Introduction

Regular school attendance has always been important. Without it the efforts of the best teachers and the best schools will come to nothing. Education provides a means of advancement for all young people. Pupils need to attend regularly if they are to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available to them in law. Irregular attendance undermines the educational process and leads to educational disadvantage. It places children at risk and in some cases it can result in pupils being drawn into patterns of anti-social or criminal behaviour.

Partnership between Parents & School

Under section 36 the Education Act 1994, parents of children of compulsory school age are required to ensure that they receive efficient full-time education and risk prosecution if they fail in this duty. (Section 199 of the Education Act 1993). You as parents are thus primarily responsible for ensuring that children attend, and stay at school. It is the responsibility of the school to support attendance and to take seriously problems which may lead to non-attendance.  The Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 gave new powers to schools to tackle the issue of poor attendance; one new provision included the issuing of Penalty Notices.  This means that for pupils with unauthorised absence i.e. any absence that the school has not given permission for, their parents may be subject to an “on the spot” fine of £50 - £100.

Penalty Notices will be issued as a deterrent to prevent a pattern of unauthorised absence developing. They will be issued by post to the pupil’s home address after one simple warning. They are also likely to be issued in cases where children are found out of school during Truancy Patrols (including cases where the pupil is accompanied by an adult), where excessive holidays are taken during term time without the express permission of the Head Teacher and where children are persistently late after the register has closed.

The Education and Inspections Act 2006 (Part 7 Sections 97, 98 and 99) permits Parenting Contracts and Orders to be used as an earlier intervention when poor behaviour first begins to be displayed and before it has been necessary to resort to exclusion. Additionally the Act allows School Governing Bodies to make their own applications to the Courts for Parenting Orders.

A Parenting Contract is a two-way, formal written agreement between a parent/carer and the head teacher (delegated from the governing body).

As parents you should ensure that your daughter arrives at school on time, properly attired and in a condition to learn. Furthermore, you need to see yourselves as partners with us in the education of your child. This means instilling in her a respect for education and for those who deliver it and ensuring that she completes homework on time. As parents should also impress upon your daughter the need to observe schools' codes of conduct and reinforce this through discipline in the home.

It is parents' responsibility to inform the school of the reason for a child's absence as soon as possible -parental contact on the first day of absence is the normal expectation and to provide such further information as may be required. Where a child is ill the school should be notified of the nature of the illness and, when this can be predicted, the date the child is expected to be able to resume her studies.

Parental Notes 

Only the school, within the context of the law, can approve absence, not parents. The fact that you have offered a note in relation to a particular absence does not, of itself, oblige the school to accept it if the school does not accept the explanation offered as a valid reason for absence. Where parentally -condoned unjustified absence appears to be a problem in relation to a particular pupil, the school will involve the Education Welfare Service at an early opportunity.

Excessive amounts of authorised absence can also seriously disrupt continuity of learning and encourage disaffection. We may authorise absence retrospectively where we are satisfied as to the explanation offered. Absences of pupils of compulsory school age without valid reason or for which no explanation has been provided must be treated as unauthorised.

Leave for medical or dental appointment may be given (i.e. the absence may be authorised) where confirmation has been received from the parent or on production of an appointment card. Where a pupil is present for registration but then has to attend an appointment, the school need take no action beyond recording the fact that (for purposes of emergency evacuation) the pupil, although registered, is not physically present. Similarly, the school must note the presence of a pupil (again for purposes of emergency evacuation) who was not there when the register was being taken but returns later from an appointment. A book is maintained by Reception for the purpose of recording pupils leaving or returning to the site.

Lateness

The school day for Years 7 -11;

8.20 to 3.10 Monday to Thursday

8.20 to 2.10 Friday

We at Fidelis actively discourage late arrival. A pupil arriving late may seriously disrupt her continuity of learning and also that of others. 

Where pupils miss registration (8.20-8.35 am or 1.50-2.10 pm) altogether and fail to provide an adequate explanation, they should be marked as unauthorised absence for that session.  When a pupil arrives late in school (after the register has closed) more than 5 times in any half term period a Penalty Notice may be issued.

If a pupil has received three late stamps she will receive a detention for half an hour. If she persistently fails to arrive on time without a valid reason an early meeting with her parents will be arranged.

Family Holidays and Extended Trips Overseas during Term Time. 

Under regulation 12 of the Education (Schools and Further Education) Regulations 1981, there is a discretionary power for leave to be granted for the purpose of an annual family holiday or an annual holiday during term time.  Only in exceptional circumstance may the amount of leave granted exceed (in total) more than two weeks in any year. No parent can demand leave of absence for the purpose of a holiday as of right.

The reference to exceptional circumstances means that the parent must make out a case for taking the child away from School for more than two weeks of the School term. This means that the parent has to show why his or her child should be treated differently from the norm.

Where parents take the child away without permission or fail to apply for permission in advance of the holiday and instead seek retrospective approval on their return, these absences will be treated as unauthorised and a £50 Penalty Notice will be issued.

Days of Religious Observance

Participation in a day set aside exclusively for religious observance by the religious body to which the parent belong. Such absences are classified as authorised absence. It is obviously helpful if parents or pupils can give schools advance notice of religious observance days.

Interviews

Where a pupil attends an interview with either a prospective employer or in connection with an application for a place at an institution of further or higher education and misses morning or afternoon registration, the school has discretion to authorise the absence. The School would normally expect advance notification and proof of the appointment e.g. a letter of invitation.

Work Experience

Regulation 11 of the Education (School and Further Education) Regulations 1981 provides that leave of absence from school may be granted to enable a pupil to undertake work experience or to participate in approved public performances.

