ATTENDANCE MATTERS AT BENJIES

Our role in school is to support families who are struggling to attend regularly. If your child has good attendance, then you probably won’t see very much of us!

Good attendance is 95% or above.

Between 94% and 91%, your child is at risk of being persistently absent.

Below 90%, your child is classed by the DfE as being persistently absent.

WHAT WE ASK FROM YOU…….

• Ensure your child is at school every day at 8:50am. Our gates close at 9am and after this time, your child will be marked as late.
• If your child arrives at school after 9:30 they will not get a mark in the register, and it will be an unauthorised absence.
• Try to make medical appointments, where possible, outside of the school day. If this is not possible, try to arrange them for after the afternoon registers have been taken at 1:10pm. Please provide evidence of these appointments at the school office so that we can authorise the absence.
• If your child is a little under the weather, but you think they will be ok, send them in! Often distraction is the best method. We can administer Calpol and other medicines if they start to feel a little unwell and if they are too poorly to remain at school, then we would call you to collect them.

TERM TIME HOLIDAYS

• Unfortunately, since the law changed in 2013, we have been unable to authorise term time holidays. As a result, a request for leave of absence will not be granted for the purpose of a holiday unless deemed to be 'exceptional circumstances’. See our school policy. Term time holidays will receive a fine from the Local Authority and they are following non-payment of these fines up with legal action where the cost of the fine increases significantly.
• If you wish to seek approval for any request of absence for your child from School, then you must apply in writing to the Head Teacher, at least four weeks in advance of the requested for absence. Any exceptional circumstances must be clearly set out in the written request to the Head Teacher who will consider each case.

FINALLY….

We are here to help, so if you are struggling to get your child to school for whatever reason, then please reach out to us and we will try our very best to support you.