Why does attendance matter?  

 

It is the aim of All Saints Church School that pupils should enjoy learning, experience success and realise their full potential.  

Children who attend school regularly are more likely to  

• feel settled in school  

• maintain friendships  

• keep up with their learning and 

 • gain the greatest benefit from their education.  

Regular attendance and punctuality is essential in the workplace and children who are used to attending school on time, and on every occasion, unless they are too unwell to attend, will be better prepared for the attendance expectations in the workplace. It is the responsibility of parents or guardians to contact the school as early as possible on the first day of absence.  

What is good attendance? For example, 90% attendance might sound quite good, but what this means in reality is: 

 • half a day’s school missed every week (A session is classed as either a morning or afternoon) 

• four whole weeks of school would be missed during an academic year 

The Local Authority and Government both keep a careful check on the level of absence at each school.  They track any pupils who have missed more than 10 sessions(equivalent to 5 days)and will want information regarding the reasons for absence.  It is important, therefore, that we know if your child needs to be at home and the reasons why. 

 

Absence due to illness  

We would not expect any parent to send their child to school if they were genuinely unwell. If your child is feeling ‘under the weather’ it is usually best to bring them to school. We will contact you if a child becomes too unwell to remain in school. 

If your child is unwell and will not be attending school,please contact the school office and let them know by 9.10am on the day that your child is unwell.  They will pass the relevant information on to your child's teacher.  If we have not heard from you regarding your child's absence, the school office will contact you  to check that all is well.  This is to make sure that we keep your child safe. 

 

Lateness  

When pupils arrive late, they miss out on essential instructions given at the beginning of the lesson. This can significantly reduce achievement, regardless of academic ability.  

Your child may also feel awkward arriving to the classroom when everyone else is settled and this can also compromise everyone’s education. 

Our school is not legally able to authorise holidays during term time.  If families take pupils out of school for a holiday, the Local Authority may issue a penalty notice and fine to that family for each child who is absent. We would therefore ask that you come in and talk with the school  before booking a holiday  in term time to avoid being fined.  Under exceptional circumstances, schools may grant a leave of absence during term time for reasons other than holidays.  

  

Where an absence is judged to be unavoidable, please complete a form to request time away from school.  

                                                                           Jesus says, “All things are possible if you believe.”   Mark 9:23