Parents and Carers are informed about their child’s attendance level through annual reports but where attendance falls short of expected levels – half termly monitoring begins. Poor attendance will trigger initial letters from myself, leading to the involvement of our Attendance Governor and ultimately the Education Welfare Service/Legal Intervention Team.

Why is it important for children to attend school regularly?

The vast majority of parents want their children to get on well in life. Nowadays, it is more important than ever to have a good education behind you if you want opportunities in adult life. Children only get one chance at school and your child’s chances of a successful future may be adversely affected by not attending school regularly.

It is not only the academic work; missing out on the social side of school life – especially at primary school – can affect children’s ability to make and keep friendships, a vital part of growing up personally and emotionally.

Setting good attendance patterns from an early age, from nursery classes through primary school will also help your child later on.

Employers want to recruit people who are reliable. So children who have a poor school attendance record may have less chance of getting a good job.

Being on time is also vital. Arriving late at school can be very disruptive for your child, the teacher and the other children in the class.

Research shows that children with poor attendance fail to make progress in secondary school and to achieve at GCSE level. It also shows that children who are not in school are most vulnerable and are easily drawn into crime at both primary and secondary levels.

What does the law say?

By law, all children of school age must get a suitable full time education. As a parent, you are responsible for making sure this happens by registering your child at a school and then making sure she or he attends regularly.

If your child fails to attend regularly, the Local Authority (Education Welfare Service) can take legal action against you. The Local Authority is responsible for making sure that parents fulfil their responsibilities in ensuring that their children attend school.

Planned absence in term time

Should you need to take your child out of school during term time, a Leave of Absence form will need to be completed. We understand that there can be exceptional circumstance in which you may need to do this – please ask the school office for a ‘Leave of Absence Form’.

If the Leave of Absence is for a term time holiday, the absence will not be granted unless we feel there are exceptional circumstances.