Beaumont Leys



Attendance

** Attendance Policy **

Attendance – guidance for parents and carers  

We are committed to ensuring that all students have access to a high quality educational experience which allows them to fulfil their potential. Attendance to school is a legal requirement and important to a student’s success. We consider 96% to be a satisfactory level of attendance for students.

Why is good school attendance important?

There is a clear link between poor attendance at school and lower academic achievement. If students are not in lessons, they are not learning!

Research carried out by the Department of Education has shown that attendance is the most significant factor impacting on student attainment:

  • Nationally, students with attendance over 96% achieve on average a whole grade better in their GCSE exams.
  • Students who exceed their target grades all have attendance over 96%.
  • The highest achieving students have the highest attendance.
  • Nationally, 93% of students gaining 5 or more A – C grades, had less than 8 absences.
  • But, only 21% of students with 20 or more absences achieved 5 or more A – C grades.

How can you help?

  • Do not allow your child to be absent unless it is unavoidable.
  • Arrange for medical and dental appointments outside of school hours.
  • Ring and inform the school on their first day of absence on: 0116 2344480

Pupils are required by law to attend school for 190 days each year.

Attendance during one school year

Equals days absent

Which is approximately weeks absent

Which means this number of lessons missed

95%

9 Days

2 Weeks

45 Lessons

90%

19 Days

4 Weeks

95 Lessons

85%

29 Days

6 Weeks

145 Lessons

80%

38 Days

8 Weeks

190   Lessons

75%

48 Days

10 Weeks

240 Lessons

70%

57 Days

11.5 Weeks

285   Lessons

65%

67 Days

13.5 Weeks

335 Lessons


What does the law say?

By law, all children of compulsory school age (between 5 and 16) must receive a suitable full time education. As a parent, you are responsible for making sure this happens, either by registering your child at school or by making other arrangements which provide a suitable full time education.

Once your child is registered at school, you are responsible for making sure they attend regularly. If your child fails to attend regularly, even if they miss school without you knowing, the Local Authority may take legal action against you.

The Local Authority is responsible for making sure both schools and parents are fulfilling their responsibilities. Parents are responsible for making sure that their child regularly attends school or any alternative provision arranged for them. Working alongside the Local Authority, the school is responsible for ensuring that the appropriate action is taken when a child is not attending school regularly.

What happens if your child does not attend school regularly?

At Beaumont Leys School, we are responsible, by law, for reporting poor attendance to the Local Authority. As a parent, you are committing an offence if you fail to make sure that your child attends school regularly, even if they are missing from school without your knowledge. You run the risk of being issued with a penalty notice or being taken to court.

Holidays

We DO NOT authorise holidays during term time. Parents wishing to take their child away on holiday should do so during the school holidays.

Any holidays taken in term time may be liable to a Fixed Penalty Fine of £60 per child per parent.

Applications for leave of absence guidelines:

Beaumont Leys School is very reluctant for a student to miss any part of their education.

In line with the Government guidance, the Headteacher and its governors are unable to authorise any term time absence, unless our view is that there are exceptional circumstances.

If permission is granted, photocopies of airline travel tickets will be requires by the school office before you travel. It your request has been agreed, failure to provide this information will mean that the request is no longer agreed and your child’s absence will be classed as unauthorised.

We may also request copies of other travel related documents from you. We will advise you if this is the case. Where we do not receive copies of documents requested, this is likely to mean that we will not authorise some or all of any absence your child has in relation to the request.

If permission is granted, students must ensure that they are up to date with their school work before they leave and in addition, it will be your responsibility to ensure that your child makes up any missed work in their own time upon return.

The decision made by the school is final.

Application Form for Requesting Student Leave of Absence

What about authorised absence?

There may be times when your child has to miss school because they are ill. This is to be expected and for the occasional day off sick, you should follow the school’s procedures for notifying illness, children may also need to attend a medical or dental appointment in school time. However, you should try and make routine appointments such as dental check-ups outside of school hours.

Seeking medical evidence

When a parent or carer contacts the school, it is reasonable for the school to ask the nature of the illness; ask for the expected length of absence and to make arrangements for the parent/carer to keep school staff fully informed of any developments. Schools have the right to address recurring periods of absence which are explained as illness, and to request supporting medical evidence.

Persistent Absent students (PA)

The definition of a PA student is now any student who misses 10% or more of their education.

If your child’s attendance drops below 90% they become classified as a Persistent Absentee. This will automatically result in the Educational Welfare Service being involved and action being taken. To avoid this from happening it is absolutely essential that your child’s attendance remains above 95%.

Punctuality

Students are expected in school by 8:35am and ready to learn by 8:40am.

Whilst we understand that on certain occasions lateness cannot be helped, we ask that persistent lateness is avoided. We find that attending school and being on time supports students in making great progress.

Furthermore, it can be very unsettling for students if they are late into their classes as they may miss the register, vital instructions or information.

Students who are late will be given an after school detention that day which will last for half an hour. Parents will receive a text message from the school advising them that their child has the detention. It will be the responsibility of your child to attend the detention and non-attendance will result in a one hour detention the following day. Students who are persistently late will be issued with 1 hour detentions.

Please ensure that your contact details are kept up to date at all times so that you can receive this information.

The school is committed to ensuring all our students achieve their full potential. Our pastoral team work hard to monitor the attendance of each individual student and provide support and guidance were necessary. Equally, as a parent/carer, it is your responsibility to ensure that your child’s attendance remains above 95%.

Mr A York

Deputy Headteacher