Parents / carers may have seen reports in the news that since the pandemic all schools have noticed a decline in pupil attendance rates.

We have experienced this too but we are grateful for parent / carer support in trying to address this at our school.

Last week we had excellent attendance with all classes in the high 90% with 4I and 6N top of the tree with the figure of 99.3%. 

Attending school everyday where possible is essential for pupils to get the most out of their school experience, including their attainment, wellbeing, and wider life chances.

We must remind parents / carers  again that holidays must not be taken in term time and that that due to government legislation the school cannot grant leave of absence for family holidays.

Taking holidays during the school term will be recorded as unauthorised absence and the school will refer all such cases onto the local authority (Staffordshire County Council) who may administer a penalty fine.

Any planned absence from school can only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

The following are examples of exceptional circumstance:

To allow a pupil to return to their country of origin for family, religious or cultural reasons.

Unavoidable circumstances - for example the parent / carer has inflexible leave allocation and evidence of this is provided by the employer.

There has been bereavement or serious illness in the family and a leave of absence is deemed appropriate.

Leave of absence connected to children of service personnel.

The school recognises the difficult circumstances many families are in regarding the cost of holidays in peak periods but the government guidance is clear - these holidays cannot be authorised and penalty fines may be issued.

Please also note that non urgent medical appointments such as dental checks or opticians appointments must be arranged outside the hours of the school day or in school holidays.

Good attendance at school is crucial because it helps pupils to achieve - pupils who are not attending are not learning and will therefore not achieve as much as they are capable of. 

Evidence shows that the pupils with the highest attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6) have higher rates of attendance over the key stage compared to those with the lowest attainment.

At the end of Year 6, pupils not meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths had an overall absence rate of 4.7%, compared to 3.5% among those achieving the expected standard. (Department for Education - Working Together to Improve Attendance published May 2022).

Every day that a child misses at school can effect their education. 

It is vital that all pupils attend school and on time every day unless there is an unavoidable reason for absence.