Attendance

Regular attendance at school promotes pupils’ well-being and gives them the best chance of learning and reaching their potential. Pupils should attend school every day the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable.

Good attendance is important because pupils:

get on better with learning and other children;
cope better with school routines, work and friendships;
find learning easier because they do not miss out;
are more successful moving between primary school, secondary school, higher education and employment or training;
are known to be safe and well by us.

Research shows a direct link between high attendance and doing well at school.

All children have the right to an education. We encourage and expect 100% attendance for all pupils. We check that pupils join video lessons and/or complete tasks during any remote learning.

We will:

tell pupils and parents the importance of being at school;
check that pupils are at school every day;
follow up and check the absence of persistent non-attenders;
aim for an attendance rate of at least 97%. Pupils who are under school age, in Nursery or Reception, are treated in the same way as all other children.

Parents/Carers:

by law, must ensure that their child attends school;
should arrange dental and doctor’s appointments out of school hours or during school holidays, whenever possible;
make sure that their child arrives on time between 8.45am and 9am, when classroom doors are open for ‘soft-start’ or if they arrive after 9am, sign-in at the school office;
should contact the school on the first day their child is away from school.

Pupils should arrive and be collected from school on time:

registration is at 9am for all children from Reception to Year 6. Pupils can go straight to their classroom from 8.45am during ‘soft-start’ until 9am;
late arrival can cause children to feel anxious or upset;
if a child is collected late, after 3.30pm, they join our After School Club. We may charge a fee for this childcare;
we take the view there are no late children, only late parents/carers;
we contact parents/carers of pupils who have patterns of lateness to talk about how to arrive and/or be collected on time.

Absence during term-time

Parents should:

call the absence line, 0208 888 2780, on the first morning of all absences before 9.30am, explaining the reason for the absence;
keep in touch by telephone, letter or email, if a child is away from school for a longer period;
tell us about any planned absences in advance. Only request leave of absence if it is for an exceptional circumstance. Parents/Carers will need to complete a leave of absence form.

Every half-day absence must be labelled by the school as either ‘authorised’ or ‘unauthorised’:

Authorised absence.

An absence is authorised when parents tell us an allowable reason for being away from school. Allowable reasons include:

being too unwell to come to school;
emergency medical or dental appointments;
religious events, when one day each year will be authorised;
visits to another school, tests or exams;
any other ‘exceptional circumstances’, explained below.

Unauthorised absence

An absence is unauthorised when a child is away from school for reasons that are not allowed. By law, unauthorised absences are an offence and can be liable to legal action or a fixed penalty fine.

Unauthorised reasons include:

parents keeping children off school unnecessarily,
absences that have not been properly explained,
travel during term-time, including family holidays, that have not been agreed,
repeated or persistent non-specific illness, for example, ‘poorly/unwell’,
absence of other siblings if one child is ill,
absence because a parent is ill,
oversleeping,
inadequate clothing/uniform,
confusion over school term and holiday dates,
medical and/or dental appointments of more than half a day without very good reason,
child’s and/or family birthdays,
any routine family event or trip, for example, shopping.
where the reason for absence is given as illness and occurs either side of a school holiday, medical proof will be sought. Without this proof the absence will not be authorised.

Our School Attendance Lead is: Rachel Sanis

The school may instruct the Local Authority to issue a Fixed-Penalty notice for any unauthorised travel during term-time.

The law

Parents have a legal duty to ensure that their children are properly educated. When your child is registered at a school, parents, carers or guardians must ensure the regular and full-time attendance of their child. The Local Authority has the power to issue Fixed-Penalty Notices in respect of unauthorised absences. Penalty notices can be issued to each parent and for each child. The Penalty is £120 payable within 28 days, reducing to £60 if paid within 21 days. (Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2004). If holiday absence is repeated, matters can increase and fines can be increased to both parents.

For term-time pupil absences, the Education (pupil registration) (England) (amendment) Regulations 2013, which came into force on 1 September 2013, removed all references to ‘family holidays’ and ‘extended leave’ as well as the ‘notional threshold of 10 school days’ authorised absence.

The 2013 amendments made it clear that Headteacher may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are ‘exceptional circumstances’. The regulations also state that Headchers should determine the number of school days a pupil can be away from school if leave is given for ‘exceptional circumstances’.

Attendance levels

Attendance levels show our expectations and what happens next:

97%+, expected attendance. This will help all aspects of a child’s achievement and life in school. This will give them a good start in life and supports a positive work ethic.
97-91%, below expected attendance. As attendance falls, our concern increases. We follow our stepped approach to take action.
90% or lower, persistent absence. Absence is causing serious concern. It is highly likely to affect attainment and progress and is disruptive to the child’s learning. Meetings between home and school to share strategies for improvement will be called. If improvement is not achieved a referral is made to the (EWO). A Fixed Penalty Notice will be considered where absence is not authorised.

