Attendance and Absence

School Day

 

Regular attendance at school is compulsory and gives children continuity in their learning. It can be really tricky to catch up on missed learning due to absence and often children will feel anxious about this. Did you know that if your child has attendance of 90% they are on track to miss approximately 20 school days/4 weeks during the year? Over four years, that is more than a term out of school!

Christchurch Junior School expects good and punctual attendance from its pupils, in order for them to make the most of the opportunities the school has to offer. We rely on our partnership with parents and carers to make sure this is achieved. If you would like to check in to see how you child is doing please log into the Arbor portal to view your child’s attendance.

As a school our aim is for all children to attend daily and arrive on time. Our expected level of attendance is 100%.

However, we understand your child may be unwell and will need to stay home. If this is the case we ask that parents notify school of all absences on the first day with a verbal or phone message which will be recorded on the electronic register.

If the absence lasts for more than one day, office staff with advise after the first day of absence as to whether you need to make contact on subsequent days of your child’s absence.

Any absence which is known in advance, such as a medical appointment, should be notified to the school in writing beforehand; this can include a copy of an appointment letter.

If we have not heard from you, we will telephone you on the first day of absence before 10am. If you do not report your child’s absence then this may be recorded as an unauthorised absence.

As a school we a committed to supporting children and families to ensure we remove barriers to attendance. If you need any support, or have questions, please contact the school office.

Attendance is monitored regularly throughout the school year. If a child’s attendance is not regular or falls below the acceptable level, the school will follow the Twynham Learning attendance policy.

If a child’s attendance is below an expected level, the following may apply.

• Stage 1 – you will receive a letter highlighting low attendance of your child, advising that attendance levels will be monitored.
• Stage 2 – inviting parent/carer to discuss attendance.
• Stage 3 – referring the attendance concern to the BCP Inclusion Team.

The school will always look to work with families to identify ways to improve attendance, where relevant.

Leave of Absence in Exceptional Circumstances

Headteachers can only authorise leave from school where there are exceptional circumstances.

Holiday leave cannot be authorised. Forms requesting leave of absence may be obtained from the school office.

If you take your child out of school without permission the absence will be recorded as an unauthorised leave of absence, which may result in a request being made to the Local Education Authority to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice.

The School’s Attendance Team monitors the attendance levels of all children and works with the local authority to promote good attendance. In some cases of irregular attendance, unauthorised time out of school for 5 days or more, the school will request the issuing of Fixed Penalty Notice fine. Fines are paid to BCP and do not financially benefit our school.