Where a pupil is engaged on work experience as part of an approved scheme, the absence may be authorised It should, however, be impressed on the pupil that he or she will be required to attend work regularly according to the scheme agreed and to arrive on time.

Arrangements have been made for employers to report absences. If a pupil is found to be absent from the work experience location without good reason, the absence should be treated as unauthorised. Similar considerations apply to performances.

Study Leave

Pupils should gain a maximum of practice in examination technique. From experience we know that GCSE girls are mostly too immature intellectually to revise unguided by their teachers, even for one day. Therefore pupils should attend school every day except on the day immediately before a public examination.

During the month of June when examinations take place in most subjects the teachers are available with their knowledge and experience to assist pupils with their revision on any day when they are not sitting for a particular examination. It would be irresponsible of them not to avail themselves of this opportunity.

Pupils should be reminded as insistently as possible, of the advantages offered and of their duty to themselves and to their Parents to accept these.

Illness, medical and dental appointments	Missing registration for a medical or dental appointment is authorised absence. Pupils should be encouraged to make appointments out of school hours. Sight of an appointment card is advisable if a pupil is an irregular attender. If a pupil is present for registration but has a medical appointment later, or returns home because of illness, no absence need be recorded for that session. Schools should keep a record of pupils leaving or returning to site in case of an emergency. If the authenticity of illness is in doubt, schools and EWOs can consult the School Health Service, or the pupil's GP. A pupil receiving medical treatment on site should be marked 'present'.
Days of religious observance	Absence to take part in any day set aside exclusively for religious observance by the religious body to which the parents belong, including religious festivals. Parents should be encouraged to give advance notice.
Interviews with prospective employers, or for a place at another school (including entrance examinations)	School staff should normally ask for advance notice and proof of the appointment, e.g. a letter of invitation. If the interview takes place during Year 11 and the school is satisfied that it is linked to future education or employment prospects, absence can be recorded as 'approved educational activity'.
Study leave	Study leave should be used sparingly and only for Year 11 pupils doing mock and public examinations. Study leave should not normally 'exceed 15 school days during Year 11. If possible the period of study leave should be less than the examination period. Regard should also be paid to the individual pupil's ability to manage study leave and benefit from it. Unsupervised study leave is not an 'approved educational activity'. It is authorised absence.
Dual Registration involving Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) or special schools	The law allows for dual registration of pupils at both a PRU or special school and another local school. This helps, for example, to ease a phased return to mainstream education. Where a pupil is dually registered at institution X and Y, institution X makes the pupil authorised absent while they are attending institution Y and vice-versa. Both institutions share responsibility for the child. Failure to attend either institution at the proper time without good reason is unauthorised absence
Family holidays during term-time	Parents should not normally take pupils on holidays in term. Each request for holiday absence should be considered individually, taking account of: the age of the child; the time of year proposed for the trip; its nature and parental wishes; the overall attendance pattern of the pupil; the child's stage of education and progress. If a school does not agree absence and the pupil goes on holiday, absence is unauthorised. If parents keep a child away for longer than was agreed, any extra time is recorded as unauthorised. Schools may delete from roll a pupil who fails to return within 10 school days of the agreed return date unless there is a good reason for the continued absence, such as illness. Schools should only, exceptionally, agree absence of more than 10 school days in a school year (and should not regard 10 days as the norm).
Exclusion	A pupil excluded for a fixed period remains on roll and the absence should be treated as authorised as it results from a decision taken by the school. Similarly, the absence of a permanently excluded pupil is treated as authorised while any review or appeal is in progress. If a permanent exclusion is conformed, the pupil's name should be removed from the school roll on the school day either: after the appeal committee's confirmation of permanent exclusion; or an expiry of the time allowed for appeals to be made; or, if before that, the pupil takes up a place elsewhere. Meanwhile absence should be recorded as authorised. Teachers are responsible for setting work for an excluded pupil who remains on the school roll.
Traveller child when the family is travelling	To help ensure continuity of learning for Traveller children, dual registration is allowed. This means that a school cannot remove a Traveller child from the school roll while they are travelling. While the Traveller is away, the base school holds the place open and records absence as authorised. Distance learning packs for Traveller children are not an alternative to attendance at school.
Family bereavements, or child caring for a sick or disabled family member (young carers)	Schools should respond sensitively to requests to attend funerals or associated events and have discretion to authorise such absences. Similarly, schools may authorise limited duration absence for young carers until other arrangements can be made (see also Section 3 of the Circular).
Special occasions	Schools should consider each request individually. Only exceptional - occasions warrant leave of absence. For example, attending the wedding of a family member would be acceptable, but a day's absence for a birthday or a shopping trip in school hours would not. Schools should consider: the nature of the event; its frequency (is it a one-off; or likely to become a regular occurrence?); whether the parent gave advance notice; the pupil's overall attendance pattern.

 

 

Public performances	The Local Authority must licence a pupil to take part in a public performance. Agreed participation should be treated as authorised absence.
Birth of a child	Support should be directed to keeping the pupil in school wherever possible, and to her return to full-time education as soon as possible after the birth. A pupil who becomes pregnant should be allowed no more than 18 weeks' authorised absence to cover the time immediately before and after the birth of the child. After that time, any absence should be treated as unauthorised.
Lateness	Schools should actively discourage late arrival and be alert to patterns of late arrival which could provide grounds for prosecution. Schools should have a policy on how long registers should be kept open. Thirty minutes from the beginning of registration would be reasonable, but schools can set shorter periods. In circumstances such as bad weather or public transport difficulties, schools may keep the register open for a longer period.

This policy is published on the school website, a copy is available from reception with an abridged version included in the homework diary.

Last Amended Jan 2008