Commitment to attendance. Please read our full attendance strategy. 

We are committed to meeting our obligation with regards to school attendance through our whole-school culture and ethos that values good attendance, including:

• Promoting good attendance
• Reducing absence, including persistent and severe absence
• Ensuring every pupil has access to the full-time education to which they are entitled
• Acting early to address patterns of absence
• Building strong relationships with families so pupils have the support in place to attend school.

At Nancealverne we recognise that evidence shows that securing excellent attendance at school is key to ensure positive outcomes for children and young people. We have the highest expectations for all our students. Poor attendance leaves students vulnerable to falling behind, creating gaps in their learning, and diminishing their self-confidence.

The Leaders of the school:

• have high expectations for every pupil’s attendance at school
• communicate these expectations clearly, strongly and consistently to parents and to pupils
• set expectations about attendance from the outset – from Nursery onwards
• explain to parents and pupils why good attendance is important and how it helps pupils to achieve
• listen to parents carefully to find out why their children are not attending well enough so that they     can act accordingly
• challenge parents who do not make sure that their children attend, but also offer support where needed
• have the right people in place to have these conversations with parents
• ensure that attendance is always recorded accurately
• systematically analyse attendance information so that they can see patterns and trends
• use this analysis to target their actions, both for individuals and at a whole-school level
• make sure that attendance is ‘everyone’s business’ in school
• understand that good attendance does not happen in isolation – there is an interrelationship between attendance and the quality of the school’s curriculum, ethos, behaviour and inclusivity
• do not stop pushing for whole-school improvement once attendance reaches the national average
• see the process of securing good attendance for all pupils as an ongoing process, never something that is ‘finished’

Punctuality

Nancealverne School starts at 9:10 am every morning. It is essential that your child is in school on time to start the day with the rest of the children from their class. Parents/carers of children who are persistently late will be contacted by the school.

Daily Absences

If your child is absent from school you need to:

Contact the school as early as possible on 01736 365039

Give the reason for absence

Say when you expect your child will return to school

If your child is absent for a medical reason please bring along/send us any appointment cards, prescriptions, details of medical attention or documentation that may allow us to authorise the absence on their return.

Phoning school to say your child is absent does not authorise the absence. School must make that decision based upon the evidence we have.

Holidays

A week’s holiday taken during term time could mean your child is missing a huge amount of work and could lead to your child struggling to catch up and falling behind with their work.

In 2013 the Department of Education changed the legislation relating to holidays during term time.  This legislation does not give any entitlement to parents/carers to take children on holiday during term time.  Applications for leave of absence can only be authorised in exceptional circumstances.  Full details of this can be found at:  www.gov.uk/school-attendance-absence

A leave of absence request must be completed prior to the absence, so that school can decide whether the proposed absence is an exceptional circumstance and therefore can be authorised. 

Parents/carers can be fined for taking children on holiday during term time without consent from the school.

If holidays can be taken out of term time, then they should be taken out of term time. 

How can I help my child get the best out of school?

• Be aware of the impact of regular absences – missing school means missing out.
• Make sure your child arrives at school on time.
• Don’t let your child stay away from school for reasons like going shopping, or birthdays. 
• Avoid taking family holidays in term time.
• Try to make non-urgent medical and dental appointments out of school time.  
• Be involved with your child’s education and school – ask questions.
• Build up good habits of punctuality and attendance.
• Only keep your child at home in accordance with Health Protection Agency infection control guidelines (contact the school if you are unsure) and send them back to school as soon as they are better, even if it’s only for one day - every day counts.

Why is good attendance important?

• The law states that all children and young people aged from 5 to 16 must receive a suitable full time education.
• With high attendance your child gets the chance to make friends and learns to get on with others.  Communication skills are vital for your child’s development.
• Research shows that children and young people with less than 90% attendance, do dramatically less well in employment.
• Children and young people who stay away from school for no good reason are at risk of becoming victims of crime or abuse.  They may also be drawn into anti-social behaviour.
• Children and young people who don’t come to school regularly will be at risk of not achieving their full potential.
• Parents/Carers of children and young people with poor attendance can be prosecuted. 

If you are experiencing any difficulties with your child’s attendance or punctuality, please don’t hesitate to contact the school on 01736 365039.