Edith Cavell Primary school is committed to giving or pupils the best education available. This is why we want to highlight to all parents the link between good attendance and education achievement.
Our aim is to promote regular attendance and good punctuality in order to ensure all students achieve their potential. We use a number of strategies to encourage good attendance including: –
Learning moves on so quickly in school and if your child is absent for a considerable amount of days their learning and progress will suffer.
If your child is absent for ½ a day every week, their attendance will only be 90% – equivalent to 4 weeks of school and learning missed over the year.
If 90% attendance continues over 5 years that is equivalent to half a year of school and learning missed.
All children should be at school every day unless they are too ill to attend. If you are not sure, please send them into school and we will send them home if they are unwell. If they seem a little unwell in the morning and make a recovery during the day – please bring them in. Establishing good attendance habits is important early in a child’s school career, as this is a trait that will serve them well throughout life.
Parents can support regular and consistent attendance by ensuring that doctors, optician and dentist appointments are made for outside of school hours. Be organised – get into the habit of booking routine appointments for the school holidays.
If your child is unwell and not well enough to attend school, please inform the school office before 9.30am. Please make contact EVERY day that your child is not in school.
Pupil Attendance is monitored in school regularly. If your child’s attendance is found to be below the government expected figure of 92% you will receive a letter informing you of the concern about their level of attendance at school and their attendance will be monitored. Please be aware that in the Autumn Term, one or two days’ absence can have a significant impact on levels of attendance.
If your child’s attendance then improves, no further action will be taken.
If their attendance continues to fall, without there being an acceptable reason, then you will be invited into school for a meeting with the Head teacher to discuss how the school can support you to improve your child’s attendance and a Parental Contract will be completed.
The Parent Contract will be reviewed regularly and if attendance targets are met, no further action will be taken.
If your child’s attendance continues to fall, an Early Help assessment will be completed and monitored every six weeks.
Your child’s level of attendance will be shared with you at Parent Consultation meetings and also as part of the End of School Year Annual Report.
Please click here for Advice from The Public Health Agency on Infection Controls in School and advised absence times from school.
Any requests for a leave of absence from school should be made in writing, at least two weeks before the requested date of absence.
All requests will be considered by the Head teacher.
If the child has poor attendance, the child is often late for school, the request is around assessment periods or it is a second request in one academic year, the request will not be authorised.
Please click here for the form to complete to request a leave of absence and return the completed form to office@ecls.org.uk
The Statutory Instruments (number 756) governing leave of absence for the purpose of a holiday were significantly tightened in September 2013.
This legislation removed the right to request leave of absence for the purpose of a holiday, except in exceptional circumstances.
Please click here for the form to complete to request a leave of absence and return the completed form to office@ecls.org.uk
All requests will be considered by the Head teacher.
All requests for leave of absence for the purpose of a holiday will be refused.
Where a leave of absence is not granted, and the holiday in term time is taken this will be noted on the child’s file. If a second leave of absence is requested in the same or subsequent years, not authorised, but still taken, a fixed penalty notice will be issued by the Educational Welfare Office when that child returns to school.
When a leave of absence has not been requested but a holiday is still taken in term time a fixed penalty notice will be issued by the Educational Welfare Office when that child returns to school.
When a child does not return to school after a school holiday period due to extension of holiday arrangements, a fixed penalty notice will be issued by the Educational Welfare Office when that child returns to school.
Please click here to see the DfE guidance for parents on school attendance
Please click here to see Edith Cavell’s attendance information for parents
Please click here to see Bedford Borough Attendance Referral Pathway