Attendance and Absence

Central to raising standards in education and ensuring all pupils can fulfil their potential is an assumption so widely understood that it is insufficiently stated – pupils need to attend school regularly to benefit from the education they are entitled to. Missing out on lessons leaves children vulnerable to falling behind. Children with poor attendance tend to achieve less in both primary and secondary school.

The government expects schools and local authorities to:

Promote good attendance and reduce absence, including persistent absence
Ensure every pupil has access to full-time education to which they are entitled
Act early to address patterns of absence

The government also expects parents to perform their legal duty by ensuring their children of compulsory school age who are registered at school attend regularly and for all pupils to be punctual to their lessons

Arriving late to school

Children arriving late to school impacts upon their learning experience and the learning experience of other children. The Academy gates currently open at 8.45. All children are expected to be in class ready to start learning by 8.55am. Registers close at 9.00am. Arrival after this time will be recorded in the register as late. All parents and carers arriving late with their children after 8.55am will need to enter through the Academy office, the time and reason for being late must then be recorded on our Inventory system. If a child is frequently late, parents and carers will invited to a meeting with a member of the senior leadership team to discuss steps that can be taken to reduce lateness.

Unplanned absences

The pupil’s parent/carer must notify the school of the reason for the absence on each day of an unplanned absence by 8.55am or as soon as practically possible by calling the academy office.

A message can be left on the Academy absence answer line giving the following details:

Name of child, class and full reason for absence.

Please be advised if you notify the academy by email the attendance office will contact you later in the day.

Absence From School

Medical Appointments

If possible doctor's, medical or dentist's appointments should be made outside of the Academy day. However, it is recognised that sometimes the dates and times of medical appointments are determined by medical professionals and may take place during the academy day. In all cases of medical appointments, please ensure the Academy is informed in advance of any scheduled medical absence, and where possible evidence of this is provided to the academy. This could be in the form of appointment cards, letters or online bookings).

Illness

Please telephone or email the Academy on the first day of illness. If no notification is received initially it will be recorded as unauthorised. The academy will make contact to establish the reason for absence.

Whilst the Academy appreciates young children are often unwell, attendance levels are monitored regularly. Where there is a pattern of absence, this will be explored with parents and carers initially through discussions and any assistance will be offered where needed. In cases of excessive absence due to illness, the principal has the right to request a medical certificate be provided.

Religious Beliefs and Observance

If your child is attending a religious festival or ceremony please request a withdrawal from learning form from the main Academy office. Only requests submitted in advance of the event and on the Academy withdrawal from learning form will be considered by the principal. The Academy cannot authorise family parties or meetings of a non-religious nature.

Withdrawal from Learning

We need your support in ensuring that planned leave is not taken in school time so that your child has the very best opportunity to succeed. Guidance was issued by the Department for Education (DfE) that applies to all requested absences in term-time. The DfE only allows a principal the discretion to authorise an absence if they believe that there are exceptional or unavoidable circumstances.

When deciding whether to authorise term-time leave, the academy will consider:

The pupils age
The time and duration of the leave
The pupil’s record of attendance, including any previous term-time absences
Whether there are exceptional circumstances relating to the request

Broadly speaking, exceptional circumstances could include;

Acute family trauma
Terminal illness or death of a family member
Rehabilitation from a physical or emotional matter that is supported with medical evidence
Mark of religious observation falling within term time (at discretion of the Principal)
A family holiday is not an exceptional circumstance. Supporting evidence should be supplied prior to an absence, as absences cannot be authorised retrospectively.

If an unauthorised absence is taken, we will consult with East Sussex local authority for them to consider whether to issue a Penalty Notice. This could mean a fine of £120 per parent for each child – the fine is reduced to £60 if paid within 21 days. If the fine is unpaid court action can follow.

We believe that pupils can only take full advantage of their education if they attend school regularly and punctually.

The academy continually monitor children’s attendance in school, as there is a proven link between progress and attainment, and the number of days children attend school. Being absent for medical conditions are taken into careful consideration when monitoring individual children’s attendance records. We are also sensitive to particular family circumstances and any challenges that parents and carers may be faced with. We take our responsibility for ensuring that all children receive a high quality education very seriously and want to support families who may be finding it difficult to get their child to school regularly.

Attendance above 95% is regarded as ‘good’ and equals 10 or less days of absence over the academic year. Below 90% is ‘worrying attendance’. This means that at least 19 school days have been missed. This can impact on pupil well-being as well as progress and attainment. Children with 90% attendance or below fall within group that the government define as ‘persistently absent’.

In line with government expectations and our academy policy, parent and carers will be contacted where the academy has a concern regarding a child’s attendance, to both raise awareness and offer support. It should be noted that members of the senior leadership team are available to talk with anyone experiencing difficulties.

We put great importance on excellent attendance – and we know it makes a real difference to children's educational outcomes.

Our absence and attendance policy outlines what we expect and how we manage absences.