Reporting Absence
Please report reasons for absence as soon as possible every day that your child is not in school.
If the school has no reason for absence by 9:15 am, we will send a text message and call home. If the school has had no contact, our Attendance leader may conduct home visits. Be sure to get in touch with the school as soon as possible every day your child is absent from school.
Schools have a Safeguarding duty to know where children are, what they are doing and who they are with.
Punctuality is also important, and school monitors lateness. You will be informed if your child is regularly late for school.
Our Attendance Policy is an important document that outlines parent & carer responsibilities and expectations, along with how the school can support good attendance. This can be found on our Policies Page.
Is my child too ill for school?
If you are unsure whether your child is too ill for school, please check the website ‘Is my child too ill for school?’ or contact the school office. We are happy for children to come to school who may be a little under the weather, and we will always contact parents if we feel it is necessary.
What are we doing to help?
We know attendance is important and we also know that every family and their situation is different. We are always available to speak about how we can support children and families to improve attendance. We want to support you in supporting your child in attending school regularly.
If your child’s attendance drops to a concerning level (below 95%) school will contact you to discuss any support you may need to improve. We always look to support families and remove any barriers to good attendance.
If your child becomes unwell in school, we are able to offer Calpol with permission from parents. We will always contact home before administering any Calpol.
Are you aware?
Just seven and a half days off school in a year would lead to your child being below the national average.
If your child’s attendance drops below 90% they woudl be categorised as Persistant Abensce (PA) and woudl be at risk of underachieving.
Who Does What? Our Shared Responsibilities
Parents & Carers
- Ensure your child attends every day the school is open except when a statutory reason applies.
- Notify the school as soon as possible when your child has to be unexpectedly absent (e.g., sickness).
- Only request a leave of absence in exceptional circumstances and do so in advance.
- Book any medical appointments around the school day where possible.
The School
- Have a clear attendance policy on the school website which all staff, pupils and parents understand.
- Develop and maintain a whole-school culture that promotes the benefits of good attendance.
- Accurately complete admission and attendance registers and have robust daily processes to follow up on absence.
- Regularly monitor data to identify patterns and trends and understand which pupils need support.
- Have a dedicated senior leader with overall responsibility for championing and improving attendance.
Governors / Trustees
- Take an active role in attendance improvement and work with leaders to set whole-school cultures.
- Ensure school leaders fulfill their expectations and statutory duties.
- Use data to understand patterns of attendance and identify areas for improvement.
- Ensure school staff receive adequate training on attendance.
Attendance & Attainment
At Roughwood, we know that good school attendance will give our children the chance to be the best that they can be. A study by the DEF gave a summary of the link between absence and attainment at the end of KS2. Pupils with higher KS2 attainment in 2019 had lower levels of absence over the key stage compared to those with lower attainment. Pupils who did not achieve the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2019 had an overall absence rate of 4.7% over the key stage, compared with 3.5% among pupils who achieved the expected standard and 2.7% among those who achieved the higher standard.
The chart below, from FFT, a data analysis system, highlights the effects of lower attendance on attainment at the end of KS2.
According to the data, children who attend school more regularly are more likely to achieve the Expected Standard at the end of KS2.
More Information
Download our Attendance and Punctuality Policy on our Policies page.
Our school works with the statutory guidance from the DFE Working Together to Improve School Attendance.