Attendance
What happens if my child is too ill to come to school?
Attending school on every day that it is open is very important. There are lots of good reasons why being in school is important for your child which you can read more about on page 4 of the SMART Attendance Policy document below.
If your child is very ill and cannot come to school, then it is important that you phone the school to let them know every day that your child is absent. If your child’s attendance is of concern, the school may require medical evidence in order to authorise the absence from school.
Medical Appointments:
If your child needs to take time off for medical appointments, the school will require evidence (such as an appointment card) to authorise the absence. Please organise medical appointments in the afternoon where possible to reduce the impact on lessons and learning. Every lesson missed can make it very difficult for your child to keep up with the learning taking place in school, and you can see from the table below just how much of an impact a few missed school days can have in terms of lost learning.
| Number of days off school | Number of lessons missed | Attendance Value |
|---|---|---|
| 0 days off school in a year | 0 | Perfect attendance |
| 2 days off school in a year | 10 lessons | Excellent attendance |
| 5 days off school in a year | 25 lessons | Good attendance |
| 10 days off school in a year | 50 lessons | Slightly below average attendance |
| 14 days off school in a year | 70 lessons | Poor attendance |
| 20 days off school in a year | 100 lessons | Very poor attendance |
Punctuality to School:
Start times vary across individual schools, please check what time your child is expected to arrive at the school they attend. You can find this information on page 23 of the Attendance Policy. If children are late, they must be signed in at Reception.
Being late not only disrupts the learning of other children in the class, but it also adds up to a loss of learning for the individual, which can impact on achievement. Please see the table below from the Department for Education:
| Minutes late per day | Equivalent of loss of learning |
|---|---|
| 5 Minutes | 3.4 school days a year |
| 10 Minutes | 6.9 school days a year |
| 15 Minutes | 10.3 school days a year |
| 20 Minutes | 13.8 school days a year |
| 30 Minutes | 20.7 school days a year |
Holidays:
Absence request forms can be obtained from your child's school; however, we are unable to authorise holidays in term time. Unauthorised holidays almost always end in penalty notices being issued to parents by the local authority.
Who to contact:
In each school there is a member of staff to contact for day-to-day enquiries about attendance as well as a senior member of staff with responsibility as the school’s Attendance Lead. They will be happy to help with any attendance related questions you might have. You can find their contact details on page 23 of the SMART Attendance Policy.