Attendance

Attendance Matters- A Guide for Parents

The government and St Ann’s Well Academy are committed to maintaining high levels of school attendance.  We expect every pupil to maintain an attendance level of 100% unless there are authorised reasons that occur.

How your child's attendance is monitored

Every child’s attendance and punctuality is monitored weekly, and we follow the department of education’s guidance to keeping parents and carer’s informed about their child’s attendance.

Mrs Threfall will be monitoring your child’s attendance and punctuality, making regular contact in order to support you to make improvements with your child’s attendance.

St Anns Wells Attendance

School Absence

Department of Education class persistent absence percentage from 10% and below.

What does this mean? Any child whose attendance is lower than 90%, at any point in the year will be classed as being persistently absent.

If your child is persistently absent, they could be referred to the local authority’s Educations Welfare team and you may be at risk of a penalty notice or prosecution.

School will also refer any child who is persistently late.

 

What is unauthorised absence?

Absence is not allowed for:

Holidays / Forgetting school dates / Oversleeping / A family member being ill / Siblings being ill

If your child has an appointment they must still attend school before or after the appointment, they should not miss a whole school day. School will only authorise the time for the appointment and travel time.

Remember, we will help and support you in any way we can to help your child attend school regularly and on time!

If your child attends school for less than 96% of the time it has been proven their education will be significantly affected.

 

Leave of Absence

A leave of absence will not be granted in term time unless there are exceptional reasons, irrespective of the child’s overall attendance. Only the Head Teacher may authorise such a request and all applications for a leave of absence must be made in writing/on a form provided by the school.

There are 175 non-school days during the year to spend on family time, visits, holidays, shopping, household jobs and other appointments. Days off school add up to lost learning.

Where a parent takes a leave of absence to which the application was refused or takes a leave of absence where no application was made, School will request a penalty notice to be issued by the Local Authority.  The penalty notice will be issued to each parent of the individual child.

The first time a referral is made for a Penalty Notice for term time leave or irregular attendance, the amount would be £160 per parent per child if paid within 28 days, reduced to £80 per parent per child if paid within 21 days.

The second time a referral is made for a Penalty Notice, the amount would be £160 per parent per child, with no provision for reduction.

The third time a referral is made for a Penalty Notice for term time leave or irregular attendance, a Penalty Notice will not be issued and the case presented straight to Magistrates’ Court.

Any legal proceedings would relate to section 444 or 444(1A) of the Education Act 1996. Magistrates’ fines can be up to £2500 per parent per child, and cases found guilty in Magistrates’ Court can show on the parents future DBS certificate due to a ‘failure to safeguard a child’s education’.

Why does attendance matter?

Attending school on a regular basis is the key to your child doing well at school and will set them up with good habits for later in life and the working world.  St Ann’s Well Academy is a fantastic school offering your child many exciting opportunities and experiences to enhance their learning – miss a day and miss out!

It will also give your child the opportunity to:

  • Make lots of friends and feel included
  • Learn new things and develop many skills
  • Increase self-confidence and self esteem
  • Improve social skills
  • Achieve their potential and fulfil their aspirations.

If your child is absent from school you must notify us:

Phone the school office by 9:30am to tell us why they are away or send a text or Class Dojo message. Please provide medical evidence if you have been to the doctor (appointment card or show the prescription at the school office). If school do not receive a reason for the absence then our Attendance Officer may visit you at home.

If it is impossible to phone then please ensure that you bring in a written note as soon as possible.

School Phone Number:  0115 915 5808

If your child is away and we don’t know why we will contact you immediately and may come out to visit you at home.

Miss School, Miss Out!

Punctuality Matters too!

Being frequently late for school adds up to lost learning.

Arriving 5 minutes late every day adds up to over 3 days lost a year
Arriving 15 minutes late every day is the same as being absent for 2 weeks a year
Arriving 30 Minutes Late every day is the same as being absent for 19 days a year.