ATTENDANCE INFORMATION
We expect the highest level of attendance from all our students so they may develop their full potential during their time at school. Missing out on education has a significant effect on students’ life opportunities.
Everyone associated with the school – students, parents, all teaching and support staff and external agencies must do all in their power to ensure that excellent attendance and punctuality maintain an integral part of the school’s work.
Attendance Guidance for Parents/Carers
Key fact to remember – 90% attendance means that your child has missed 19 days (95 hours) of learning in 1 year. These students are very likely to drop at least ONE GCSE GRADE
Raise your child’s attendance – Raise their chances!
Full attendance maximises learning opportunities and parents/carers have a vital role in promoting good attitudes in attendance. We ask for support from parents/carers to:
• Ensure that their children are present at every opportunity
• Arrive on time
• Avoid allowing children to stay at home unnecessarily
• Avoid taking them out of school without authorisation.
Student attendance is closely monitored. We follow up all unexplained absence with parents/carers, by telephone, home visit or by letter. If we have concerns regarding your child’s attendance, we will contact you to arrange support. We expect all parents to work with us in a positive manner. Support may be in the form of:
• Telephone conversations
• Parent / carer meetings
• Attendance Action Plans
• Notice to Improve
• SEND support plans
• Early Helps
Reporting Absence
What to do if your child is ill:
If a child is too ill to attend school, parents/carers must contact the School’s Attendance Line as soon as possible.
Telephone on 01942 909009 and select Option 1 for Student Absence. The telephone system allows callers to leave a message 24 hours a day.
Please give your child’s name, Year Group, the reason for the absence, and how long you expect the absence to last. We ask that you contact us each day that your child is absent unless you have given us notification informing the length of the absence.
What to do if your child has an appointment:
Where possible, parents should make routine medical appointments out of school time. If this is not possible, we require advance notification. Please provide an appointment letter/card and a note from home indicating when they need to leave site. Your child should attend school before the appointment and return to the School straight after the appointment.
Automated texts to parents/carers:
We take our safeguarding responsibility seriously. If the Attendance Team has received no reason for absence, automated texts are made to the contact numbers of parents/carers. Texts are made on a daily basis, even where your child has been absent due to illness on previous days. We cannot assume that your child is still ill unless you have notified us. We would not wish to put your child at risk by failing to contact you.
If parents do not contact school regarding absence, a home visit may be conducted by our Attendance Officer or pastoral team. This is due to possible safeguarding concerns.
Punctuality
All students are expected to arrive to school on time and be ready and punctual to lessons. This is a minimum expectation. Students should arrive before 8.25am. Students are expected to be in registration by 8.30am ready to start learning. Any student arriving late must sign in at the Attendance Office. After 8.30am, students will be marked as late and may receive an afterschool detention (if late more than once within a week). Parents of students who are persistently late to school will be invited into school to discuss ways of improving your child’s punctuality.
Holidays in term time
We do not authorise holidays during term time.
IMPORTANT CHANGES TO THE LAW REGARDING PENALTY NOTICES FOR UNAUTHORISED ABSENCE FROM SCHOOL
A new National Framework for Penalty Notices for school absence, including unauthorised holiday absence, is being introduced following changes to the law. These new Government regulations will come into effect from 19 August 2024, and we wanted to bring this to your attention now, as it will affect when penalty notices are issued in Wigan.
In line with the Working together to improve school attendance (applies from 19 August 2024) (publishing.service.gov.uk), Wigan Council will prioritise the ‘support first’ approach expecting that support will have been offered to families in cases where it is appropriate, and parents/carers are encouraged to communicate with the school should any support be required to improve attendance.
Penalty Notices are requested by schools and academies and issued by the Local Authority to the parents/carers of statutory school age children, per parent, per child. For example: two children in a family absent from school for a leave of absence may result in each parent receiving a Penalty Notice for each child at the below rates.
What are the changes?
1. There will be a new national threshold of 10 unauthorised sessions for any reason (equivalent to 5 school days) within a rolling 10 school week period for when a penalty notice must be considered.
2. The new rules mean you will no longer be able to take your child out of school for one week’s holiday
without a penalty notice being issued.
3. There will be an increase in the penalty fine from £60 to £80 if paid in 21 days. If the fine is not paid by the first 21 days, it will rise to £160 if paid within 28 days of being issued.
4. If a second penalty fine is issued to the same parent for the same child within a 3-year rolling period, the fine will automatically rise to £160 with no option to pay the lower rate of £80.
5. If a parent then commits a third offence in a 3-year rolling period, the local authority will need to consider other enforcement options available to them.
We would like to thank parents and carers for their support in making sure that children do not miss any learning time.
FAQs
If I have already booked a holiday for next year, could I receive a penalty fine at the new higher rate?
Yes, if the absence has not been authorised by the Head Teacher of your child’s school. Remember, only
a Head Teacher can agree whether an absence can be authorised in exceptional circumstances.
Who can be issued with a penalty notice?
• Each parent can receive a fine for each child who has had unauthorised absence from school.
• In education law, anyone who lives with a child and who has day-to-day care of the child is also considered to be a parent whether they are the biological parent or not. For example, this will include step-parents and partners.
Do the new rules only apply to holidays during term time?
• No, it applies to all unauthorised absence from school including holidays. Unauthorised absence includes other absence that has not been agreed such as truancy, arriving late after the register has closed and failing to provide reasons for absence.
How do I request for my child to have leave granted during term time?
• You must submit an Absence Request form at least 20 days before the proposed absence. It will be for your child’s Head Teacher to decide as to whether there are exceptional circumstances that will allow them to grant the time off. Do not assume that the absence will be granted until you have received confirmation from the school.
Do the 10 sessions of unauthorised absence have to be taken all at the same time before a penalty fine is issued to the parent/carer ?
• No, a penalty fine can be issued for any combination of absences over a 10-week rolling period. They can be consecutive or non-consecutive and can span over two terms.
What happens if I am issued with a penalty fine and I don’t pay it?
• Unauthorised absence from school is an offence under s444 of the Education Act 1996. A penalty fine is an opportunity for you to settle out of court. If you don’t take this opportunity, you can be prosecuted for the offence of failing to ensure your child’s regular attendance.
What should I do if I am worried about my child’s attendance?
• In the first instance you should contact your child’s school and ask for advice on how they can support you to improve the situation.
Leave of absence for other reasons
Under the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006, a leave of absence may only be granted by the school (usually through the headteacher) in exceptional circumstances. Absence will not be authorised for reasons such as shopping for uniform, birthdays, day trips, etc. If parents/carers wish their child(ren) to be absent for other reasons, such as compassionate leave, special family events, or to participate in sporting or musical competitions etc, application should be made in writing, in advance where possible, or by telephone to the headteacher. It may be necessary for parents to apply for a performance license in such circumstances.
Prolonged periods of absence
If a child has a pre-longed period of absence, then a well-being meeting will be conducted by pastoral staff with both the parents and the child when the child returns to school. This is a supportive measure to ensure that the child feels supported when returning to school, and any concerns that the child may have can be addressed to enable a smooth reintegration into school.
Possible consequences of any unauthorised term time absences (see also ‘Wigan Council Education Penalty Notice Code of Conduct’)
Regular and punctual attendance at school is a legal requirement under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996. It is essential that parents maximise the educational opportunities available for their children and provide the best possible start in life.
An Education Penalty Notice warning is communicated to all parents at the beginning of the academic year and subsequently each term. An Education Penalty Notice may be issued following an Education Penalty Notice warning being sent.
School would request that the Local Authority issue an Education Penalty Notice if a child falls within one or more of these categories within a 10 week period;
• 10 sessions (5 days) of unauthorised absence
• Persistently lateness after the close of registration
• 10 sessions (5 days) of unauthorised term time holiday (see information above)
The Local Authority will consider issuing a Penalty Notice to each responsible parent.
Excluded pupils
Section 105 (1) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 empowers designated Local Authority Officers, Headteachers (and Deputy and Assistant Headteachers authorised by them) and the Police to issue penalty notices in cases where an excluded pupil is in a public place during school hours at any time during the first five days of any period of exclusion from school without justifiable cause.
If the pupil was subsequently to be found out in a public place again either during the same period of exclusion or during a further exclusion within the same academic year then a penalty notice may be issued.
Non-payment of a penalty notice issued where a parent allows an excluded pupil during the first five days of any period of exclusion to be present in a public place without justifiable cause may result in a prosecution under Section 103 (3) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006.
How to get help if your child is not attending regularly
We work closely with Wigan Council’s School Attendance Service and have an allocated Attendance Officer who visits school on a regular basis and monitors attendance of pupils with attendance concerns. Our Attendance Officer and Pastoral Guidance Officer will give you advice and support if you need help to improve your child’s school attendance, although you should be aware that this is ultimately the legal responsibility of the parent/carer.
It is very important that you speak with the school or our Allocated Attendance Officer (contactable via school) at the earliest opportunity if you have any worries at all about ensuring the regular and punctual attendance of your child at school.
Alternatively parents can self-refer to the Early intervention and Prevention service (Start Well) Telephone number 01942 828300. It is vital that you work closely with your child’s school and support agencies such as the Council’s School Attendance Service.