Attendance

Statement of expectations for parents in respect of Light Years Attendance Policy

Illness
If your child is unwell and unable to attend, it is the responsibility of you as a parent/carer to inform the school. A telephone call to the office before 9am is necessary; otherwise an unauthorised absence will be recorded.

In the event of your child having a medical appointment during school time, please inform the school office providing evidence of the appointment.

Attendance
Schools are required to publish attendance figures which distinguish between authorised and unauthorised absences. Authorised absences include those of sickness, medical treatment and educational visits.
If a child is taken out of school without the school’s permission, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised. Persistent unauthorised absence can result in prosecution.

Lateness for school
School registers are closed 30 minutes after the start of the morning and afternoon school sessions. If a pupil arrives after this time, it is recorded as an unauthorised absence.

If a pupil arrives after this time, it is recorded as an unauthorised absence. Contact the school in the first instance if you are concerned about this. If a child is frequently late, the parents may be failing to ensure that their child is receiving full time education and could be prosecuted by the Local Authority. Within the Children’s Services Department, the Education Welfare Service is responsible for matters of attendance and truancy.

If a child is frequently late, parents may be failing to ensure that their child is receiving full time education and could be referred to the Education Welfare Service who are responsible for matters of attendance and truancy.

*The graph shows the impact that missing just a few days of school can have over the course of an academic year

Working Together
We ask for support from parents and carers to ensure their child:

is present at every opportunity and avoids staying at home or taking excess time off for appointments unnecessarily
arrives at school on time each day.

Support for Families
We make daily contact with the parents and carers of any children who are absent, where a reason has not been provided, and we challenge any unauthorised absences.

Where the school is unable to contact a parent by telephone, a follow-up email is sent to request that they contact the school with further information.

Absences are reviewed daily and follow-up contact is assigned as needed.

Meetings with parents of children identified as persistent absentees help to identify any issues and support the family in ensuring the child attends school more regularly.

The school offers Early Help Assessments to identify barriers and works with families to support regular attendance.

We work with families to support them in ensuring their children attened regularly and on time. We do not discount requesting a Fixed Penalty Notice as a last resort, where offers of support have been declined and all other strategies have been exhausted.