The pupils in our schools with higher attendance have a better chance of doing well and this positively impacts their life chances. When a child is in school, we can work to keep them safe and help them to feel valued.
Improving attendance works best if it is a whole school approach. Attendance is a safeguarding matter and is therefore everyone’s responsibility. We must work together with our Parents/Carers, partners and communities to develop and maintain a whole school culture that promotes the benefits of good attendance.
The resources included are for guidance and must be adjusted for your school and local area/offer.
Time off for sickness - school guidance
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Illness
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Time off needed
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Diarrhoea and Vomiting
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24 hours if only one episode. 48 hours if more than one episode, starting from the last time they were ill.
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Chicken Pox
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5 days from onset of rash
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Impetigo
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48 hours after antibiotics are commenced or until lesions are healed
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Scarlett Fever
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24 hours after commencement of antibiotics
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Slapped Cheek
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No time off needed, but make office aware
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Conjunctivitis
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No time off needed
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Hand, Foot and Mouth
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No time off needed
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Covid
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3 days
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Ringworm/Threadworms
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No time off needed
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Headlice
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No time off needed but treatment required
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Glandular Fever
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No time off needed
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Roles and Responsibilities
The responsibilities for school attendance have been set out in the latest guidance and may be summarised and actioned as follows-
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Role
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Responsibilities
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Parents
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- Inform the school on the first day of absence,
- Discuss with the tutor/class teacher any planned absences well in advance, support the school with their child in aiming for 100% attendance each year,
- Make sure that any absence is clearly accounted for by telephone or text on the first and subsequent days of absence, or by letter if a phone is unavailable,
- Avoid taking their child out of school for non-urgent medical or dental appointments,
- Only request leave of absence if it is for an exceptional circumstance.
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Pupils
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- Attend every day unless they are ill or have an authorised absence.
- Arrive in school on time.
- Go to all their registrations and lessons on time.
- Take responsibility for registering at the reception desk if they are late or are leaving the school site during school hours.
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Schools- SLT, Attendance Staff, Administration
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- Have a clear attendance policy
- Develop and/or maintain a whole school culture that promotes the benefits of good attendance.
- Ensure accurate completion of admissions and attendance registers.
- Have robust daily processes to follow up on absence.
- Proactively use data to identify pupils at risk of poor attendance.
- Signpost and support access to any required services.
- Work with LA and outside agencies as needed.
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Schools- Teaching and Learning, Classroom Staff
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- Develop and/or maintain a whole school culture that promotes the benefits of good attendance
- Build strong relationships with all pupils and their families.
- Contact home where appropriate.
- Ensure that all pupils are registered accurately.
- Promote and reward good attendance with pupils at all appropriate opportunities.
- Liaise with the attendance leader on matters of attendance and punctuality.
- Communicate any concerns or underlying problems that may account for a child’s absence.
- Support pupils with absence to engage with their learning once they are back in school.
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Trust
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- Regularly review attendance data and help school leaders focus support on the pupils who need it.
- Take an active role in attendance improvement, supporting schools to prioritise attendance and work together with leaders to set whole school cultures
- Ensure school leaders fulfil expectations and statutory duties
- Ensure school staff receive training on attendance
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Local Authority
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- Have a strategy to improve attendance for their whole area.
- Have an Attendance Support Team to work with all schools in the area.
- Provide a named point of contact.
- Provide opportunities for sharing effective practice.
- Hold termly conversations with every school around attendance.
- Work jointly with schools and relevant agencies to facilitate support for families and remove barriers to attendance.
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