Our school has a target to achieve at least 97% attendance over the course of the year...help us to achieve our target by coming to school every day you possibly can!

Every moment matters!

The world is run by those who turn up!

Attendance Matters

#beheretolearn

Five reasons why attending school is so important:

1. Children have the right to an education
2. Parents/Carers have a legal responsibility to ensure their child attends school. Schools and Local Authorities have a duty to ensure that students take up this right.
3. There is a direct link between high child absence and low attainment in school.
4. Getting children to attend school regularly and be on time is an essential skill for life.
5. Poor attendance can lead to children being isolated from their friends, poor and unsettled behaviour, anti-social behaviour or criminal activity.

Ten Attendance Tips: How can I help my child attend school regularly?

1. Ensure they pack their bag the night before
2. Ensure that their uniform is ready, especially after the holidays or weekends.
3. Get them to bed at a reasonable hour to get a good night’s sleep – don’t let them take their phone to bed.
4. Set the alarm clock early enough to give them plenty of time to prepare.
5. Make sure they have some breakfast.
6. Set off so that they are not late: punctuality is important (children on school site by 8.50am)
7. Check to make sure they have everything they need – PE kit, packed lunch, wellies etc.
8. Talk to your child about what they did in school today
9. Ensure your child has completed any homework and reads regularly at home
10. If you are worried about your child’s attendance, please get in touch with us as soon as possible so that we can offer support.

Some facts and figures on attendance

• 90% attendance equals half a day of school missed every week 
• One school year at 90% attendance = 4 whole weeks of lessons and schoolwork missed
• 90% attendance over 5 years of school = half a school year missed 
• There is a direct correlation between low attendance and future employment prospects

What do I do if my child is ill and cannot attend school?

1. Parents or carers must inform the school by telephone, or, where this is not possible, via email or Dojo message, as soon as possible on the day of the absence (Mrs Heeley, school administrator on 01254 234562 email r.heeley@allsaints-clm.lancs.sch.uk or Dojo message to Mrs Heeley)
2. Parents must make contact with the school every day their child is off. 

Punctuality

• Your child must be on the school site by 8:55am ready for the school day to begin at 9am
• If you are aware your child is going to be late, please telephone or email the school office
• If your child arrives late to school, they must sign in at the main office before they go to their class
• Children arriving more than 10 minutes late, i.e., from 9:10am onwards, will be marked down as ‘unauthorised absence’.

My child needs a medical appointment or orthodontic treatment during school time – What should I do?

• We completely understand that certain medical appointments, such as orthodontic treatments, have to be carried out in school time, and parents have very little choice on the times that they are offered. In these cases, we only ask that we are given advance warning and children attend school before appointments and return to school as quickly as possible.
• For all other appointments (such as doctor or dentist) we ask that, where possible, these are made outside of the school day or at a time which means your child will miss as little schooling as possible. Whole days will not be authorised for routine appointments.
• Where a child is off school for more than 3 days, school may request medical evidence to be given to the school –this can be a GP appointment card or medication/prescription and does not require a GP to write a letter directly to school

Can I take my child out of school for any other reason?

• It is not in your child’s best interests to miss any schooling. Every school day counts towards your child’s future. Days off school add up to lost learning
• Your child is at school for 190 days and at home for 175 non-school days a year.
• This time not at school gives families ample opportunity to go on holiday, visit relatives, take long weekends away, birthday treats or special days out, to go shopping etc.

I am concerned that my child is not ill but does not want to come to school – What should I do?

Contact your child’s class teacher or Mrs SC or Mrs Huddy so we can offer advice, support and strategies to work together to rectify the situation.

Attending school every day = 100% attendance

Attending 4½ days a week = 90% attendance = 4 weeks missed per year

Attending 4 days a week = 80% attendance = more than half a term missed per year.

Attending 3½ days each week = 70% attendance = more than a quarter of the school year missed.

An average attendance of 80% or less across a child’s school career adds up to missing a whole 2 years from school.

Being late for school reduces learning time. If your child is 5 minutes late every day they will miss three days of learning each year. If your child is 15 minutes late every day they will miss 2 weeks of learning each year!

Make every minute count!

As a school working closely with Forward As One Multi Academy Trust,  it is our shared ambition to have every child in school every day and therefore a robust and effective attendance strategy is implemented in our school.

The key principle underpinning the approach of early intervention is to develop partnerships with parents to understand the barriers and work with families to remove them.

In order for children to get the greatest benefit from their education in school, and to give children the best chance of making strong social bonds, it is important that they have good attendance and that they arrive on time for school each day. As children grow and prepare for the next stages in their education, and in employment in years to come, children need to see good attendance and punctuality as important values that should be valued by themselves, their parents/carers and by those around them. At All Saints’ we will do all that we can to encourage good attendance and punctuality. 

