Every Lesson Counts at

Thomas Harding Junior School

Every child has the right to receive full time education.

Children can only make the most of educational opportunities if they attend regularly and on time.

Lessons lost will never be found.

95% attendance or below is a cause for concern.

90% or below is considered to be persistent absenteeism

It is not a parental right to take a child out of school for a holiday

What does the school do?

 * Provides 190 days of planned curriculum delivery – not a day should be missed.

 * Listens and supports

 * Reports levels of school attendance to: School governors, Buckinghamshire County Council, The Department for Education and OFSTED

* Monitors attendance regularly every month

 * Informs parents of their child’s unacceptable absence and where appropriate liaises with parents to discuss the issue and support

 * Aims to achieve an attendance target of 97%  which is just above the national average attendance in primary Schools.

The following reasons for absence will not be authorised

§ Looking after the house

§ Looking after other family members

§ Illness of another family member, i.e. pupil kept off school when sibling unwell

§ Shopping during school hours

§ Birthdays

§ Day trips

§ Holidays

§ Unwell pets

Most common acceptable reasons for absence

• Illness of child (not the parent)
• An emergency medical or orthodontist appointment that has not been possible to organise out of school hours
• A religious event

Anyone wishing to take their child out of school on compassionate grounds should write in advance to the Head Teacher, requesting permission and explaining the situation.

Parental Responsibility Education Act 1996, Part V1, Chapter 11, Section 444

If a child of compulsory school age who is a registered pupil at a school fails to regularly attend the school, his/her parent/carers are guilty of an offence.

In a few cases where a child persistently misses school and parents are aware of the situation but have been unable to provide a reasonable explanation to the school for the absence, the parent/carers may be prosecuted in the Magistrates Court.

What if?

Your child misses 10 days of school (20 sessions)

They already have a 95% attendance

Your child misses 20 days of school (40 sessions)

That’s only 89% attendance – the equivalent of half a day off per week for a whole year.

Your child misses 38 days of school (76 sessions)

That’s 80% attendance – the equivalent of a day off a week for the whole year

What if your child is late?

• They might feel self-conscious.
• They miss the beginning of the lesson which contains the introduction to the work from the teacher.
• They will be ‘catching up’ for the rest of the lesson.
• They miss the social part of the beginning of the day.
• They may be reluctant or refuse to enter the classroom.
• They will cause disruption for all other class members.

What can YOU do to help and support our School?

 § Report the absence of your child as early as possible on the first day of absence.

 § Ensure that your child is in school for registration – so they don’t miss out on the first part of the day.

§ Do not take holidays during term time.

 § Understand that the beginnings and ends of terms are as important as any other time in school.

§ Do not allow your child time away from school unless it is absolutely necessary.

§ Encourage a pattern of punctuality and good attendance with your child – let them see that it matters. This sets them up for their future

§ When one of your children is off school make sure that you get the others into school – ask a friend to bring them to school and check to ensure arrival.

§ Take notice of how much time your child has been away from school.

§ Let us know if you are about to leave the area, change your address or any of your contact numbers. Ensure that we always have up-to-date contact information.

§ Arrange dentist and routine appointments out of school hours where possible

Nobody knows your child better than you do! Your input into their learning is vital for their progress and success.  We want to work with you and can offer support, guidance and advice about a whole range of potential issues or challenges.