The importance of regular school attendance and punctuality 

Regular school attendance and good punctuality plays a fundamental role in the academic, social, and personal growth of our children. We believe that children cannot learn and develop if they are absent from school or regularly late. We want all children to have the best possible attendance at school to enable each and every child to reach their full potential. 

There is a strong link between good school attendance and achieving educational success. Research has shown that poor attendance is linked to poor attainment. Children who frequently miss school fall behind and this may affect their future prospects

Our Attendance Expectations

We want every child to have the best possible opportunity to learn, thrive and succeed. Regular attendance and punctuality are an important part of this.

We aim for the highest possible attendance for every child and encourage pupils to attend school every day that they are well enough to do so.

We recognise that some children, including those with medical needs, SEND or other individual circumstances, may experience additional barriers to attendance. Where this is the case, we will work with children and families to understand those barriers and provide appropriate support.

Arriving late has the same negative impact on children as does being absent: 

• 5 minutes late each day is 3 days lost
• 10 minutes late each day is 6.5 days lost
• 20 minutes late each day is 13 days lost
• 30  minutes late each day is 19 days lost

Your responsibilities as a parent

Parents and carers have a legal responsibility to ensure that children of compulsory school age receive a suitable full-time education.Where a child is registered at school, parents and carers are responsible for ensuring that they attend regularly and punctually. Failure to secure regular attendance may result in formal intervention or legal action.

There are 190 school days each year, leaving 175 non-school days, including weekends and school holidays. We ask families to avoid unnecessary absence during term time so that children can make the most of the education and opportunities available to them.

We recognise that parental support is critical in helping children to attend regularly and achieve well. If there are barriers affecting your child's attendance, please contact us as early as possible so that we can work with you to identify appropriate support.

Educational Neglect

Our school has adopted the Local Authority Educational Neglect Policy. This sets out how education, social care, health and other professionals respond to concerns about educational neglect. This, alongside our Improving Attendance Policy, provides a clear framework for responding to absenteeism.

Oldham Safeguarding Children Partnership- Policies and Procedures

Who Manages Attendance in School?

Improving attendance is everyone's responsibility.

Our school office manages the day-to-day administration of attendance, including monitoring registers and contacting families where a child is absent without an explanation.Senior leaders and pastoral staff monitor attendance and work with children and families where attendance is causing concern. Where appropriate, we will provide support to understand and remove barriers to attendance.

The Executive Headteacher has overall responsibility for attendance, with governors providing oversight, support and challenge. We also work closely with our named Local Authority Attendance Lead where additional advice, support or formal intervention is required. 

The school policy for improving attendance is detailed, it outlines the schools procedures for managing attendance and provides the relevant detail about how the school manages absenteeism; the different types of absences and reasons for them; the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders.  

Reporting an Absence

If your child is unable to attend school, parents/carers must inform the school before 9:00am on each day of absence, giving the reason for the absence and, where possible, when their child is expected to return. You can report an absence by telephone, through the school website or using the Studybugs app.

If we have not received a reason for absence, the school office will contact parents/carers and, where necessary, other emergency contacts. If we are unable to establish contact, the absence will be escalated to senior leaders and/or pastoral staff and further enquiries, including a home visit, may be undertaken where appropriate.

Is My Child Too Ill for School?

We know that it can sometimes be difficult for parents to decide whether their child is well enough to attend school. Children should attend school where they are well enough to do so. Minor illnesses, such as a cough or cold, do not usually require a child to remain at home if they are otherwise well and do not have a high temperature. Parents can use NHS guidance to help decide whether their child should attend school. NHS - Is my child too ill for school?

If your child has a medical condition or additional needs which are affecting their attendance, please contact us. We will work with you to understand their individual needs and consider appropriate support and reasonable adjustments.

Medical and Dental Appointments

Wherever possible, routine medical and dental appointments should be arranged outside the school day. Where this is not possible, please inform school in advance. We may ask for appropriate evidence of the appointment where reasonably required. Children should attend school before and/or after their appointment wherever reasonably possible so that the amount of education missed is kept to a minimum.

How We Will Support Your Child's Attendance

If your child's attendance begins to cause concern, our first priority is to understand why. We will work with you and your child to identify any barriers to attendance and agree appropriate support. Depending on individual circumstances, this may include pastoral support, SEND support, reasonable adjustments, attendance support plans, Early Help or support from other services. 

Where support has not been successful, has not been engaged with, or is not appropriate, we may work with the Local Authority to consider formal attendance intervention. We encourage parents to contact us early if there is something affecting their child's ability to attend school. Working together at an early stage can often prevent attendance difficulties from becoming more significant.

Leave of Absence During Term Time

Parents should avoid taking children out of school during term time. Leave of absence during term time can only be authorised by the Executive Headteacher and can only be granted where the circumstances are considered exceptional. Holidays during term time will not normally be considered exceptional circumstances.

All requests must be made in advance. Each request will be considered individually, taking account of the particular facts and circumstances of the case. Where an event or activity can reasonably be arranged outside term time, absence will not normally be authorised. Taking a child out of school without authorisation will be recorded as an unauthorised absence and may result in the matter being referred to the Local

Penalty Notices for Unauthorised Absence

The national threshold for considering a penalty notice is 10 sessions of unauthorised absence within a rolling period of 10 school weeks. The sessions do not have to be consecutive and may include different types of unauthorised absence.

Where the threshold is met, the circumstances of each case will be considered in deciding whether a penalty notice or another form of attendance intervention is appropriate.

Where a penalty notice is issued:

• The first penalty notice issued to a parent in respect of a particular child within a three-year period is £80 if paid within 21 days, rising to £160 if paid within 28 days.
• A second penalty notice issued to the same parent for the same child within three years is £160, payable within 28 days.
• A maximum of two penalty notices may be issued to the same parent for the same child within a three-year period.
• Where the national threshold is met for a third time within three years, a further penalty notice cannot normally be issued and other attendance intervention or legal action may be considered by the Local Authority.

Further information about penalty notices and school absence is available from Oldham Council.