Illness and Attendance
Request for a leave of absence during term time
Parents should be aware that the law does not grant parents an automatic right to take their child out of school during term time. The Department for Education allows a Headteacher the discretion to consider authorising a leave of absence in term time only in “exceptional circumstances”.
If you choose to take your child out of school during term time, please complete a request for a leave of absence form and return to the school office, at least seven days before the start of the leave.
|
|
Request for leave absence during term time | [pdf 265KB] |
|
Good Attendance
The impact upon children’s education through lost learning is huge. We urge you to ensure that your child is in school and on time everyday to prevent anyone falling behind with their learning.
Persistent cases where poor attendance and punctuality do not improve can be considered to be neglect.
Government departments track school attendance figures. It is considered that attendance of 90% or below is persistent absence which will be closely monitored by school staff. Failing to improve on this 90% can lead to prosecution, which school want to help families avoid.
Coberley C of E School have a whole school attendance target which is 96.5%.
There are things you can do to improve your child’s attendance and avoid falling into the persistent absence category:
-
If your child is unwell and you are unsure whether to send them to school, contact the office to seek advice on 01242 870366
-
Avoid taking any holidays during term times
-
Keep up to date with what % attendance your child has so that you know if they are at risk of persistent absence (office staff will provide this for you)
-
Speak to school staff with any concerns.
-
Talk to your child about the importance of them being in school and let them know how important you feel it is.
The table below provides an example of the impact of lost learning through pupil absence:
|
attendance % over a school year |
Equal to number of days absent |
Converted to approximate weeks of absence |
Approximate number of lessons missed |
School Concern Level |
|
95% |
9.5 |
2 |
47.5 |
Pupil can catch up and still succeed |
|
90% |
19 |
4 |
95 |
Poor attendance - we are concerned |
|
80% |
38 |
8 |
190 |
Very poor attendance – we are very concerned |
|
70% |
57 |
12 |
285 |
Serious concerns |
So a child who has an absence % of 80% has missed 38 days of school and has missed 190 lessons.
Punctuality is also highly important. Pupils who arrive late to school are not only losing learning but also disrupting the learning of others as they arrive late for lessons. Pupils do not like being late into school and we witness how upsetting it can be for them. We want to prevent this.
The table below provides an example of the impact of lost learning through pupil lateness.
|
Number of minutes late per day over a school year |
Approximate equivalent number of days lost learning |
|
5 |
3 |
|
10 |
6.5 |
|
15 |
10 |
|
20 |
13 |
At Coberley, we publish attendance figures on Grade cards to enable transparent attendance figures for all children.
We want to help families get their child to school on time. Here are some things you can try:
-
Have everything you/your child needs for school prepared the night before
-
Ensure that your child goes to bed reasonably so they are not too tired to get up in the morning
-
Ensure your child has a good night’s sleep by minimising their use of devices at bed time.
-
Have a consistent bedtime routine for your child
-
Set an alarm to allow plenty of time for your morning routine in getting to school on time
-
Bring your child to breakfast club (8am – 8.30am)
|
|
School Attendance Information | [pdf 236KB] |
|