

 

Punctuality

It is imperative that children are also in school on time by 8.40 a.m. at the latest which is when the register is taken. Being late – even by ‘just’ a few minutes – can cause upset and discomfort for them, as their peers are all settled and ready to learn; the impact of this can last all day. Learning begins almost as soon as the children are in through the classroom door, and within the first ten minutes the day has really got going. Because we believe that it is so crucial that children arrive at school on time, we close the registers at 8.55 a.m. This means that if your child arrives between 8.40 a.m. and 8.55 a.m. they will be marked as ‘Late’ on the register, with the number of minutes late recorded. If they arrive after 8.55 a.m. they will be marked as having an unauthorised absence; more than ten unauthorised absences may result in legal action being taken by the Local Authority.

 

 

Planned Absences

All applications for authorised absences are carefully considered, and reviewed with the law and guidance from the Local Authority in mind, as well as in consultation – where appropriate – with other schools, such as where there is a sibling at Mayhill. An unauthorised holiday of five days or more will more than likely mean a Fixed Penalty Notice being issued. The law is very clear: holidays taken in term time are not permitted. The only government mandated exception to this is for military families where, due to deployment or other working needs, a family holiday is unable to be taken in any of the school holidays throughout the year. Holidays requested by military parents are not automatically approved, and if they are approved may be only be partially authorised. Funerals for immediate family (parents, siblings and grandparents) will usually be authorised for the day only; funerals for other family and friends are not generally authorised. If you are unsure about whether an absence will be authorised, please do speak with me or one of the office team.

 

We hugely appreciate parents’ honesty in applying for absence where there is a holiday planned – especially when they know it is unlikely to be authorised! I would strongly urge all parents to do this; getting children to lie about being ill is not only encouraging dishonesty but can cause them huge distress. Parents should note that the decision to authorise an absence can be reversed if we find out that instead of being ill a child was on holiday. Whilst I fully appreciate – being a teacher and a parent – that the cost difference between a holiday in term time as opposed to the school holidays is appalling, the law is implacable – children need to be in school.

 

Should you have any questions about attendance or punctuality, whether in relation to the policy, our protocols or a more specific matter relating to your family, please do not hesitate to contact me.