Attendance and absence

We internally monitor our children's attendance every 4 weeks and regularly contact parents/carers if a child's attendance falls below 95%. This will either be a phone call from Mrs. Longstaff/Mr. Pickup or a posted letter. We celebrate good attendance and punctuality for the children weekly in our celebration assembly . We also have termly and annual attendance rewards for both children and their parents/ carers.

We use the criteria below to monitor our children's attendance.

Which zone are you in? 

GREEN - SAFETY ZONE - 95 to 100%

Pupils in this zone are likely to ...

• Achieve well in school
• Have good friendships
• Be more successful

AMBER - AT RISK ZONE - 91 to 94%

Pupils in this zone are likely to ...

• Be at risk of underachieving due to attendance
• The government expects all pupils to have attendance at or above 95%
• 10 days absence may result in you being in the at risk zone

RED - DANGER ZONE - 90% and below

Pupils in this zone are likely to ...

• Struggle with their learning
• Underachieve in school
• Miss out on opportunities

Did you know ...?

90% attendance sounds good but means that your child misses on average:

• One half day every week.
• Nearly four weeks every school year.
• Over one school year in a school career.

2 weeks holiday in term time every year with no other absences means that your child:

• Can only ever achieve 95% attendance
• Will miss about two terms in a school career

5 minutes late every day means missing about 3 days of school every year

Absences 

Authorised absence

An absence is classified as authorised when a child has been away from school for a legitimate reason and the school has received notification from a parent or carer.  For example, if a child has been unwell and the parent telephones the school to explain the absence.

Only the school can make an absence authorised.  Parents/carers do not have this authority. Consequently, not all absences supported by parents/carers will be classified as authorised. 

Unauthorised absence

An absence is classified as unauthorised when a child is away from school without the permission of the school.

Therefore, the absence is unauthorised if a child is away from school without good reason, even with the support of a parent.

Parental Request for Absence from School for Holiday

With effect from September 2013 the government abolished the right of Head teachers to authorise absence specifically for holidays of up to 10 days per year if special circumstances exist. Instead, Head teachers will only be allowed to grant leave of absence for any reason if they are satisfied exceptional circumstances exist.  Parents/carers are encouraged to keep open lines of communication with school over absence as persistent absence can be considered a safeguarding matter.

An absence taken due to a holiday will not be authorised, unless there are exceptional circumstances. In order for exceptional circumstances to be granted (and the absence authorised), a request must be put in writing to the Head Teacher prior to the absence. Where a holiday absence is not authorised and a pupil misses 10 sessions (5 days) in a 12-week period, the Local Authority will issue an immediate penalty notice of £60 per pupil per parent. If unpaid this fine increases to £120 per pupil per parent. In some instances, the case can be taken to court and the penalty decided on by the judge. It is important to note that 10 sessions (5 days) of holiday absence does not have to be consecutive.

For further information please see our attendance policy or contact school on 0191 2674533 or e-mail office@newburnmps.co.uk

Attendance Policy

Please follow the link below to our policies page where you can find our attendance policy and our procedures for children missing education.