Regular and punctual school attendance is essential. Pupils need to attend school regularly if they are to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available to them by law. St Michael with St John CE Primary School fully recognises its responsibilities to ensure pupils are in school and on time, therefore having access to learning for the maximum number of days and hours.

We want all children to be an Attendance H.E.R.O. (Here Every day Ready On time) and help us achieve our school attendance target of 96%.

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOL

ATTENDANCE AND ATTAINMENT GO TOGETHER!

Every day a child is absent from school equates to a day of lost learning. Attendance percentages can be misleading. For some parents, 90% may seem like an acceptable level of attendance, but the reality is that 90% attendance means your child will miss half a school day each week or 19 days of school during the year – that’s nearly 4 school weeks.

The table below provides an overview of what percentages for attendance actually mean:

HOW DOES ATTENDANCE AFFECT OUTCOMES FOR PUPILS?

Being in school is important for your child’s achievement, wellbeing, and wider development. The higher a pupil’s attendance, the more they are likely to learn, and the better they are likely to perform in exams.

Evidence shows that the students with the highest attendance throughout their time in school gain the best GCSE and A Level results. Government research found that pupils who performed better both at the end of primary and secondary school missed fewer days than those who didn’t perform as well. 

The data also showed that primary school children at the end of Year 6 who didn’t achieve the expected standard in reading, writing and maths missed on average four more days per school year than those whose performance exceeded the expected standard. 

To enable children to reach their full potential it is vital that they attend school regularly. It is very important that we work together to make sure that children, whatever their age, come to school on time and for every day possible.

WHAT CAN PARENTS DO TO IMPROVE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE?

We know that sometimes children can’t come to school because they are really unwell - and that's the right thing to do for them and other children. However, children with mild illness will often be well enough to attend - for example if they have a cough, or cold, without a temperature. The NHS guidance Is my child too ill for school? - NHS (www.nhs.uk) is designed to support parents in their decision making about mild illness. 

Parents and carers can also help by ensuring that non-urgent medical appointments are made out of school time. Also, that holidays and trips abroad are made in the school holidays.

PARENTS SHOULD NOT KEEP CHILDREN OFF FROM SCHOOL FOR:

X   Unauthorised visits abroad or any other unauthorised absence.

X   Taking children on other trips or holidays that can be cheaper during term time.

X   Shopping trips or to buy new clothes or uniform.

X   Visits to the airport to take or collect relatives.

X   Keeping a child of school due to a parent being unwell – alternative arrangements must be made.

TOP TIPS FOR PARENTS

The night before school:

• Make sure that your child’s school bag, lunch and uniform are ready.
• Have a good bedtime routine that enables your child to get to bed at a reasonable time and is relaxed enough to sleep.
• Set the alarm on your mobile phone or alarm clock for the morning.

Before school every day:

• Get up on time so that you won’t be rushing and your child will be on time and not late.
• Get your child to eat some breakfast every morning or come to breakfast club.
• Set off early to allow for traffic – think is it best to walk rather than come in the car as it is very busy around school?
• If your child says they don’t want to go to school explain that they have to and that you will get a message to the class teacher if anything is concerning them.
• You know your child best; only keep your child at home if they are really sick.
• If you have kept your child at home and during the day they are no longer ill, they should be brought back into school.

Follow this good morning routine:

1. Get up on time
2. Breakfast
3. Teeth and Wash
4. Uniform
5. Bag, coat and lunchbox
6. Leave home on time

Thank you for your support!

The following documents provide useful information about attendance expectations at our school.

This policy meets the requirements of the Department for Education’s (DfE) statutory guidance Working together to improve school attendance.

Approval for Term Time Absence

Valid reasons for authorised absence may include:

• Illness and medical/dental appointments, although we strongly encourage that these are made outside of the school day.
• Religious observance – where the day is exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which the pupil’s parents belong.  If necessary, the school will seek advice from the parents’ religious body to confirm whether the day is set apart

All schools are expected to restrict leave of absence to the specific circumstances set out in regulation 11 of the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024 and schools maintained by a local authority must do so. These circumstances include:

• Attending an interview: for entry into another educational institution where requested in advance by a parent the pupil normally lives with.
• A temporary, time-limited part-time timetable: where the pupil is of compulsory school age, both the parent who the pupil normally lives with and school agree the pupil should temporarily be educated on a part-time basis for exceptional reasons and have agreed the times and dates when the pupil will be expected to attend school as part of that timetable.
• Exceptional circumstances: the Headteacher can grant a leave of absence for other exceptional circumstances at their discretion. The DfE does not consider a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation to be an exceptional circumstance.
• Leave of absence will not be granted for a pupil to take part in protest activity during

school hours.

As well as the above reasons for leave of absence, the Headteacher may also allow pupils to be absent from the school site for certain educational activities or to attend other schools or settings as follows:

• To attend an offsite approved educational activity.
• To attend another school at which the pupil is registered (dual-registration).
• To attend provision arranged by the local authority. e.g. alternative provision or as part of an education, health and care plan.
• To participate in an approved sporting activity.
• To attend an educational visit or trip arranged by the school. 
• To attend work experience.

Any applications for leave during term time must be requested in advance by a parent who the pupil normally lives with. Any request should be submitted as soon as it is anticipated and, where possible, at least 4 weeks before the absence, and in accordance with the leave of absence request form, accessible via the school office. Once received:

• The Headteacher may request evidence to support any request for leave of absence.
• The Headteacher will consider each application individually considering the specific facts and circumstances and relevant background context behind the request.
• If a leave of absence is granted, it is for the Headteacher to determine the length of the time the pupil can be away from school.

If a family decides to take leave of absence without authorisation and the child does not return to school by the 21^st day, the child may be removed from roll.

Please click on the link below and refer to the Attendance and Punctuality Policy for further details: