Attendance

We wish to highlight some important updates regarding attendance, in line with the Department for Education’s document titled ‘Working Together to Improve School Attendance’, released on 19 August 2024.

Firstly, we would like to emphasise the critical importance of regular attendance. Our commitment to fostering an educational environment where every student can thrive hinges significantly on consistent participation in school. The relevance of attendance can be illustrated by the following table:       

A pupil with 85% attendance is missing nearly half a term of learning time each school year. Regular absences can result in poorer outcomes over time. Research shows that pupils who miss between 10% and 20% of school (which equates to between half a day and one day per week on average) stand only a 35% chance of achieving five or more good GCSEs, compared to 73% of those who miss fewer than 5% of school days.

Late arrivals also accumulate over time – being 10 minutes late each day results in the loss of two weeks of learning time over the entire school year.

We completely understand that children can become ill and that it is vital to keep your child at home during such times to ensure they can rest and recover, as well as to prevent the spread of illness. The following NHS website provides guidance on this matter: NHS Guidance.

If your child finds it difficult to attend school, please inform us at the earliest opportunity, as we aim to help you and your child overcome any barriers to attendance. We have found that maintaining an open dialogue between the school and parents is often the best approach.

Regarding holidays during term time, we recognise that family breaks during the school holidays can be expensive and that the temptation to book a cheaper term-time holiday may arise. However, we can only authorise leave during term time under exceptional circumstances, even if your child has an excellent attendance record or if you believe that the reason for the absence is justified.

Parents and carers should plan their holidays around school holidays and avoid requesting permission to take their children out of school unless it is absolutely unavoidable.

There is now a single, consistent national threshold for when a Penalty Notice must be considered by all schools in England. This is as follows:

• 10 sessions (usually equivalent to 5 school days) of unauthorised absence within a rolling 10-week period.

• These sessions do not have to be consecutive and can be made up of any combination of unauthorised absence.

• For example, a 5-day unauthorised leave would meet the national threshold.

• The 10-week period can span different terms or school years.

The first time a Penalty Notice is issued for unauthorised absence, the fine amount will be:

• £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days.

• If not paid within 21 days, the fine will increase to £160 per parent, per child, payable between the 22nd and 28th day.

On the second occasion a Penalty Notice is issued for unauthorised absence, a reduced rate is not available. The amount due will therefore be:

• £160 per parent, per child – payable within 28 days.

On the third occasion a Penalty Notice is related to an offence, a Penalty Notice will not be issued, and the case will be presented directly to the Magistrate’s Court:

• Prosecution can result in criminal records and fines of up to £2,500.

• Cases found guilty in a Magistrates' Court can appear on the parent’s future DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) certificate due to a ‘failure to safeguard a child’s education’.

To clarify, the school does not receive any of the fines; they are directed to Hertfordshire County Council.

As a school, we would much rather celebrate good attendance than punish poor attendance. We will be introducing class and individual rewards over the next term to highlight the importance of attendance to our pupils.

When attendance does slip, we will send a letter home at the end of each half-term so that you are aware of the situation.

• The first letter will notify you that your child’s attendance is under 95%, and we will be monitoring the situation in the coming weeks. We understand that a week of genuine illness may prompt such a letter, but the aim of this initial notification is purely to monitor the situation.

• If your child’s attendance does not improve or declines further, we will send a second letter inviting you in to discuss the reasons and to explore how the school and the family can work together to improve the situation.

• If your child’s attendance falls below 90%, you will receive a final letter notifying you that we have had to make a referral to the Attendance Team at the Local Authority.

We understand that there is a lot of information here; however, if you have any questions or need further clarification on any of the above points, please speak to the school. Our Attendance Policy is also available on the school website, which offers more detailed information about attendance at Christ Church.