'MOMENTS MATTER....ATTENDANCE COUNTS' DfE Campaign

Please support us in supporting the national attendance campaign that has started this month.

Is My Child Too Ill for School? (Follow the link for further NHS and Government Guidance)

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

Attendance week ending 19.4.24

Whole school        =  94.01%

Whole school 5yrs+ = 94.01%

Attendance excluding under 5s + Bases = 94.03%                         

Attendance ASD Bases only = 93.4%  

         Class of the week  Mrs Causey's class

96%+  90-95.9%  Below 90%

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Attendance Impacts Upon Outcomes For Your Children 

Attendance is proven to impact upon attainment. This government research shows that the poorer the attendance at Key Stage 2 the less likely that the child was to achieve the expected standard (blue bars).

Only just over half of pupils missing 20-25% of school achieved the expected standard compared to almost all pupils with full attendance.

COVID-19 Guidance

Our school is currently following DFE and Public Health England guidance regarding Covid-19. At present, the risk status is low and there is no need to keep children off school. Please be advised that it is not acceptable to keep children off school as a precaution and if that is the case then these absences will be recorded as unauthorised and may attract a fixed penalty fine. If you have any questions regarding absences related to Covid-19 please contact school.

 School Attendance

Attendance and punctuality is a life skill and in school we strive to support our pupils to maintain high levels of attendance. The national average school attendance for primary schools is 96%; this is the MINIMUM attendance figure that we, as a school, are expected to achieve by the Government and Ofsted.

Parents have a legal responsibility to ensure their children have an education.

Section 444 (1) of the Education Act 1996 states "if a child of compulsory school age who is a registered pupil at a school fails to attend regularly at the school, his/her parent is guilty of an offence."

For the purposes of education law, the definition of 'parental responsibility' lies with whomever the child resides with; this could be one parent, both parents or carer/s.

Absence from school

The 2013 regulation amendments make clear that a headteacher may NOT grant any leave of absence (holiday) during term time unless there are 'exceptional circumstances'. The amendments give parents NO entitlement to take their child out of school for a holiday in term time.

If you need to request a leave of absence for your child/ren, please request an absence form from the office or download one from this page. Completion of the form does NOT guarantee the leave of absence will be authorised. You may be asked to attend a meeting in school to discuss your child/ren's attendance following a leave of absence submission. It is important to have read and fully understood the school's attendance policy; this can be found on this website page.

Authorised absence

• Illness: if a child is unable to attend school due to illness, it is expected that parents/carers will provide an explanation on the first day the absence occurs. School should be informed by 9:20am either by telephone, leaving a voice message or personally calling into the school office. School should be kept updated of any on-going absence on a daily basis. If your child is suffering from a vomiting or diarrhoea related illness, they should not return to school until 48 hours after their last bout.
• Special circumstance: very occasionally there is a situation that prevents a child from attending school (e.g. bereavement of close family member). The register will be marked with an authorised absence code in this instance
• Authorised term time holiday: in exceptional circumstances the governors may authorise a leave of absence (e.g. close family wedding).
• Medical appointment: if your child has a medical appointment, please contact the school to advise the time of the appointment and expected time to return to school. Please bring the appointment letter/card so this may be noted on the pupil's record.

Unauthorised absence

• Term time holiday: school expects that parents take all holidays during the 14 weeks per year that children are not in school. If you plan to take your child out of school during term time, please complete a leave of absence form and return it to school.

Punctuality/lateness

The main school gate (Reception - Y3) and Hall entrance (Y4 - 6) open at 8.45 -9:00am.

If your child arrives to school after these times they will need to be accompanied by an adult into school via the school office where they will need to be signed into school on the signing in system or with a member of office staff.

Pupils who are consistently late are disrupting not only their own education but also that of other children in their class. Where persistent lateness gives cause for concern, further action may be taken. Sefton Council can issue a fixed penalty notice if a child is late, after the registers close, for 10 sessions or more over one term or 18 sessions over two terms.

Every second counts:

• 5 minutes late each day means three whole days of education lost each year
• attendance affects learning
• attendance affects future outcomes
• attendance affects well being and a sense of belonging

Fixed penalty notices

Parents/carers should be aware that 10 or more unauthorised late marks over a term (18 over two terms) may lead to a fixed penalty notice being issued by the local authority or the requirement to attend a Panel Meeting at the Town Hall with the Local Authority Attendance Panel at which clear targets will be implemented and if not adhered to could result in prosecution.

Parents/carers should be aware that 10 or more unauthorised absence marks over one term (18 over two terms), where no reason for absence is provided or when school has not authorised a term time leave of absence request, may lead to a fixed penalty notice being issued by the local authority or the requirement to attend a Panel Meeting at the Town Hall with the Local Authority Attendance Panel at which clear targets will be implemented and if not adhered to could result in prosecution.

The fixed penalty notice is currently £60 per parent per pupil payable within 21 days. Failure to pay within this time period results in the penalty being increased to £120 per parent per pupil. If this further penalty is not paid within the next 7 days (i.e. 28 days from the issue of the original penalty) this will lead to court action against parents/carers by the local authority

Meet Our Attendance & Punctuality Team

Attendance Lead  - Mrs S Maciver (Deputy Headteacher)

Attendance Administrator - Mrs D Lewis (Office Staff)

Attendance & Pastoral Early Help Worker - Mrs S Evison

Attendance Governor - Miss E Young 

Safeguarding Governor - Miss E Young

Early Help Attendance Officer - Denise Steele

Should you have any questions or worries regarding attendance and punctuality please contact the school who will arrange for you to speak to a member of the team. Denise isn't based on site but is contactable by school throughout the week and is responsible for home visits.