Regular attendance at school is crucial in raising standards of education and in ensuring every child can meet their full potential. Missing out on lessons leaves children vulnerable to falling behind. Children with poor attendance tend to achieve less in both primary and secondary school.

We know sometimes children are not well enough to be in school, but when they can be in school they should be in school.  Please see guidance below for further information.

Is my child too ill for school?

Persistent Absence

If your child takes too much time off school they will become categorised as persistently absent (PA).  A pupil becomes a ‘persistent absentee’ (PA) when they miss 10% or more schooling across the school year for whatever reason.  We monitor all absence thoroughly and as a school we will

• Follow up unexplained absences by phone calls, letters and where necessary home visits
• Remind parents of the importance of regular attendance and punctuality in our communications, parent evenings and pupil reports
• Publish your child’s attendance rate on their annual school report
• Let you know if we have concerns regarding your child’s attendance and punctuality
• Hold meetings with parents to identify barriers and provide appropriate tailored support to ensure that attendance and/or punctuality improves
• If we continue to have concerns, make a referral to the Local Authority School Attendance and Education Support Service who have regular contact with the school regarding attendance.

Please see Attendance Policy here and other guidance regarding attendance below.