Introduction
At Liden Academy we want our students to be in school learning and striving for success. We are committed to providing an education of the highest quality for all children and we recognise this can only be achieved by supporting and promoting excellent school attendance for all.
The Principal and governors set a target of 96% attendance for the school and monitor this closely for every child. If a pupil’s attendance falls below 95% this is considered a cause for concern. Whilst some absence from school is unavoidable, it is vital that all pupils strive to be in school every day.
Why Attendance Matters
Research has shown that regular attendance and good punctuality are crucial factors in pupils achieving their full potential in education. For this reason, if a child is absent, we work closely with families to encourage attendance to be as high as possible as parental support is absolutely crucial.
Department of Education statistics show that of pupils who missed between 10% and 20% of school, only 35% manage to go on to achieve five good GCSE’s. This compares with 73% of pupils with over 95% attendance.
Please help the school maintain our record by ensuring your child is in school on time, see below.
Registration Times
School – Morning – 8:55 to 9:00 School – Afternoon – 13:00 to 13:05
Nursery – Morning – 9:05 to 9:15 Nursery – Afternoon – 12:05 to 12:15
Please also help avoid unnecessary absences. This includes booking appointments for the dentist, doctor or opticians outside of schooling hours wherever possible. If you have no alternative, please provide your appointment card/letter/email to the school office.
It is very unlikely that a request for an absence due to holiday in term time would be authorised. Unauthorised absences of 10 or more sessions must be reported to the Education Welfare Officer. They may issue a fine (£60 per child, per parent). Absence from school without request is counted as unauthorised absence.
Illness
If your child is going to be absent from school, please call the school office on 01793 531025, or email [email protected] by 8:50am on both the morning of their first day of absence, and on further absent days thereafter. If we do not receive notification about your child’s absence we will call you during their missed first session to enquire as to why your child is not in school. This is in line with recommended safeguarding procedures.
Sickness & diarrhoea – If your child has vomited, they should not return to school until 48 hours after their last bout of sickness or diarrhoea. This is in line with NHS recommendations and helps prevent the spread of infections through the school community.
There are a range of other conditions that cause children to be unwell. Please visit the following webpage for further information:
https://what0-18.nhs.uk/parentscarers/worried-your-child-unwell/child-unwell-ok-go-nurseryschool
Leave of Absence Requests
Absence requests for a session/particular event – The school’s policy is to follow Swindon Council’s guidance regarding holidays in term time. Mr Mason does not authorise requests for absence unless they are for unavoidable appointments, or for educational purposes such as music/ballet exams or arranged activities off site. An absence request form is available from the school office.
Absence requests for holidays – Only in special circumstances will holiday leave be authorised during term time.
Swindon Council’s statement regarding penalty notices for holidays taken in term time states, that if 10 or more school sessions (either continuous or aggregated) are taken for unauthorised holiday within a period of six months then the Education Welfare Service will issue a Fixed Penalty Notice. If a holiday is taken without informing the school, it is automatically reported to the EWS as unauthorised, however many days are taken. If exceptional circumstances appear to warrant a holiday in term time then applications should be made to the Principal on the Holiday Request form for consideration.
What is unauthorised absence from school?
Only the Principal can authorise a pupil’s absence from school. Unauthorised absence is when a pupil is absent from school when they should have been in school, or school have not been given a reason for the absence. Principals follow the Department for Education guidance when deciding whether absence is authorised or not – www.education.gov.uk.
Education Welfare Service – www.swindon.gov.uk
What happens if my child does not attend school regularly?
Your child’s school is responsible by law for reporting poor attendance to the Local Authority. If your child is not attending school regularly, an Education Welfare Officer may visit or write to you. Education Welfare Officers work with parents to address their child’s attendance difficulties. In Swindon the Education Welfare Service has the duty to consider legal action regarding unsatisfactory school attendance. It is the duty of a parent of a child of compulsory school age to secure their education by regular attendance at school or otherwise. If a parent fails to fulfil this duty imposed by the Education Act 1996, such a person commits a criminal offence.
The Local Education Authority has a duty to consider legal action against parents where their children have unauthorised absence from school. Prosecution in the Magistrate’s Court may be pursued, or the case could be put before the Family Proceedings Court where Education Supervisor Order maybe imposed or both. The maximum financial penalty for a parent of a child of compulsory school age under the Education Act 1996 is currently £2,500. Imprisonment for up to 3 months can also be considered. Some parents may be trying but finding it hard to get their children to attend school. The Education Welfare Service can be contacted during office hours for advice on school attendance.
FAQ’s
Is 90% attendance good? An attendance of 90% might seem good but is equal to four weeks of school missed over a school year.
What is poor attendance? Poor attendance is when a pupil is persistently absent from school. Persistent absence is defined by the government as any pupil who is absent 10% of the time over one school year. This means that any pupil with an attendance of 90% or less is defined as persistently absent.
What types of illess should lead to keeping my child off school? High temperature, diarrhoea and sickness. There are other illness than may necessitate absence from school. Refer to the weblink under Illnesses above.
I need to make a dental/doctor/optician appointment during school time – what should I do? If at all possible you should avoid making these appointments during school time, however, we do appreciate there are times when this is unavoidable. If it is necessary to book an appointment in school time, please inform the attendance office BEFORE the appointment by calling 01793 531025.
We have a day specifically set aside for a religious observance. What should I do? Please call the attendance officer o 01793 541025 BEFORE the observation, so that the necessary arrangements can be made.
My child is refusing to go to school. What should I do? Please contact the school office on 01793 531025 and we will put you in touch with the relevant person to assist you.