If they have an appointment at the hospital, doctor or dentist, please let the school know in advance and if at all possible children should attend for registration so that they do not get a half day absence. All children who are late (after the close of registration) also have a half a day absence, which is unauthorised.
No holidays will be authorised during term time. Any families who take their children on holiday without permission are likely to be fined by the Local Authority.
We must stress that for safety reasons no child will be allowed to leave the school during the day, for any reason, unless a parent comes to collect them.
Good attendance is vital if children are to achieve their full potential and the following table shows the cumulative effects of low attendance as a child progresses through the school.
|
% Attendance |
Equivalent number of terms lost by the time a child reaches the end of Year 6. |
Equivalent number of years lost by the time a child reaches the end of Year 6. |
|
90% |
4.2 terms |
almost a year |
|
80% |
8.4 terms |
over 1 year |
|
70% |
12.6 terms |
over 2 years |
|
60% |
16.8 terms |
almost 3 years |
|
50% |
21 terms |
well over 3 years |
Children who are regularly absent from school are also liable to miss out on additional coaching packages such as Booster Groups, or SEN statements and are more likely to have friendship issues.
All children who have regular poor attendance will be referred to the Education Welfare Officer and their parents may be prosecuted. Their parents will be written to and may be asked to attend a meeting at school with the Head Teacher.