Why is good attendance important?
We place great emphasis on excellent attendance. To be successful at school and to take advantage of all the amazing opportunities and enrichment that the school can offer, your child should aim for 100% attendance.
In order to support your child in achieving 100% attendance, we request that whenever possible, medical appointments are made outside of the school day, as losing time during the school day will impact upon their overall attendance figure and also hinder their progress.
Attendance to school is vital in achieving true potential. 1/2 a missed day per week equates to one grade lower at GCSE across all subjects –this is a proven fact.
Our school target is 97% which mean to achieve this, all pupils must have an attendance of at least 97%.
Absences
If your child is too ill to attend school, we ask that you contact school on the first day of absence wherever possible before 8.35am on 01744 678 030 or send a message via Class Charts. We ask to receive daily updates from parents/carers until the child returns to school. If we do not receive an explanation for an absence, the parents/carers will be contacted via Class Charts and/or by phone requesting a reason for the absence. Until we have been updated, it will be recorded as Unauthorised.
If your child’s attendance is below the Cowley target of 97%, you may also receive a home visit from a Family Liaison Officer.
Requesting time out of school during term-time
By law, you are legally responsible for ensuring your child receives full time education, and government legislation states that schools are unable to authorise any term time holidays as outlined below.
Parents can be fined for taking their child on holiday during term time without consent from the school (see the Education Penalty Notice Information Below). There will be gaps in your child’s learning and education, that will impact upon their progress in the long term, making it difficult for them to catch up on work when they return.
The school closes for 70 days during the year, providing plenty of opportunities for holidays to be taken when it has the least impact upon your child’s education. Any parent wanting to take a holiday during term time should apply in writing to the Principal, Mr Cormack. Each application will be considered on an individual basis and you will be informed by letter, of the outcome.
However, we should inform you that it is highly unusual for leave of absence to be granted for holidays during term time. Any holiday or leave from school, taken without the Principal’s permission, will be unauthorized and legal action may be sought from the Local Authority.
Holiday Request Letter
Education Penalty Notice
Please be aware that we will not authorise holidays in school time and if necessary, we will issue Fixed Penalty Notices. Take a look at our Penalty Notice letter link for more information: PenaltyNoticeWarning 23
In severe cases, we will monitor attendance over a 6 week period; if attendance does not improve we would refer to the Educational Welfare Service with a view to prosecuting.
