Pupils attend school for a maximum of 190 days each academic year. Regular attendance is vital for your child’s educational progress.
The Local Education Authority expects all parents/carers to ensure that their children attend school whenever possible. Absences due to holidays taken during school time, could hinder academic progress.
We expect good attendance from our pupils, in order for them to make the most of the opportunities that the school has to offer. We rely on our partnership with parents to ensure that this is achieved.
The School Day
Our school day starts at 8.45am with times tables development, class registers are marked at 9.00 am. Pupils who are not present for registration will be marked as absent initially. If they arrive within the following 15minutes, the mark will be changed to late. If your child arrives any later, a note/explanation will be required.
Authorised and Unauthorised Absence
The law requires that all schools must now show the difference between authorised and unauthorised absence.
Authorised absence can be:
- Sickness.
- Medical or dental appointments which cannot be arranged outside school hours.
- Days of religious observance.
- An exceptional circumstance which was unavoidable and a one-off incidence- ie. Compassionate leave.
Unauthorised absence is:
- Truancy.
- Staying at home to look after younger children or sick relatives.
- Any absence which the school has not been informed about, either by letter, email or telephone.
- Any family holiday in term time.
Absences during Term Time
From the 1st September 2013, all schools were unable to authorise any requests for absences relating to holidays in term time. We do appreciate that some parents who work for the armed services have to take holidays at the instruction of their employers and therefore cannot avoid school time. Other exceptional circumstances could include unforeseen or unavoidable family situations. These are the families for whom the system is designed. Only in exceptional circumstances can extended holidays be agreed with the Headteacher’s approval. Holiday prices, last minute deals and the fact that the parents have booked a holiday before checking with the school are not considered to be exceptional circumstances.
Monitoring Attendance
When a child’s attendance is a cause for concern, (this has currently now been set at 90% and below) or they have been absent from school with no communication with the school, it is brought to the attention of our Education Welfare Officer (EWO). The aim is to work with parents to increase their child’s attendance at school.
