Attending school is very important. Your child must attend school every day. Children who are regularly absent from school miss out on opportunities which can affect their life-long chances.
Do you know what good attendance is? Good attendance is 96% and above. If your child drops to 90% that means they are missing 1/2 day of school per week. (Would your boss like you to be off work that much?)
How can I encourage attendance? Talk regularly about school with your child and how they feel about it. Only grant days at home for genuine illness (you will know) if they miraculously recover send them to school – better late than never! Avoid taking holidays in term time. Know the routines of the school day e.g. have they got their PE kit? Praise and reward good attendance. If there is a problem contact us we are here to help!
If your child is absent you must: Contact school on the first morning of absence. Keep school informed on a regular basis if your child is off for a long period. Failure to do these things may result in your child’s absences being unauthorised.
What if my child has a medical appointment? If it is possible, any appointment should be made out of school time. If this is not possible, your child should miss the minimum amount of school time necessary. If your child is well enough to go back to school following the appointment they should do so.
Please remember to contact us if your address or contact details have changed.
Help and support: If you need help with attendance you must talk to us as soon as possible. Sometimes if you don’t accept help or attendance does not improve, the Council may have to begin enforcement action.
Don’t let it get this far, act now!
