Attendance

Our expectation is that all pupils aim to have an attendance figure of 100% for each term.  This level of attendance will ensure success in lessons, as research has shown there is a strong link between outstanding attendance and positive attainment.

If your child has good attendance, they will:

• contribute in lessons
• work with staff to develop strategies to enable progress
• receive better examination results
• feel happier about school

If your child is absent regularly they may:

• find work harder
• not feel part of the class or school
• find it hard to make friends
• not make the most of the opportunities provided by the school

We appreciate that children are unwell from time to time and that there can be exceptional circumstances for absences, but we ask that you think carefully about keeping your child out of school.

What to do if your child cannot attend school due to illness

If your child is ill, please contact the Attendance team on 01709 539811 or email attendance@oakwood.ac as soon as possible to explain why he/she will not be in school.

If the illness continues, please inform the school for each day that your child is absent.

There is a strong connection between attendance and achievement at school. Absence is proven to have a significant negative impact upon a child’s educational attainment.

If your child is absent we will:

Endeavour to telephone or send you a text (via inTouch) on the first day of absence if you have not contacted the school.

If we have not received notification of the reason your child has not been in school for a number of days, we will organise a home visit to speak with you.

Punctuality

Punctuality  to school is also important.  All pupils should aim to attend school at 8.30am at the latest.  This provides pupils with the time needed to prepare for tutor time which starts at 8.40am.  Pupils who are late to school could be given an after-school House detention.  If your child is persistently late to school you will be sent a warning letter.  If there is no improvement you will be asked to attend a Punctuality Panel meeting with a Head of House and the Lead Attendance Officer.

Being frequently late for school adds up to lost learning:

• Arriving 5 minutes late every day add up to over 3 days lost each year
• Arriving 15 minutes late every day is the same as being absent for 2 weeks a year
• Arriving 30 minutes late every day is the same as being absent for 19 days a year
• 19 days lost a year through being late = 90% attendance.

Dental and Medical appointments

If a child needs to leave school to keep a dental or hospital appointment, he/she must bring the appointment card to show the Attendance Office staff and must report to the office on leaving and returning to school.  Parents should arrive at the Pupil entrance at the front of school.  the Attendance team will supervise the child leaving the building.

We hope parents will be able to restrict dental appointments to school holidays or after the school day ends.  Absence from exam classes in particular can seriously affect attainment.

Holidays during Term Time

The Government’s (Pupil Registration) Regulations expects, in general terms, that families will be able to arrange to take their holidays when schools are closed.  Failure to do so may result in your child’s place in school being lost.  If a holiday is planned during term-time please inform the Attendance team as soon as possible.  Unnecessary absence should be avoided as it is bound to affect a child’s educational progress and attainment.

Under the current legislation Headteachers are not permitted to authorise any absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.  It is the policy of the school not to authorise any absence for holidays; unless that absence is for children of serving military personnel (as per national guidelines).

What happens when your child’s attendance falls below 95%?

Parents may receive a letter advising them of a decline in their child’s attendance figure.  This letter includes information regarding the legal implications of poor attendance.

What happens when your child’s attendance drops below 90%?

A pupil who has an attendance of 90% or lower is officially classed in the Persistent Absence category.  You will be sent a Persistent Absence warning letter and if there is no improvement you will be asked to attend an Attendance Panel meeting, with your child’s Head of House and an Attendance Officer.

Non-attendance by the parents could lead to the school completing a formal referral to the Educational Welfare Officer for further support and for consideration of legal escalation.

What happens when your child’s attendance drops below 85%?

You will be asked to attend an Attendance Panel meeting with the Assistant Headteacher, the Educational Welfare Officer and the Lead Attendance Officer.

Non-attendance by the parents could lead to the school completing a formal referral to the Educational Welfare Officer for further support and for consideration of legal escalation.

Ensuring your child’s regular attendance at school is your legal responsibility and permitting absence from school without a good reason creates an offence in law and may result in prosecution.  Any absence affects the pattern of a child’s schooling and regular absence will seriously affect their learning.

If you require further information, or indeed any additional support in ensuring your child’s attendance is on or above target, please contact your child’s Personal Learning Tutor or Head of House.

Penalties for unauthorised absences

Once your child is registered at school you are responsible for making sure that they attend regularly.

If your child does not attend school regularly you can be prosecuted and fined up to £2,500.  As an alternative, the Council may supervise the family under the terms of an Education Supervision Order, for at least a year or until attendance improves to a satisfactory level.

For an unauthorised absence relating to a holiday taken during term-time, a school or academy can ask the Council to issue you with a Fixed Penalty Notice.

A Fixed Penalty Notice will involve you paying a fine, currently set at £60 (per parent, per child) if paid within 21 days or £120 (per parent, per child) if paid after 21 days but within 28 days.

Please remember that if your child is not in school, they are not learning!

Please Click here to view our Attendance/Punctuality Policy and Expectations.