Attendance and Absence
Attendance and absence procedures
There is a great deal of evidence linking high attendance to high achievement, enjoyment of school, and improved life chances. However, we know that sometimes children are unwell and need to stay at home. If you're unsure whether your child is well enough for school, the NHS website “Is my child too Ill for School?” offers helpful advice.
Even a small drop in attendance can have a significant impact on learning. The infographic below highlights how attendance percentages relate to lost learning time:
Our attendance target at Liphook Federation is 97%
Absence
If your child is going to be absent from school for any reason, please notify the school office by 8:45am in any of the following ways:
- By using the Studybugs app
- By telephoning the school office and leaving a message on the absence line
- By emailing the school office
Please ensure that you let us know your child's name, class, and the reason for their absence. Please note that if your child has diarrhoea or sickness, they must remain off school for 48 hours after the last episode of vomiting or diarrhoea.
Appointments
Please try to avoid school hours when booking routine medical, dental, optician and hospital appointments. We do understand that this is not always possible, in which case please let us know in advance so that we can let the relevant members of staff know.
Holidays
Parents are requested not to take family holidays during school term time. Headteachers are only allowed to authorise absences under exceptional circumstances; when requesting an authorised absence from school, you will need to explain why the circumstances are exceptional. The DFE does not consider a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation to be an exceptional circumstance. If you take your child out of school without permission, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised and this may result in a Penalty Notice being issued. The Information on Penalty Notices leaflet gives further details.
Unexplained absence
If your child is absent from school and we do not hear from you by 9am, we will telephone you. If we are unable to contact you by telephone, we will phone other named contacts that you have given us until we are able to establish the reasons for absence and that your child is safe. In the event that we are unable to make contact and we are concerned for the safety and well-being of your child, we may contact the police or Children’s Services.
Promoting Good Attendance
Following Hampshire’s model attendance policy, we share your child’s attendance with you every half term. If you are experiencing difficulties with attendance, please contact us - we are here to help.
Support available includes:
- Pastoral support for any concerns affecting attendance
- Strategies to help with morning routines
- Referrals to external services if needed
Punctuality
Please ensure that your child arrives on time for school each day. Pupils who arrive after registers have closed at 8:45 am will be given a late mark on your child’s attendance record. Please note that lessons, e.g. phonics, reading and spelling, start straight after the register.
Further information
The following links provide further information regarding the school’s approach to attendance at school:
Attendance guidance for Parents/Carers (links to Hampshire website)
