Why is good attendance important?

At CPS we recognise the value of regular attendance at school. All children have the right to an education and we have appropriate procedures to support this. We believe that the most important factor in promoting good attendance is development of positive attitudes

At CPS, the attendance pattern for all children is monitored weekly and we aim to work actively with parents to ensure a regular pattern is maintained. Good attendance promotes pupils well-being, maximises progress in learning and helps pupils reach their potential.

One of our basic principles is to celebrate success. Good attendance is fundamental to a successful and fulfilling school experience. It is our duty to promote 100% attendance for all children. For our children to take full advantage of the educational opportunities offered it is vital that our pupils are at school, on time, every day the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable.

Good attendance is important because:

• statistics show a direct link between under-achievement and absence below 95%
• regular attenders make better progress, both socially and academically
• regular attenders find school routines, school work and friendships easier to cope with
• regular attenders find learning more satisfying
• regular attenders are most successful in transferring between primary school, secondary school, higher education and employment or training

By law, children of compulsory school age must receive a full time education. If a child misses one day of school each week (or the equivalent) every year, they will have lost an entire two years of schooling by the time they are 16. Each person with parental responsibility could be taken to court and fined for each child who is not attending school regularly or who is persistently late.

For families whose children are generally good at attending school, nothing is likely to happen if they miss a few days over the course of the year. If a child is repeatedly absent from school, a referral to the Inclusion Officer (previously known as the Education Welfare Officer or EWO) may be made.

Inclusion Officers are employed by the local council to work with schools and families to ensure that every school age child is receiving a suitable, full-time education by encouraging regular attendance at school (or ensuring they are being home educated). The expected level of attendance is at least 95%.

Our Inclusion Officer visits the school regularly to discuss any pupils who are failing to attend school regularly. They inspect the school’s registers to look for patterns in children’s absences that could indicate a problem and to identify any child as having ‘persistent absence’ (PA) issues. The Department for Education considers a child as having persistent absence if their attendance drops below 90 per cent – the equivalent of missing one day every fortnight. The Inclusion Officer may meet with a family to discuss their child’s attendance issues.

If you have any concerns about your child’s attendance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

If you do wish to request leave of absence for your child please click on the button below and complete the form.

Application for Pupil Leave of Absence

Some useful information about whether your child should stay away from school when they are unwell can be found on the NHS website. Is my child too ill for school?