Attendance

Attendance 

Your child’s education is important!

Research shows that children who attend school regularly are likely to achieve and be more successful. A child who misses a day of school each week misses an equivalent of two whole years in their school life … this obviously leads to huge gaps in their knowledge.

Some unacceptable reasons for absence:

Holidays

Shopping

Birthday treats/trips

Looking after others at home

Non-urgent medical appointments

Because brother or sister is off

As parents/carers, you can help ...

Help your child develop a routine (in the evenings, a routine of homework, tea, watching TV, reading, getting bag ready for tomorrow and plenty of sleep. In the mornings, having breakfast helps to speed up the metabolism which makes children more alert and ready for learning.

Don’t give in to your child if s/he complains of illness but you see no physical signs (if you are not sure, send a note in to the class teacher asking them to keep an eye on them … we will contact you if their symptoms do not improve. This will help your child develop the right habits for the world of work; where absence and lateness are rarely tolerated)

Reward your child (we reward good attendance at school, you could add your own rewards at home to show that we share the same values)

Help your child to be successful at school and work (emphasise the importance of having a good school attendance record).

DID YOU KNOW ...?

90% attendance means missing one half day EVERY week.

90% attendance means missing FOUR WHOLE WEEKS in one school year … and that amounts to 100 hours of learning missed that can not be repeated. Would your boss be pleased if you had four extra weeks off each year?

Poor attenders at primary school are more likely to become truants at High School

School truants are 6 times more likely to be unemployed when they leave school

The expected level of attendance in school is at least 95%

If a child is taken out of school for a two week holiday they cannot achieve a 95% attendance record.

If you would like any help the following websites will be helpful:

www.dfes.gov.uk/schoolattendance

www.parentscentre.gov.ukw

www.parentline.org.uk

Request a Parent Know How leaflet - ‘Trevor’s Dilema’ or Samena’s Nightmare from DCSF tel: 0845 60 222 60