Attendance
At Kimpton Primary School we strive to provide the highest possible educational standards for all children entrusted to us by their parents or carers. As there is a proven link between attendance and attainment, it is essential that children attend school regularly in order to achieve at the highest possible level.
Our rationale for not wanting children to be taken out of school during term time is that:
- Holidays in term time break the continuity of learning and gaps in learning often take a long time to be resolved.
- Teachers may not have the time to ‘re-teach’ what has been missed during a holiday.
- Children find it hard to break back into friendship groups causing considerable stress and unhappiness, further impacting on learning.
- Children taking holidays during September miss out on learning classroom routines, causing distress and anxiety upon return.
- Children suffer a loss of confidence as a result of feeling ‘left behind’’ and worry about ‘catching up.’
- Children are disappointed when they work towards activities but then miss out as a result of being away.
Regular and consistent attendance at school is essential. Absence and lateness inevitably causes distress to the child and inconvenience to the staff.
Parents do not have the right to take their statutory aged child out of school during term time. By law you must request permission from the Headteacher for your child to miss school for any reason.
A Request for Absence form (please complete form below) during Term Time must be completed for any form of absence (with the exception of medical and dental appointments) and it should be submitted for review at least two weeks before the proposed absence.
Unauthorised Absence
The following requests for absence will not be authorised:
- Holiday requests during term time, unless there is an ‘exceptional circumstance’
- Absence requests for a child’s birthday, ‘family reasons’ or parental ‘work commitments’
- Absence at the start of the school term, particularly September, where the start of the year is so formative
- Any requests during formal assessment periods or in the run up to statutory assessments.
Authorised Absence
Absence will continue to be authorised for the following reasons:
- Medical and dental appointments (although non-urgent appointments should be scheduled outside of school hours where possible and we expect children to be in school either side of the appointment if possible)
- Illness
- Exams – dance, music, etc. (please provide a copy of the letter)
- Bereavement
- Religious Observance.
The above statements are not exhaustive and it is recognised that there will be times when compelling and exceptional reasons will mean absence from school.
As attendance is so important, if your child’s attendance falls below 95%, we will not authorise any absence. As a school, we have a duty to inform Hertfordshire Local Authority if any pupil has 10 days or more unauthorised absence from school. Should overall attendance fall below 90% into ‘persistent absentee’ for whatever reason, this will trigger an investigation from the Education Welfare Service. If attendance does not improve, legal proceedings may be considered by the Local Authority in accordance with Government Legislation.
