Term Time Absence Facts

• Two weeks missed – maximum attendance 94.7%
• If a pupil is absent for two weeks of school every year, by the time the sit GCSEs they will have dropped the equivalent of one whole grade.
• If a pupil is absent for two weeks of school every year, for all of their school life, this is the same as missing the whole of Year 11!

Attendance Broken Down

• A year is 365 days, 52 weeks and 12 months
• A school year is 195 days

( 5 are PD days)

• A school year is 39 weeks over three terms.
• Children legally must attend school for 195 days a year (this means they get 175 days off)
• A school day is made up of two sessions – children attend 380 sessions each year
• If a child misses 2 sessions attendance = 99.5%

As a school we strive to support children and families to ensure good attendance. We promote HERO (here everyday and ready on time)and reward classes each week for good attendance, whilst understanding that there are sometimes genuine and unavoidable reasons for absence. The key is good communication.

We engage with and work alongside our County Education  and Welfare Officer. We monitor and track attendance carefully, making plans to support children for whom improvement is required, 

We offer breakfast club and a rolling start to the morning as one of our ways of promoting a positive start to the day. Breakfast club starts at 7.45am. The gates open for the start of the core part of the school day at 8.35am and close at 8.45am, when registers are taken. Anyone arriving after 8.45am will be asked to sign in and lateness is tracked and monitored, as well as absences.

Absence from school

Please ring us if your child is going to be absent for any reason. Leave a message if there is no answer. We will phone you if your child does not arrive as expected. Please send a note confirming the reason for their absence on their return to school.

Absence, other than for medical reasons, can only be authorised for particular circumstances eg. days of religious observance, external examinations. Our attendance officer, Nigel Shadick, checks attendance and will advise on legal protocol to pursue unauthorised absences.

Holidays in term time can only be authorised in exceptional circumstances. 

Administration of Medicine

Please fill in an ‘asthma’ form if your child suffers from this condition. It is essential that their medication is in-date, is kept on site and children know how and when to use their inhaler.

Please also inform us of any allergy – minor or life threatening – in writing, so that we can apply safe first aid if necessary.
If your child’s GP insists that medication should be taken during the school day, then parents must fill in a form from the office. We will administer the medicine provided it is in-date, clearly marked with name, storage instructions, dosage and time, and has a calibrated spoon or measure. For the administration of adrenalin, insulin etc. we must have a care plan for the child.

If your child becomes ill at school

We will contact you to arrange transport home. If, as a result of an accident, we deem it necessary to get the child to a doctor or hospital quickly, we will arrange this first and then contact you as soon as possible.