ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOL
North Lanarkshire Council have recently updated their attendance policy, and supporting resources. Please access the NLC leaflet ‘Attendance Matters’ using the link below. This has useful and accessible guidance for parents and carers.
Attendance Matters Print Version Proof (1)
Section 30 of the 1980 Education Act lays a duty on every parent of a child of ‘school age’ to ensure that their child attends school regularly. Attendance must be recorded twice a day, morning and afternoon. Regulation 7 of the Education (School and Placing Information) (Scotland) Amendment, Etc., Regulations 1993 requires each child’s absence from school to be recorded in the school register as authorised or unauthorised As defined by the Scottish Government. If your child is likely to be absent for some time, please inform the school by letter or telephone. Please give your child a note on his or her return to school to confirm the reason for his/her absence. Our school also operates a texting service which is used to check on pupil absences.
At the start of each school session, parents will be asked to provide contact details including at least one emergency contact number. Parents are required to inform the school if these contact details change during the course of the year.
Parents and carers are asked to inform the school if a pupil is unable to attend from the start of the school day on the first day of absence. Failure to do so will result in school staff accessing all contact numbers provided for the child. In the interests of child safety police will be contacted if all attempts to locate the child have been exhausted.
Parents should be asked to inform the school by letter or telephone if their child is likely to be absent for some time, and to give the child a note on his or her return to school confirming the reason for absence.
Where the school has nursery provision a statement should be included on nursery management procedures.
Family holidays during Term Time
Every effort should be made to avoid family holidays during term time as this both disrupts the child’s education and reduces learning time. Parents/Guardians should inform the school by letter of the dates, before going on holiday. Absences will be classified as authorised only in exceptional circumstances. Such circumstances may include:-
- A family holiday judged to be important to the wellbeing and cohesion of the family, following serious or terminal illness, bereavement or other traumatic events.
A family holiday classified under the ‘authorised absence’ category will not include such reasons as:
- The availability of cheap holidays.
- The availability of desired accommodation
- Poor weather experience during school holidays
- Holidays which overlap the beginning or end of term
- Parental difficulty obtaining leave (except in cases where evidence is provided by the employer that it cannot accommodate leave during school holidays without serious consequences).
Family holidays with the above similar characteristics will be classified as unauthorised absence. Where the head teacher’s prior agreement has not been sought the absence will automatically be classed as unauthorised.
Extended leave with parental consent
Where most family holidays will be recorded as unauthorised absence (see above) extended leave with parental consent will not be considered the same as a family holiday. Leave in such circumstances will be authorised under circumstances such as:-
- Extended overseas educational trips not organised by the school
- Short term parental placement abroad
- Family returning to its country of origin (to care for a relative, or for cultural reasons).
- Leave in relation to the children of travelling families.
Exceptional Domestic Circumstances
Parents may request permission for such leave in writing and the school may authorise such requests under the following circumstances:
· The period immediately after an accident or illness
· A period of serious or critical illness of a close relative
- A domestic crisis which causes serious disruption to the family home, causing temporary relocation.
Teachers monitor attendance very closely and will notify the head teacher if a child’s attendance is causing concern. In the first instance a warning letter and a print out of the attendance will be sent to the parent/guardian. If the situation persists a meeting will be arranged to discuss ways of improving the child’s attendance.
If an absence is unexplained, the school attendance officer will be contacted and asked to investigate. The authority has the power to write to, interview or prosecute parents, or refer pupils to the reporter of the children’s hearings if necessary.
When a child does not return to school after lunchtime because he/she is unwell, we would appreciate a message being sent to the school, so we do not initiate a search for a lost child.
Attendance and Absence Data
Absence rates are calculated as a percentage of the total number of possible attendance for all pupils of the school in the stage shown, each morning and afternoon of each school day being a separate possible attendance.
The data for North Lanarkshire and Scotland includes all education authority and grant-aided primary schools but excludes all special schools.
