Attendance
Attendance
Good School attendance habits are best started early. Children learn from those around them and you as parents set the standards and expectations for your child. Showing your child the importance of attending school every day not only helps your child to settle quickly when starting school but helps them to keep and sustain friendships and enjoy the school environment.
We are here to support you, we understand the difficulties some parents can face and will work with you. Trust the experience of the class teacher and other school staff and share with them any concerns you may have.
If your child raises anything that concerns you, it is much better to raise it with your child’s class teacher, at the earliest opportunity. Allow us the opportunity to address any concerns or difficulties. This often can help put your mind at rest, know that your child is ok and is doing well in school.
As a school we want all children to have a positive experience of school life and be able to reach their full potential. One way in which parents can help their child to do this is by ensuring they attend school everyday.
Parents can often feel that more time is spent at school than at home. The illustration below shows that it is more balanced than you think.
There are 365 days in the year and 190 days in the school year.
If we take the days in school away from the days in the year we see that for 175 days children are at home with their parents.
If a child takes leave of absence during term time, 10 school days, attendance starts to fall to only 180 days in school. If the child is then ill for 5 or more days in a year, they start to be at home more than they are in school.
365 – 190 = 175
School absence falls into two categories; Authorised, those which schools can give you permission for and Unauthorised, for those which they will not.
Examples of absences which the school is unlikely to authorise can include:
- Sickness of a parent, or other family member
- Inadequate clothing for school
- Child being used as a carer
- Problems with transport
- Non urgent medical treatment
- School refusal or truancy
- Days off for birthdays, shopping trips
- Weddings
- Family Holiday
Whilst as a parent you may think you can give your child permission to be at home, you cannot. The only person who can give permission for a child to be absent from school is the Headteacher.
If your child is absent from school, you must notify us on the first day of absence. The Headteacher will then decide if this is an authorised absence or not depending on the reason given.
Most sickness that prevents school attendance will be classed as authorised. However, if your child is frequently absent from school due to sickness, the school can ask that you provide medical evidence or they may have to stop authorising the absences.
Reduce absence due to medical reasons by making non-urgent medical appointments for your child outside of school hours.
Children who are frequently absent are usually those who fall behind and find it hard to keep friendships, which can lead to being unhappy in school.
Since September 2013 headteachers have only been able to grant a leave of absence for exceptional circumstances. A family holiday or travelling abroad is not considered to be an exceptional reason.
There are 38 weeks in the year when schools are open, and 14 weeks (175 days) when families can visit family overseas; go on holiday; travel; take educational trips, attend non urgent medical appointments…..So is your request for leave exceptional?
Parents are also advised to read the Hampshire County Council Penalty Notice Guide for Parents and Carers and the Hampshire County Council Code of Conduct for Issuing Penalty Notices. Further guidance has also been published on the Hampshire County Council web pages.
Absence Requests during Term Time
We understand that there may be occasions when you may have to request leave from school for your child during term time. A copy of the Leave of Absence form can be found in the school foyer or downloaded here. We assess each request on an individual basis but comply with Hampshire’s Code of Conduct as above. Please ensure you have referred to the necessary information. Alternatively, please do not hesitate to contact us for clarification.