For all children, we have a stepped approach to taking action. It will not always be appropriate to progress through all of these steps or even to carry them out in the order listed.

staff will use discretion and consider each case carefully;
where there has been no contact from parents, we will initiate first day calling for all pupils;
for pupils with attendance below 90% there will be a discussion with the Educational Welfare Officer (EWO) at our regular half termly meeting;
we will monitor trends in pupil attendance and punctuality, including our vulnerable groups;
we will request for parent/carer to meet school staff;
if appropriate, will initiate procedures to access support from other agencies.

Education Welfare Officer (EWO) actions may include:

home visits,
multi agency meetings,
issuing a parenting contract,
sign posting to supportive agencies,
issuing a Fixed Penalty Notice,
court action for poor attendance.

Leavers and Children Missing Education

The school has a responsibility to safeguard pupils from harm. This includes knowing and taking reasonable steps to check the destinations of leavers. If your child is leaving other than at the end of Year 6, parents should:

give the school full information about their plans including
- date of move,
- name of new school,
- new home address,
- the start date at the new school if known,
- and reasons for moving (a form is available at the school office),
- confirm the school has your current mobile phone number, let us know when you move.

When pupils leave and parents have not given us the above information, and we cannot contact the parent, then a child is considered to be a Child Missing in Education. This means that the Local Authority has a legal duty to carry out investigations to try to track and locate the child. Telling us leaving details saves unnecessary investigations.

Rewards for positive attendance

The main benefit of regular attendance is continuity and progression in learning. We promote positive attendance through:

Individual children, certificates are awarded at the end of each school year for 100% attendance. This is celebrated a whole school assembly.
Classes, weekly certificates issued for the classes with the highest attendance and improved attendance.

Monitoring

Summary attendance information is reported to Governing Body at least termly by the Headteacher.

Information for Parents

A single consistent national threshold for when a Penalty Notice must be considered by ALL schools in England, this is:

10 sessions (usually equivalent to 5 school days) of unauthorised absence within a rolling 10 school week period.
These sessions do not have to be consecutive and can be made up of a combination of any type of unauthorised absence.
For example, a 5-day unauthorised leave of absence would meet the national threshold.
The 10-school week period ( less than one school term) can span different terms or school years.

First Offence

The first time a Penalty Notice is issued for unauthorised absence, the fine amount will be:

£80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days.
If not paid within 21 days, the fine will increase to £160 per parent, per child, payable between the 22nd and 28th day.

Second Offence (within 3 years)

The second time a Penalty Notice is issued for unauthorised absence, a reduced rate is not available. The amount therefore will be:

£160 per parent, per child – payable within 28 days.

Third Offence and Any Further Offences (within 3 years)

The third time an offence is committed, a Penalty Notice WILL NOT be issued, and the case will be presented straight to the Magistrate’s Court:

Prosecution can result in criminal records and fines of up to £2,500.
Cases found guilty in a Magistrates Court can show on the parent’s future DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) certificate (Disclosure and Barring Service) due to a ‘failure to safeguard a child’s education’.

Parents/carers will receive regular updates on attendance from school. The Headteacher, Inclusion Leader and all the staff monitor attendance daily, weekly, half termly and termly. Children are rewarded in school for excellent attendance and they are very clear about why excellent attendance is important.

Why is regular school attendance so important for my child?

Regular attendance at school means that your child can make the most of their education and improve their chances in adult life.

School can also help your child’s social skills such as making and developing friendships. A regular and punctual attendance pattern will help your child when they go to secondary school and later enter the world of work.

The link between attendance and attainment in school is clear.

The more a pupil is in school the more they increase their opportunity to fulfil their potential.

Punctuality

Schools are legally required to take a register of pupils first thing in the morning and at some point in the afternoon.

If a pupil is late, but the register is still open they are marked as late. If the register has already closed when a pupil arrives late and without a satisfactory explanation, it will be classed as late after the register has closed which will count as an absence.

Continual punctuality is important because if, for example, a child arrives 15 minutes late at school each day, they lose almost 3 weeks of education a year! Regular absence due to lateness will be referred to the Education Welfare Officer.

Holidays during term time

No term time leave for holidays is routinely authorised at Earlham Primary School.

Parents who choose to take their child out of school without written permission from the school may be issued with a fixed penalty fine.

Only in exceptional circumstances may a head teacher grant permission for leave.

How can I help my child attend school regularly?

Talk to your child about school
Take a positive interest in your child’s work, including homework.
Keep in touch with school staff
Contact school on the first day of absence if your child is unable to attend for whatever reason
Attend parents’/Carers' evenings and other school events

What should I do if I’m worried about my child’s school attendance?

