School Attendance at Stanbridge Primary School...

Parents and Carers have a legal duty to ensure that their children of compulsory school age attend school every day. It is also vital that they encourage their child's regular and punctual attendance at school. It is important that everyone works together to help children obtain the best possible start in life with a good education.

The Local Authority is responsible for making sure that parents/carers fulfil their responsibilities. Parents/Carers should work in partnership with the school, notifying the school of the reason for any of their child’s absences and highlighting any areas of concern they may have so they can be addressed promptly.

• Attending school every day = 100% attendance.
• Attending 4 ½ days a week = 90% attendance = 4 weeks missed per year
• Attending 4 days a week = 80% attendance = more than half a term missed per year or 2 full years missed over the course of their school career.
• Attending 3½ days each week = 70% attendance = more than a quarter of the school year missed.
• An average attendance of 80% or less across a child’s school career adds up to missing a whole 2 years from school.

Being late for school reduces learning time.

If your child is 5 minutes late every day they will miss three days of learning each year.

If your child is 15 minutes late every day they will miss is 2 weeks of learning each year.

The school target for attendance is 97%.

Make every minute count!

Absence requests

Full school attendance is vital for your child's educational progress.

The School and  Local Authority expect that all parents/carers ensure that their children attend school wherever possible and when this does not happen there is the possibility that non-attendance could lead to a fine and/or criminal conviction. Avoidable absences are disruptive for both the absent child and the rest of the class. Schools do not have to authorise any absences. Absence requests will be considered on an individual basis. Consideration will also be given to the effect the absence will have on the child's education.

There is no right of appeal over the decision of authorising / unauthorising an absence. It is important for parents/carers to complete the reason for absence section on the request form in reasonable detail. No details or just writing "family holiday" in this section will mean that the absence request will not be authorised. If you are requesting absence due to a family member returning or taking a break from deployment please include tour dates and location of deployment where possible.

When a child has a high rate of absence the local authority may take the option of investigating and subsequently fining parents.

Below is a form for requesting absence. These should be made with as much advance notice as possible (usually at least 4 school weeks).

Forms can be returned by hand to the school office or emailed to admin@stanbridgeprimary.org.uk. Paper copies are also available from the school office.