Attendance Rewards, Review & Absence Reporting Procedures
As a school, we place great importance on attendance and expect that all our students will achieve an attendance level of at least 96% each academic year. Parents have a legal responsibility to ensure their child attends school regularly and punctually.
Any student with an attendance figure below 90% is defined nationally as a persistent absentee. This equates to just over 3 days of absence per half term and applies if the absence is authorised or unauthorised. If a student were to get a score of 90% on a maths test this would be very good. If, however, a student’s attendance is 90% over their five years of compulsory school age, from Year 7 to 11, this equates to missing half a year of school, which is detrimental to any individual, regardless of their academic ability.
There is a strong statistical link between attendance and attainment. Studies show that students with the highest attainment in their GCSE exams, at the end of Year 11, have higher rates of attendance over Years 10 and 11, compared to those with the lowest attainment.
Whilst we appreciate that students do become ill through the school year, a lot of minor ailments can be self-managed in school with over the counter medication from a pharmacist and we encourage positive attendance, where possible, to prevent missing out on learning. This link to the NHS website provides additional guidance.
We review attendance regularly and follow an attendance procedure based on each student’s attendance percentage. The school operates the Penalty Notice process for 10 or more unauthorised sessions of absence (the equivalent of 5 school days) over a 10 week school period which can span different terms or school years. Please note a session is half a day of unauthorised absence. Separate Penalty Notices can be issued to each parent in respect of each child. The amount payable is £160 (per parent, per child) if paid within 28 days, but will be reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days. A second penalty notice issued to the same parent in respect of the same child will be charged at a flat rate of £160 if paid within 28 days. A third penalty notice cannot be issued within 3 years of the date of the issue of the first penalty notice. If this limit is reached, a parenting order or prosecution will be considered. If a prosecution goes ahead at court the fine could be up to £2,500.
There are 13 weeks of the year to take holidays out of term time, therefore, we strongly advise parents/carers to avoid booking holidays during term time. We appreciate there may be exceptional circumstances behind a request for leave. If this is the case, you should give a detailed explanation as to why it is necessary for you to take your child out of school by completing the form on the attendance page of the school website and send it to absence@kwschool.co.uk where it will be forwarded to Mr Martin for his consideration. Please note a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation would not constitute as an exceptional circumstance.
Rewarding Excellent Attendance
Students who attain 100% attendance every half term will receive a personalised email from the Headteacher and five students will be placed in a draw to win a early lunch pass for the week. If they achieve 100% in a whole term, they will receive a personalised email from the Headteacher and five students will be placed in a draw to win a free school meal for the week. In addition to this, all students with 100% attendance over a term will have their name entered into a prize draw, which takes place at the end of the school year: May (for Year 11 & 13) & July (for Years 7-10 & 12). The more terms that a student attends without absence, the more entries they have in the draw, which increases their chances of winning. Prizes of Amazon Vouchers range from £5 – £50.
By working together, we can help students reach their full potential and make the most of the opportunities school has to offer. If you feel you would like support with your child’s attendance or well-being, please do not hesitate to contact their Head of Year.
Absence Reporting
If your child is unable to attend school due to illness, urgent appointments or other reasons please use the Arbor Parent Portal App (instructions shown below), telephone the 24hr school absence line on 01582 314800 or email absence@kwschool.co.uk by 8.30am at the latest, on the first day of absence and every subsequent day thereafter.
- Please provide your child’s name and tutor group
- Please give as much detail as possible for the reason of absence, avoiding using terms such as ‘unwell’ or ‘under the weather’
- If you fail to contact the school to inform us of your child’s absence, this will be referred to our safeguarding team who may consider it is appropriate to complete a safe and well check
Reporting Absences on Arbor Parent Portal APP – Guide
In order to report absence through the Arbor Parent Portal APP, go to the home page of the Arbor app.
To record an absence, click on the Quick Actions button and then click Attendance
Please note that informing the school is a key responsibility of parents/carers. When staff from both the attendance and safeguarding team take time out of their day to chase families, it detracts from the support we can offer to students in school. Therefore, please ensure all reports are made by 8.30am.
Where possible, please give plenty of notice for any planned absence, for example hospital appointments, by using the Arbor parent portal app or emailing absence@kwschool.co.uk.
Click here to view the attendance page on the website.
Click here to view the school’s attendance policy.
Chrissy Dicks & Katrina Linehan, Attendance Managers
