Attendance

Every school day counts!

365 days in a year
190 days in a school year
This leaves 175 days for holidays, shopping and appointments!

At Primrose Hill Church of England Academy we aim for 100% attendance.

Each child should be in school every day the school is open.

98%+ Excellent – Well done! This will help all aspects of their progress and life in school.

96% Expected attendance – Well done, strive to build on this.

90% and below Poor attendance – Persistent Absence – Absence is now affecting attainment and progress at school. Please work with the school urgently to improve the situation.

85% or below – Unacceptable attendance – Absence is causing a SERIOUS CONCERN. It is affecting attainment and progress and is disrupting your child’s learning.

Why is good attendance important?

Good attendance and punctuality are vital for success at school, and to establish positive life habits that are necessary for future success.

Through regular attendance, pupils can:

Build friendships and develop social groups
Develop life skills
Engage in essential learning and other social events.
Achieve their full potential.

Pupils must attend regularly and be at school on time every day the school is open, unless the reason for absence is unavoidable.

If your child is going to be absent please contact us by 9.15am. You can telephone, leave a voicemail, email or pop into the office to let us know why your son or daughter is absent.

Classroom doors open at 8:35am. for a soft start to the day. Registers are marked at 8.50am.

Pupils arriving between 8:50am – 9.30am. will receive a late mark.

At 9.30am. the registers are closed. Pupils will receive a mark of absence if they do not attend school before this time.

Pupils arriving after 9:30am. will receive a mark to show that they were on site, but this will count as a late mark.

Regular absence from school will seriously affect a child’s learning.

Ensuring a child’s attendance at school is a parental responsibility and permitting absence from school without a good reason creates an offence in law and may result in prosecution.

What does the law say?

All children of compulsory school age – between 5-16 – must receive a suitable full-time education.

As a parent, you are responsible for ensuring that this happens, either by registering your child at a school or by making appropriate alternative arrangements.

Once you have registered your child at a school, you are also legally responsible for ensuring that your child attends school regularly. If you fail to do this – even if your child misses school without you knowing – legal action can be taken against you by the LA. It is a legal offence to fail to ensure your child attends school regularly.

Legal action can involve a penalty notice or being taken to court.

What happens if my child is absent from school?

When a pupil is absent from school, this will be classified as either ‘authorised’ or ‘unauthorised’.

The governing body and headteacher decide which absences are granted as authorised. Authorised absences are only permitted for valid reasons such as:

Illness.
Medical or dental appointments, where the appointment cannot be arranged outside of school hours.
Examination
Sporting activity
Religious observances.
Family bereavement.

Wherever possible, parents should always try to arrange medical and dental appointments during school holidays or after school hours.

What are unauthorised absences?

Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider essential or reasonable.

Unauthorised absences can include:

Forgetting school term dates.
Oversleeping.
Absences which have not been explained.
Arriving at school after the register has closed
Keeping pupils off school unnecessarily or without explanation.
Day trips or family outings.
Problems with uniform/clothing.
Birthdays and holidays
Going shopping
Having hair cut
Staying at home to look after young children or sick relatives
Holidays that have not been given authorised approval

Holidays during term time

The school cannot be expected to authorise an absence for a holiday during term time.

Taking holidays during term time means that pupils miss important school time – both educationally and for other school activities. It will be difficult for pupils to catch up on work when they return to school. Only in exceptional circumstances may a holiday be authorised during term time – this will be decided by the headteacher.

Exceptional circumstances do not involve cheaper costs, family availability or weather conditions.

You can be fined if you take your child on holiday during term time without permission from the headteacher.

It all adds up!

100% Attending school everyday gives your child the best chance of success.

90% Attending 4½ days a week = 4 weeks missed learning per year.

80% Attending 4 days a week = 8 weeks missed learning per year.

70% Attending 3 ½ days a week = 12 weeks missed learning per year.

80% attendance adds up to missing 2 full years of education over their school life!

GCC attendance leaflet (PDF)