Attendance and Holidays during term time

School Attendance

By law, all children of compulsory school age must get a suitable, full-time education. As a parent/carer, you are responsible for making sure this happens. Once your child is registered at St. Edmund’s CofE Primary & Nursery School, you are responsible for making sure your child has regular and punctual attendance at school.  

Parents are legally responsible for their child attending regularly

All children of compulsory school age must receive a suitable full-time education.

Parents:

  • Must make sure their child is regularly attending school or ‘otherwise’ receiving suitable, full-time education
  • Are guilty of an offence if their child doesn’t regularly attend school (if they’re registered at that school)

This is set out in sections 7 and 444(1) of the Education Act (1996).

The DfE reiterates that responsibility for ensuring attendance lies with parents, which includes caregivers or anyone with parental responsibility, in its school attendance parental responsibility measures guidance (page 5).

The Importance of School Attendance

We want our children at St. Edmund’s CofE Primary & Nursery School to enjoy coming to school. Our attendance ‘floor target’ is 96% (Ofsted ‘Good’), but we aspire for 100%! Research has proven that there is a high correlation between school attendance and academic performance and success. Absence from school is often the greatest single cause of poor performance and achievement. 

Why is it so important to attend every day?

  • Learning is a progressive activity; each day’s lessons build upon those of the previous day(s).
  • Reading the material and completing work independently does not compensate for direct interaction with the teacher.
  • Many classes use discussions, demonstrations, experiments and participation as part of the daily learning activities, and these cannot be made up by those who are absent.

Are there other benefits to my child?

  • Pupils with good attendance records generally achieve higher grades and enjoy school more.
  • Having a good education will help to give your child the best possible start in life.
  • Regular school attendance patterns encourage the development of other responsible patterns of behaviour.

Useful Resources:

  • Nottinghamshire County Council Going to school regularly is important to your child’s future. Children who miss school frequently can fall behind with their work and do less well in exams. Good attendance shows potential employers that your child is reliable. Research suggests that children who attend school regularly could also be at less risk of getting involved in antisocial behaviour or crime.
  • DfE Working together to improve School Attendance, 2024 This is guidance from the Department for Education (DfE). This guidance is statutory, and schools, trusts, governing bodies, and local authorities must have regard to it as part of their efforts to maintain high levels of school attendance
  • NHS: is my child too ill for school? It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school, nursery or playgroup when they’re unwell. There are government guidelines for schools and nurseries about health protection and managing specific infectious diseases at GOV.UK. These say when children should be kept off school and when they shouldn’t.
  • NHS: Should my child go to school/nursery today?  Regular attendance at school helps your child to build skills and life-long friendships and prepares them for future success. It can be difficult to know whether your child is too ill or too anxious to attend school. The advice below can support you in making a decision about when to send your child to school/nursery.

School Avoidance:

  • Young Minds If your child is anxious about school, or they are unable to go to school, we have advice on supporting them and working with the school and other services.