Attendance
Attendance
We would like to see pupils as close to 100% as possible but understand that at times, we all get sick.
The most important thing for us is that your child learns and makes progress. We also wish to ensure that they are happy in school and achieve their potential. The best way to achieve this is through regular attendance at school.
Sessions at Deanshanger Primary School, begin with registration at 8.40 am. The gates to the school will be locked at 8.50 am. Children that arrive at school after this time will be marked as late. Lunchtime is from 12.05pm until 1.05 pm for all pupils. The afternoon session ends at 3.25 pm.
The law states that all school age children (between 5 & 16) must attend school. Parents are responsible for making sure their child attends school regularly and the Local Authority may take legal action if you fail to do this. This includes children arriving at school on time.
If you take your child out of school for an accumulative total of 5 days or more (10 sessions) (90%) over a period of 10 weeks, the school will deem this as irregular attendance and will consider a referral to the Local authority for consideration of legal action.
This could include:
- A penalty notice payable up to £160 fine
- Prosecution under s444 (1) Education Act 1996, where if convicted you may be fined up to £1,000
- Prosecution under s444 (1) (a) Education Act 1996 where if convicted youmay be fined up to £2,500 and/or 3 months imprisonment
Further information can be found on West Northamptonshire's website using the link below. Support for schools - help with a child's attendance issues | West Northamptonshire Council
Attendance Percentages:
Research shows the significance of regular school attendance, this is summarised in the data below:
- 100% - 97% -Excellent attendance which will have a positive impact on your child's education. Certificates are handed out each term and the class with the highest attendance is recognised each week.
- 96% - 90% - Cause for concern which will have an impact on your child's education. 95% and below you will receive a letter explaining that further action may be taken if attendance does not improve.
- 90% and below - Serious cause for concern which will have a detrimental impact on your child's education. Below 90% you could receive a fine for persistence absence.
|
Attendance Percentage |
Numbers of sessions missed |
Equivalent number of days missed |
Equivalent number of weeks missed |
Equivalent number of lessons missed |
|
100% |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
95% |
19 |
9.5 |
2 |
48 |
|
90% |
38 |
19 |
4 |
95 |
|
85% |
57 |
28.5 |
6 |
143 |
|
80% |
76 |
38 |
8 |
190 |
|
75% |
95 |
47.5 |
9.5 |
238 |
|
70% |
114 |
57 |
11.5 |
285 |
Please note that -
- 17 school days missed = 91.1% attendance for the year
- 34 school days missed = 82.1% attendance for the year
- A 2 week holiday means you can't get more than 94.7% attendance that year
- missing 15 minutes of school every day adds up to 9 whole days throughout the year
We hope that sharing the term dates as soon as they are available will help parents and carers plan any family holidays. The guidance from the Local Authority is not to authorise any holidays in term time. Legislation decrees that as of June 2016 the local authority will issue a fixed penalty notice (PN) for any unauthorised absences that are 10 sessions consecutive or within a 6 week period. The PN is issued per parent, per child with an invoice of up to £120
Should my child stay off school if they are ill?
Please see the following link to help guide you if your child becomes ill . Is my child too ill for school? - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
School attendance and absence: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
If your child is unable to attend please contact the school office on 01908 268920 from 7:30am or email office@deanshanger.northants.sch.uk. Ring on the first morning of an absence by 9:30am or send an email with the reason and saying when the child will be returning to school. Arrange non-urgent dental and doctor's appointments outside of school hours or during school breaks.