Each term we review your child's attendance at school. We aim for all pupils to attend school regularly, this means attendance of 97% and above. We know that specific health needs and COVID have had  an impact on school attendance for some pupils this year. 

 

The Department for Education (DfE) are clear, attendance at school should be prioritised as there has been too much disruption to schooling over the last two years.

 

DfE guidance tells us that we must:

‘regularly communicate expectations for attendance and punctuality and school performance through your regular channels of communication with staff, pupils and parents’

 

‘establish robust escalation procedures which are initiated before absence becomes a problem, for example by: sending letters to parents and carers’

January 2022

 

We know that events come along in life, children become unwell, medical appointments need to take place. The DfE suggests good attendance is 95%, this allows for these life events. In a school year of 190 days this is around 10 days absence. Attendance that falls below 95% becomes a concern, because it can easily slip to 90%,  just another 9 days absence. This is the equivalent to 1 day in every 2 weeks.

 

For us, attendance of:

• 94%-95% is starting to cause a concern.
• 96-97% is good attendance,
• over 97% is excellent – this is our target for your child.

 

In line with government guidance and our attendance procedures, before the Easter break, will be sending out letters to parents of all pupils whose attendance has fallen below 95%, whether this has been for COVID or not.

 

Any absence, authorised or not are registered as non-attendance at school and count towards your child’s overall attendance. There are very few things that don’t count towards this overall attendance figure. If your child is not on the school premises, they are absent from school, whatever the reason.

 

This includes:

• Illness, including self-isolation, even if you have followed our absence procedures, or we have asked you to collect your child
• medical appointments (including speech and occupational therapy)
• authorised leave for exceptional circumstances
• being late after the registers close
• your child not wanting to come due to anxiety
• open days at other schools
• religious observance
• exclusions or suspensions
• remote or hybrid learning at home (not waiting for a PCR test result)
• any unauthorised absence

 

The following do not count towards school attendance figures:

• isolating while waiting for a PCR result
• authorised school activity (e.g. trips during the school day with the class, sporting events, school entrance examinations)

 

We report your child's attendance information to you in two ways:

• MCAS, if you click ‘more’ in the attendance box, you will be able to see your child’s uptodate attendance, this percentage includes any self-isolation for COVID
• Annual reports, at the end of the year we report your child’s attendance to you, this will also include any absence for COVID

 

If you have any worries or concerns about attendance at school please contact Marsha Coppin-Payne, our attendance administrator or arrange to speak to your child's class teacher.

 

Useful links, and more information

• School attendance guidance, DfE includes the different attendance codes we use (pg. 10-15)
• Improving school attendance, 6 Jan 2022, DfE
• School attendance, parent responsibility measures, DfE