Every school day counts

Expectations

We expect all pupils to attend school every day in order to achieve their full potential. Pupils who do not attend school each day are at risk of falling behind in all areas of their education, including academic, social, emotional and physical well-being.

Attendance at school is very important and research shows that missing school, even for a day, can mean a child is less likely to achieve the grades that they are capable of, which can have a damaging effect on their life chances. At Hippings Methodist Primary School we encourage all pupils to strive for 100% attendance; every day and every lesson counts.

Our aim is to work with parents and carers to ensure that all pupils receive the most from their education and reach their full potential. It is the parents legal responsibility to ensure that their child attends school regularly and on time. All schools must follow the Department for Education guidance regarding attendance.

Types of Absence

Each absence is classed as either authorised or unauthorised. Absences are coded as authorised where a proven valid reason is given. Unauthorised absence codes are used where no explanation is given or an unacceptable reason is given.

Unacceptable reasons: The following reasons are NOT acceptable

• Shopping trips
• Care for family members
• Day trips out to theme parks or to attend a concert or show
• Parents/ carers work commitments
• No one to bring the pupil to school due to illness of a parent/ carer
• Holidays taken in term time (including long weekends where either a Friday or Monday is taken for travel)
• Parental illness

Unauthorised absences will be referred to Lancashire County Council Attendance Team

Pupil’s Illness

If your child is unable to attend school due to illness you should inform school by leaving a message on the school Absence line before 8.45am stating name of child, class, reason for absence and expected return date. If you cannot get through by phone an email to head@hippings.lancs.sch.uk and bursar@hippings.lancs.sch.uk  will be accepted DO NOT USE SEESAW or the CLASS TEACHER’S EMAIL .

A new message should be left for every day of the child’s absence. If you do not supply this information we have a duty to contact you for safeguarding reasons so that we are aware of your child’s whereabouts.

Where we have concerns regarding over excessive patterns of absence through illness we will need to discuss this with parents in order to gain a better understanding of the problems and to offer support - for example, by involving the School Nurses Team.

Medical /Dental Appointments

It is advisable to arrange these outside of school time, but we understand that this is not always possible. Where pupils need to attend such appointments during the school day, an appointment letter must be shown to the office staff in advance of the appointment. Parents must inform the office of who will be collecting the child, at what time and whether they will be returning to school. Pupils must be collected from and return to the school office and MUST be signed out and in by the named adult.

Lateness

Please ensure that your child arrives at school at 8.45 am so that they are present for registration. Lateness causes problems including missed social interaction with friends, problems with lunches, toast numbers and also missed instructions from the teacher regarding lessons and events that day which can lead to anxiety.

Holidays in term time

School cannot authorise holidays during term time. The only exception to this is where a parent serves in the armed forces and are given set leave of absence (This does not include emergency services). If a holiday is taken during term time this has to be reported to Lancashire County Council Attendance team where a fine may be allocated.

Attendance expectations

The government expects that all pupils should achieve at least 95% attendance every year. Anything below this will be closely monitored:

96% and above: very good and excellent

95%:                     average attendance. Government expectation

94%:                    poor

90%:                    Very poor

85%:                    Serious cause for concern. Persistent absentee

 

Traffic Light Attendance Letters are sent out in the Autumn and Spring Term. These explain where your child’s attendance is and give you the opportunity to improve it. Phone calls and meetings will also be arranged throughout the school year if your child’s attendance falls below 94%. If the attendance does not improve after these meetings then you will be referred to the Pupil Attendance Service Team(PAST) for support.

We have a duty of care, shared with the local authority to challenge poor attendance.

100% Attendance	0 Days Missed = Excellent	Gives your child the best chance of success and gets them off to a flying star in life.
95% Attendance	9 Days of Absence	Satisfactory - 1 week and 4 Days of Learning Missed
90% Attendance	19 Days of Absence 3 Weeks and 4 Days of Learning Missed	Poor- 3 weeks and 4 days of learning missed. Makes progress much more difficult
85% Attendance	27 Days of Absence 5 Weeks and 3 Days of Learning Missed	Very Poor - persistent absentee- 5 weeks and 3 days of learning missed. Almost half a term of missed learning which has serious implications on progress
80% Attendance	36 Days of Absence 7 Weeks and 3 Days of Learning Missed	Unacceptable - Half a term of missed learning
75% Attendance	45 Days of Absence 9 Weeks and 1 Day of Learning Missed	Unacceptable- Almost a whole term of missed learning

Every Minute Counts

If you arrive late to school every day your learning begins to suffer. The table below shows how being a couple of minutes late every day over a school year adds up to lost learning time.

5 minutes late	Equivalent to 1 day of lost learning over a year
10 minutes late	Equivalent to 6.5 days of lost learning over a year
15 minutes late	Equivalent to 10 days of lost learning over a year
20 minutes late	Equivalent to 13 days of lost learning over a year
30 minutes late	Equivalent to 19 days of lost learning over a year

Make every day count!

As a family we do our best with God in our hearts

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me: Philippians 4 verse 13

Attendance Information