Ravensworth Terrace Primary School
Attendance & Absence
In order for children to achieve their full potential, and to access all the opportunities available to them, it is essential that they attend school regularly.
By attending school every day, children will be able to link learning from one lesson to another, building the blocks of knowledge taught over time. Additionally, children also build consistent relationships with staff and peers which creates a sense of self. The higher the absence, the higher the risk on children’s learning and personal development not only in the present but also in future years.
The following table shows the impact of absence in relation to lessons.
|
Attendance during one school year
|
Equals the following number of days absent | Which is about this number of weeks absence | Which means this is the number of lesson you miss | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95% | 9 | 2 | 48 | |
| 90% | 19 | 4 | 96 | |
| 85% | 29 | 6 | 144 | |
| 80% | 38 | 8 | 192 | |
| 75% | 48 | 10 | 240 | |
| 70% | 57 | 11.5 | 276 |
What does good attendance look like?
The expectation is that children will attend for at least 96% of the time, taking into account illness. This means they will only be absent from school for a maximum of 9 days across an academic year.
Punctuality is also extremely important. Essential learning begins straight after registration (e.g. phonics, Reading) and so children need to be ready for lessons by arriving at school before 9.00am.
Parents/carers will be able to track their child’s attendance through the Arbor app. Teachers will speak about attendance at parent meetings and it will be recorded on the child’s final report.
Each term, children will receive a certificate if they achieve an attendance of 96% or above for the weeks within that term only (Autumn, Spring, Summer). There will be a separate certificate for children who achieve 100%. At the end of the year, similar certificates are provided but which are for attendance over the whole of the academic year.
What will happen if my child's absence increases?
If a child’s attendance becomes a concern, we will inform parents/carers in a staged approach which will involve letters informing of the concern and communication with key staff.
Staff may arrange a meeting with parents/carers to try and resolve the situation as quickly as possible, which would identifying any specific issues, and offering support from school or additional agencies.
However, if progress is not made, we may have to inform the Local Authority Legal Intervention Team, and the process would become official. This process can lead to a notice to improve or a Fixed Penalty Notice.
What is the situation with requesting "Leave of Absence" or holidays in term time?
Leave of absence or holidays in term time will not be authorised unless there are exceptional circumstances in line with the regulations issued by the Department for Education.
All absence requests, including for holidays, must be provided to the school in writing by completing the Leave of Absence form, which can be requested from the office or downloaded by clicking on the link below. This form should be handed into school in advance of the absence with details of the reasons.
Where a form has not been completed, and evidence indicates a holiday has been taken (e.g. child speaks about it in school, no one at the house etc.) school will not authorise the absence and it will be the responsibility of the parents/carers to prove that they were not on holiday.