ATTENDANCE

ATTENDANCE EXPECTATIONS DURING COVID-19, SEPTEMBER 2020

Excellent attendance means fulfilling potential

St. Benedict’s Catholic Primary School is committed to ensuring all children achieve their full academic potential and believe that good attendance means good learning. The  law says that all children between the ages of 5 and 17 must receive an education.  The DfE policy says:

 ‘Parents must ensure their children attend school regularly, arrive at school on time, properly dressed and in a condition to learn.’

• Parents’ duty to ensure that their child of compulsory school age attends regularly at the school where the child is a registered pupil.
• Schools’ responsibilities to record attendance and follow up absence.
• The ability to issue sanctions, including fixed penalty notices, in line with local authorities’ codes of conduct

   Good attendance is important because:

• Statistics show a direct link between under-achievement and poor attendance.
• Regular attenders make better progress, both socially and academically.
• Regular attenders find school routines and school work easier to cope with.
• Regular attenders find learning more satisfying.
• Regular attenders have an easier transfer to secondary school

AUTHORISED AND UNAUTHORISED ABSENCE

 The Head Teacher, on behalf of the governing body, can authorise absence.  Absences can be authorised for the following reasons. 

• Illness

Please leave a message on the school answer machine (option 1)  before 9.30am on the first day of absence so that we know that your child is absent with your knowledge.

This must be followed up with a brief note of explanation when the child returns to school.  All notes will be retained on the pupil’s personal file. 

Where no communication is received in school – the absence will be recorded as unauthorised.

School may request medical evidence after 2/3 days of absence before authorising absence.

or 

A child’s absence can now be reported using the Absence tab in the Parentmail App.

Once you have informed us through the Parentmail app, you do not then need to send in a letter explaining your child’s absence unless medical evidence is required for your child (3 days absence or more, or under 90% attendance).  

• Medical/Dental Appointments

Please avoid these during the school day if at all possible.  However, if an appointment during the school day is unavoidable please send a letter in advance to the school office to authorise absence.

If you have a letter from the hospital/dentist this should be submitted to the office to be copied. 

Children should not have the whole day off if they have a medical/dental appointment, they should be collected from the school office in time to travel to the appointment and then return to school immediately following the appointment.

The school is required to record all absences and to make an annual return of all unauthorised absences.  In the event of 10 unauthorised sessions recorded, a referral may be made to AASSA (Attendance Advisory Service for Schools and Academies.) If your child incurs 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a six-school week period, a penalty notice may be issued resulting in a £60 penalty notice, increasing to £120 if not paid within 21 days. Failure to pay the penalty notice, within 28 days, will result in a court prosecution for your child’s irregular school attendance.

HOLIDAYS

PUPILS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE TAKEN ON HOLIDAY DURING SCHOOL TERM TIME DUE  TO THE AMOUNT OF LEARNING THAT IS MISSED. 

PUPILS IN Y6 & Y2 SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN ON HOLIDAY DURING SATS WEEKS IN MAY.

Amendments to the current Regulations make it clear that schools 'may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances'

These amendments came into force on 1st September 2013

Please view our Attendance Policy under 'Our School' tab