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Primary anxiety print poster.pdfPrimary illness print poster.pdfAttendance matters
Attendance matters
'From the first day of term to the last, the small moments in a school day make a real difference to your child'. #AttendanceCounts
Improving attendance is everyone’s business. The law entitles every child of compulsory school age to an efficient, full-time education suitable to their age, aptitude, and any special educational need they may have. It is the legal responsibility of every parent to make sure their child receives that education either by attendance at a school or by education otherwise than at a school.
Regular school attendance can facilitate positive peer relationships, which is a protective factor for mental health and wellbeing as well as improve attainment.
In 2018/19, just 40% of persistently absent children (attendance below 90%) in KS2 achieved the expected KS2 standards, compared with 84% of pupils who were regular attenders.
Please read this blog for further information about the importance of school attendance. Why is school attendance important?
Every child has had their education impacted by the pandemic. Therefore, it is even more important that family holidays are taken in the school holidays and not in term time. To help families plan a holiday without impacting on their child's education, families are encouraged to check school holiday dates before booking.
From September 2022 expectations regarding term time absence for holidays will be as they were pre-pandemic. The expectation is that all holidays are taken in the school holidays. It will only be in the most exceptional of circumstances that any term time absence other than illness or medical appointments will be authorised.
Families requesting term time absence for a holiday should continue to request this in advance from the headteacher. While each case is considered on merit, it would be highly unusual for any holiday absence to be authorised and likely that it could result in an FPN (fixed penalty notice).
Attendance in Autumn term tells us that without unauthorised absence, attendance would be 96.6% which would be good and in line with the school's attendance rates pre-pandemic during the Autumn term.
Absence due to illness
Absence due to illness
Call 01606 800170 and choose option 1 to report pupil absence.
Call 01606 800170 and choose option 1 to report pupil absence.
We expect children to have no absence other than for sickness or other medical reasons. If your child is too unwell to be in school please ring us before registration at 8:30 a.m. and leave a message. Don't email on the morning of absence as all children must be accounted for when we take the registers and we will contact families if we are not sure of a child's whereabouts.
We do not authorise term time absence other than sickness unless there are exceptional circumstances. We ask that parents and carers avoid term time absence. Request should be made to the headteacher in writing and in advance, informing us of the reason and dates.
Sickness and diarrhoea - bugs spread very quickly in school despite regular reminders about hand washing after using the toilet and hand gel dispensers around the building. When families support the 48 hour rule, fewer days are lost to sickness absence.
Anyone reporting diarrhoea and vomiting should exclude themselves from school until 48 hours after the vomiting and/or diarrhoea has stopped, this will help prevent spread to others.
Anyone reporting diarrhoea and vomiting should exclude themselves from school until 48 hours after the vomiting and/or diarrhoea has stopped, this will help prevent spread to others.
Director of Public Health, Cheshire West and Chester Council
Please see NHS guidance Is my child too ill for school? for further advice around managing illness.
CWAC Good Practice Guide to Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance
Attendance 2023-24.pdfAttendance 2023 - 2024
Our overall attendance figure for the last academic year was 96.4%. This is a slight improvement on the previous year [95.9%] and significantly better than the national average of 92.8%
Authorised absence at the end of Summer term was 2.48% [3.9%]
Unauthorised absence 1.1% [1.6%]
Late 0.64%
Persistent (below 90%) absentees DfE 2.6% [15.2%]
Families are encouraged compare their children's attendance with the schools and national picture using the App on Arbor.
Attendance 2022-23.pdfOur attendance figures with the National in brackets
Overall attendance for the year 22-23 is 95.9 [93.6]
Authorised absence at the end of Summer term was 2.3% [4.8%]
Unauthorised absence 1.1% [1.6%]
Late 0.68%
Persistent (below 90%) absentees DfE 7.8% [20.7%]
Families are encouraged compare their children's attendance with the schools and national picture using the App on Arbor.
Spring term
Spring term
Our attendance figures with the National in brackets
Overall attendance this year is 95.9 [93.6], up very slightly from Autumn term when it was 95.4% [93.3]
Authorised absence at the end of Spring term was 3.2% [4.8%]
Unauthorised absence 0.98% [1.6%]
Late 0.7%
Persistent (below 90%) absentees DfE 6.5% [20.7%]
Families are encouraged compare their children's attendance with the schools and national picture using the App on Arbor.
Attendance over time
Attendance over time
March-May 2021 - 97.79%
July 2020 - 95.13%
July 2019 - 97.53%
July 2018 - 96.98%
Data shows that attendance in school has been consistently good but has been impacted by Covid and almost two years of a pandemic.
Covid means attendance can't be judged as it was pre-pandemic. Nevertheless, good attendance is even more important after two years of interruptions to school.
More persistent and serious absence
More persistent and serious absence
Persistent Absence
Persistent Absence
The Department of Education deem any attendance below 90% as persistent absenteeism. While all absence affects children's learning and achievement, attendance below 95% is where we would communicate with families around making improvements. It is the responsibility of parents or carers to bring to our attention and discuss any exceptional circumstances affecting their child's attendance.
Attendance is formally monitored at for all children at least once a term. If data gives cause for concern it will be monitored more regularly. Where attendance is below 90% this is a more serious cause for concern and is deemed persistent absenteeism. If attendance does not improve, unless there are exceptional reasons for absence being unavoidable we will escalate our response.
Parents may be informed by letter where the reasons for absence are understood or if attendance, while still at or below 90% has shown improvement.
Parents or carers are invited to an informal meeting which they are expected to attend. We will discuss how we might work in partnership to achieve acceptable levels of school attendance. Emotionally based non school attendance can be considered as a reason, not an excuse, for poor attendance and reasonable adjustments can be considered.
If this does not improve the situation we will convene an attendance panel. At this, targets for attendance may be set and we may require that for any further medical absence to be authorised, we must be given proof of appointment or a note from a health professional saying that the child was too unwell to be in school. We could inform parents that term time absence is being taken cumulatively (i.e. not ten consecutive sessions of unauthorised absence but ten sessions over the year).
The school can then issue a fixed penalty notice (fine) for non attendance which may lead to further legal action should attendance not improve.
Fixed Penalty Notices and term time holidays
Fixed Penalty Notices and term time holidays
We consider all unauthorised absence to be serious.
Cheshire West and Chester Local Authority have issued detailed guidance for all schools to use when any pupil's attendance is a cause for concern. Families wishing to take their children out of school for reasons other than illness or medical appointments should put their request in writing to the headteacher, along with the dates of the absence requested. In exceptional circumstances absence in term time may be authorised. If families do not have the absence authorised in advance they risk a Fixed Penalty Notice being issued.
Since September 2023 it can be assumed that, unless circumstances were genuinely exceptional, all holiday absence meeting the threshold for a FPN would result in one being issued. It can also be assumed that almost all term time absence for holidays will be unauthorised.
We ask families to take holidays in the school holidays. We appreciate that this has a cost. Our own employees, some of whom are on far lower pay than those taking children out of school, are equally impacted by price hikes in school holidays. We also understand parents and carers noting the 'cultural value' of time abroad. We agree that holidays, while not essential, are important for quality of life and experience.. We would ask that people also consider the value to their children of education and consistent uninterrupted time in school. There are around thirty children in a class, the overwhelming majority of who do not have term time holidays. Their learning may be impacted by teachers having to take additional time with children back off holiday who've missed previous lessons.
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