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Danesholme Infant Academy

Attendance

At Danesholme Infant Academy we recognise that attending school on time has a positive impact on learning, every lesson really does count for your child. Therefore we must ensure that attendance and punctuality are the highest they possibly can be in order to prepare our children for their future adult life.

Good attendance is linked to achievement, better relationships with other children and better overall behaviour in school. Children can quickly fall behind if even on day is missed.

In-line with the Local Authority guidelines we expect a minimum of 96% attendance.

The Legalities of Term Time Absence

  • All absences must be recorded.
  • All absences are either authorised or unauthorised.

Examples of authorised absence:

  1. Genuine illness
  2. Days of religious observance specified in advance
  3. Exceptional family circumstances eg bereavement
  4. Approved sporting activity
  5. Medical Appointments – evidence to be provided

Examples of unauthorised absence:

  1. Frequent absence due to minor ailments
  2. Shopping during school hours
  3. Looking after siblings of sick parents or carers
  4. Birthdays
  5. Day trips
  6. Holidays
  7. Arriving late for school after the close of register

Parents have a legal responsibility to ensure that their child is not late for school.

School start 8.45 am

Minutes late per day

Equivalent of missing

5 Minutes

3.4 school days a year

10 Minutes

6.9 school days a year

15 Minutes

10.3 school days a year

20 Minutes

13.8 school days a year

30 Minutes

20.7 school days a year

Absences Including Term Time Holidays

We actively discourage term-time holidays and would ask that you should only book future holidays within the school holiday times. From September 2013 the Department of Education has tightened attendance guidelines, so that any child who takes 5 or more days for unauthorised reasons including holidays is now referred on and could be fined £60 per leave period per adult per child. We understand that it can be difficult for some families to take holidays within school holiday time but we are required by law to follow this guidance.  

Monitoring Attendance

At the end of every term we monitor attendance for each child. If your child falls below 95% that term we will notify you in writing that we are concerned about their attendance. If your child's attendance falls below 90% then you will be put on a monitoring schedule with our Attendance Officer and Family Support Worker. This will involve a meeting and then monitoring for a period of at least 4 weeks where attendance needs to be significantly improved.