The school governors set a target for whole school attendance of 97%. This means we aim for every single child to have attendance of at least 97%. Where families are unable to meet our high expectations for attendance and punctuality, we will discuss this with families and put into place effective strategies to support in bringing about improvements. It is worth noting that as from September 2015 the government defined a persistent absentee as a child with attendance of 90% and below. Children who are persistent absentees are proven to be detrimentally affected when compared to their peers. 

We want to work with you, so if you are having any problems at all in getting your child into school, including getting them to school on time, please come and speak to us so we can work with you. 

It is vital that children are in school on time each day. Learning begins from the very start of the day, missed minutes are missed learning opportunities and missed social times with friends. 

We monitor attendance and punctuality and will make contact with parents/carers of children whose attendance is of concern as we have a responsibility to do all that we can to make sure children are in school every day that is possible. 

The link below is to a Government blog about attendance and why attendance matters. 

Improving Attendance

Attendance and Punctuality Information for Parents

Why is it important for children not to miss school?

All parents want the best for their children and for them to get on well in life. Having a good education is important to ensure that they have the best opportunities in their adult life. They only get one chance at school, and your child’s future may be affected by not attending school or alternative provision regularly.

If children do not attend school regularly they may:

· Struggle to keep up with school work. In a busy school day it is difficult for schools to find the extra time to help a child catch up.

· Miss out on the social side of school life. Poor attendance can affect children’s ability to make and keep friendships; a vital part of growing up.

Setting good attendance patterns from an early age, from nursery through primary school will also help your child later on in their life. Children who have a poor school attendance record may have less chance of securing a job when they are adults. Being on time is also vital. Arriving late at school can be very disruptive for your child, their teacher and the other children in the class. Some parents may be finding it difficult to ensure that their child attends school regularly. If this is the case please speak to Mrs SC as soon as possible so that the situation can be addressed.

What might the impact of poor attendance be on your child?

In primary schools, less than 65% of children achieve the expected standard in English reading, writing and Maths, with an average of 15 days absence a year, compared to almost 90% where the average is less than 8 days absence a year. Parents can be very surprised at how quickly their children can accumulate 15 days absence within a year. Research has also shown that children who are not in school can become vulnerable. For example, children who play truant are more likely to be drawn into crime than those who do not.

What does the law say?

By law, all children of compulsory school age (between 5 and 16) must receive a suitable, full time education. As a parent, you are responsible for making sure this happens, either by registering your child at a school or by making other arrangements which provide a suitable full time education. Once your child is registered at a school, you are responsible for making sure he or she attends regularly. If your child fails to attend regularly – even if they miss school without you knowing – the Local Authority (LA) may take legal action against you. The LA is responsible for making sure that parents fulfil their responsibilities. Parents are responsible for making sure that their registered children regularly attend school or any alternative provision arranged them. If you think you might need to take your child out of school, discuss the reasons with school as soon as possible. Reasons such as family bereavement or taking part in an agreed religious observance would be acceptable for short absences. Unacceptable reasons for missing school include family holidays, birthdays and shopping.

What happens if your child does not attend school regularly?

Your child’s school is responsible by law for reporting poor attendance to the LA. As a parent, you are committing an offence if you fail to make sure that your child attends school regularly, even if they are missing school without your knowledge. You run the risk of being issued with a penalty notice of being taken to court. The LA may decide to prosecute a parent. If this happens:

• Parents can be fined up to £2,500 or imprisoned for failing to ensure that their child attends school regularly; Magistrates can also impose a Parenting Order, which means that the parent has to attend a counselling and guidance programme, usually a parenting class.
•  

What about authorised absence?

There may be times when your child has to miss school because she or he is ill. This is to be expected and you should follow the school’s procedures for notifying illness. Children may also have to attend a medical or dental appointment in school time. However, you should try to make routine appointments, such as dental check-ups, during the school holiday or after school hours. Any absence must be requested as far in advance as possible. Absences can only be authorised by the school.

What can you do to help?

· If you suspect that your child may be missing school or is unhappy at school you should contact the school as soon as possible so that you can work with them to resolve any difficulties.

· Be on alert for any particular reasons for non-attendance, such as bullying or problems with school work and discuss these with the school.

· If your child is ill or absent for any other reasons, contact the school on the first day of absence.

· Follow the schools’ procedures for notifying absence, and always let the school know of any days that your child is unable to attend.

· Make sure your child arrives at school on time.

· Take an interest in your child’s education. Ask them about their day and praise and encourage their achievements at school.

The world is run by those who turn up!

Attending school every day = 100% attendance

Attending 4½ days a week = 90% attendance = 4 weeks missed per year

Attending 4 days a week = 80% attendance = more than half a term missed per year.

Attending 3½ days each week = 70% attendance = more than a quarter of the school year missed.

An average attendance of 80% or less across a child’s school career adds up to missing a whole 2 years from school.

Being late for school reduces learning time. If your child is 5 minutes late every day they will miss three days of learning each year. If your child is 15 minutes late every day they will miss 2 weeks of learning each year.

Make every minute count!