Attendance
100% Attendance 2016-2017
Today we celebrated with 19 children who did very well to have 100% attendance over this academic year. They were all treated to an invitation only tea party!
We believe it is vitally important that children attend school promptly and that absence is kept to an absolute minimum. There is a strong correlation between high attendance at school and excellent performance and progress. Every effort should always be made to avoid disruption to a child's education.
Attendance Facts
The Department Of Education expects individual schools to have an overall attendance percentage of 96% or above. At the moment ours is below this target and this simply is not acceptable. We must work harder together to get our attendance percentage higher.
Attendance 96% or above
Less than 8.5 days absence a year- Excellent attendance
Pupils with this attendance should achieve the best that they can.
95%
Less than 10 days absence in a year- OK attendance
Pupils with this attendance are more likely to achieve their targets.
90%
20 days absence over the year- Not good attendance
Pupils with this attendance are missing approximately a month (20 days) of school per year and may fall behind in Maths, Literacy and other subjects. It will be difficult for them to achieve their best.
85%
30 days absence in a year- Not good attendance
These pupils are missing approximately 6 weeks of school a year. It will be very difficult for them to keep up and achieve their best.
80%
Pupils with this attendance are missing a day for every week of school- Not good attendance
It will be almost impossible to keep up with their work. Parents of pupils with this level of attendance will be well known to the Education Welfare Officer (Targeted Support Team).
Requests for Leave of Absence in Term Time
If pupils are to reach their potential they need to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available to them. Regular, uninterrupted school attendance is a key factor in helping pupils reach their potential. Every effort should always be made to avoid disruption to a pupil’s education.
Following amendments to the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 which came into effect 1st September 2013, Head Teachers are only allowed to grant leave of absence from school in exceptional circumstances. The decision as to whether any request is considered as ‘exceptional circumstances’ rests solely with the Head Teacher.
The fundamental principles for defining ‘exceptional’ are rare, significant, unavoidable and short; 'unavoidable' should be taken to mean an event that could not reasonably be scheduled at another time.
In considering whether or not to authorise a request for exceptional leave of absence in term time the Head Teacher will look at each individual case and only grant authorisation if the circumstances are truly exceptional. Additionally, any request should be made prior to the leave of absence and should be submitted to the school using the Request for Leave of Absence form. Parents/Carers may be asked to provide additional information/evidence or meet with the school to discuss the circumstances.
Parents/Carers will be notified of the Head Teacher’s decision at the earliest opportunity. If the circumstances are not considered to be exceptional then parents/carers will be informed of this and made aware that the Local Authority may be asked to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice.
Holidays are not considered to be exceptional circumstances and under Government advice and guidance from the Borough of Poole we are unable to authorise any holidays in term time.
Illness
If your child is unwell please telephone the school by 9.15am each day of absence.
All absence from school will be followed up by our front office staff.
If you are unsure as to send in your child due to the type of illness please refer to the following guidelines as published by Public Health England September 2014
If your child has sickness and diarrhoea you should keep your child at home 48 hours from the last episode to stop the illness spreading to other children.
Good Attendance
We want to reward our children who have good attendance. At the end of every half term every child who has 96% attendance or above will receive a certificate and will have their name entered into a prize draw to win a £20 Toys Are Us voucher. Good Luck!.