Attendance

Promoting Excellent Attendance at Ribble Drive

At Ribble Drive all children are expected to come to school on time. We aim for each child having at least 97% for good attendance. It is so important that your child gets to school on time and attends regularly. If your child is persistently late or absent from school it does impact on their learning.

Levels of Punctuality and what this Means

         5 Minutes Late Each Day                         3 Total Days Lost of School

          10 Minutes Late Each Day                         6.5 Total Days Lost of School

15 Minutes Late Each Day                         10 Days Lost of School

20 Minutes Late Each Day                         13 Days Lost of School

30 Minutes Late Each Day                         19 Days Lost of School

Attendance affects learning

Attendance affects future outcomes

Attendance affects wellbeing and a sense of belonging

Holiday or other requested leave of absence

Children should attend school every day so that they make the most of the education available to them. We understand that there may be occasions when a child is unwell and is not able to come in to school, but this should be kept to a minimum.

By law, parents and carers of children registered at school are responsible for ensuring that their children attend school regularly. If they fail to do this they are guilty of an offence and may be given a penalty notice or prosecuted under section 444 of the Education Act 1996.

Parents and carers must avoid taking their children out of school during term time.

Authorisation for absence will not be given for absence during term time. Holidays should be taken during the school breaks and not during term time. However, in exceptional circumstances, permission may be given by the Headteacher.

What are exceptional circumstances?

It is the decision of the Headteacher as to what might constitute exceptional circumstances and each request for term time leave will be considered on an individual basis.

Exceptional leave is NOT:

• Availability of cheap flights and/or holidays
• Availability of desired accommodation
• Parent/carer work commitments
• Poor weather experienced during school holiday periods
• Overlap with the beginning or end of term, half term.

Exceptional leave MAY be:

• Grandparent or other close relative is seriously ill – and you must leave in an emergency
• Significant trauma in the family recently and a holiday will benefit the child – this must be backed up by a doctor’s letter
• A one-off, never to be repeated occasion that can only happen at that time, e.g. family wedding/funeral.

What if we decide to go anyway?

If the Headteacher has not authorised the leave, and your child is out of school for between half a day and 10 days then you may receive a minimum fine of £60 per parent per child. If your child remains out of school for more than 10 days then you risk losing your child’s place.

If the time out of school makes your child’s attendance drop below 90%, then they are known as ‘persistently absent’. Please don’t take your child out of school during term time, it disrupts your child’s learning and you risk financial penalties.

If we authorise your special leave.

If we do authorise a leave of absence under exceptional circumstances, you must understand the educational impact upon your child. Taking work with you on special leave is no substitute for classroom teaching.

Medical Appointments

• Parents are expected to make arrangements for medical and dental appointments outside of school hours, unless this is an emergency or a hospital appointment that would be difficult to change.

• Proof of all medical appointments are required. Please ensure an appointment card, text confirmation/reminder or hospital letter is shown to a member of the office team.