The first thing to do is to contact the school to discuss your concerns.

What are my responsibilities regarding my child’s school attendance?

As a parent/carer it is your responsibility to ensure that any child of compulsory school age attends school both regularly and on time. The local authority has a duty to make sure that all parents/carers fulfil this responsibility.

What will happen if my child does not attend school regularly?

The school should contact you in the first instance to raise concerns about your child’s attendance. If they see no improvement, or there are particular difficulties involved, a referral will be made to the Education Welfare Service.

What if my child’s school attendance does not improve?

Parents whose children are on a school register and fail to ensure the regular and punctual attendance of their child(ren), may be guilty of an offence under Section 444 or 444(1A) of the Education Act 1996 and the Local Authority may issue a Penalty Notice or take enforcement action through the Courts to secure regular attendance.

How will regular school attendance help my child?

School gives your child a wide range of opportunities and experiences in the form of academic lessons, educational trips and school clubs allowing them to develop their interests and achieve their full potential. Regular school attendance means that your child can make the most of their education.

Is my child too ill for school?

It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school, nursery or playgroup when they're unwell.

There are government guidelines for schools and nurseries about managing specific infectious diseases at GOV.UK. These say when children should be kept off school and when they shouldn't.

If you do keep your child at home, it's important to phone the school or nursery on the first day. Let them know that your child won't be in and give them the reason.

If your child is well enough to go to school but has an infection that could be passed on, such as a cold sore or head lice, let their teacher know.

Other illnesses

Follow this advice for other illnesses:

Coughs and colds

It's fine to send your child to school with a minor cough or common cold. But if they have a fever, keep them off school until the fever goes.

Encourage your child to throw away any used tissues and to wash their hands regularly.

High temperature

If your child has a high temperature, keep them off school until it goes away.

Chickenpox

If your child has chickenpox, keep them off school until all the spots have crusted over.

This is usually about 5 days after the spots first appeared.

Cold sores

There's no need to keep your child off school if they have a cold sore.

Encourage them not to touch the blister or kiss anyone while they have the cold sore, or to share things like cups and towels.

Conjunctivitis

You don't need to keep your child away from school if they have conjunctivitis.

Do get advice from your pharmacist. Encourage your child not to rub their eyes and to wash their hands regularly.

COVID-19

If your child has mild symptoms, such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, and feels well enough, they can go to school.

Your child should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if they have symptoms of COVID-19 and they either:

have a high temperature
do not feel well enough to go to school or do their normal activities

What to do if your child has tested positive

Your child is no longer required to do a COVID-19 rapid lateral flow test if they have symptoms. But if your child has tested positive for COVID-19, they should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 3 days after the day they took the test.

Ear infection

If your child has an ear infection and a high temperature or severe earache, keep them off school until they're feeling better or their high temperature goes away.

Hand, foot and mouth disease

If your child has hand, foot and mouth disease but seems well enough to go to school, there's no need to keep them off.

Encourage your child to throw away any used tissues straight away and to wash their hands regularly.

Head lice and nits

There's no need to keep your child off school if they have head lice.

You can treat head lice and nits without seeing a GP.

Impetigo

If your child has impetigo, they'll need treatment from a pharmacist or GP, often with antibiotics.

Keep them off school until all the sores have crusted over and healed, or for 48 hours after they start antibiotic treatment.

Encourage your child to wash their hands regularly and not to share things like towels and cups with other children at school.

Measles

If your child has measles, they'll need to see a GP. Call the GP surgery before you go in, as measles can spread to others easily.

Keep your child off school for at least 4 days from when the rash first appears.

They should also avoid close contact with babies and anyone who is pregnant or has a weakened immune system.

Ringworm

If your child has ringworm, see your pharmacist unless it's on their scalp, in which case you should see a GP.

It's fine for your child to go to school once they have started treatment.

Scarlet fever

If your child has scarlet fever, they'll need treatment with antibiotics from a GP. Otherwise they'll be infectious for 2 to 3 weeks.

Your child can go back to school 24 hours after starting antibiotics.

Slapped cheek syndrome (fifth disease)

You don't need to keep your child off school if they have slapped cheek syndrome because, once the rash appears, they're no longer infectious.

But let the school or teacher know if you think your child has slapped cheek syndrome.

Sore throat

You can still send your child to school if they have a sore throat. But if they also have a high temperature, they should stay at home until it goes away.

A sore throat and a high temperature can be symptoms of tonsillitis.

Threadworms

You don't need to keep your child off school if they have threadworms.

Speak to your pharmacist, who can recommend a treatment.

Vomiting and diarrhoea

Children with diarrhoea or vomiting should stay away from school until they have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days (48 hours).