Attendance expectations

At St Anthony's, it is expected that all children will arrive on time and achieve an attendance percentage of 97% or above. 

An attendance rate of 95% or above is considered good by the Department for Education (DfE).

An attendance rate of 90% or below is categorised as 'persistent absence' by the DfE and the school and parents need to work together to improve this.

An attendance rate of 50% or below is classified as 'severe absence'.

Poor attendance and punctuality will be monitored and we will liaise with parents/carers and pupils in an effort to support and improve a child’s attendance.

Under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996, ‘The parent/guardian is responsible for ensuring their child receives a full time education.’  For more details about how we manage attendance, please view our attendance policy in the Policies section of our website.

Why attendance matters

It is important to develop good attendance habits early with children and parents model this when they prioritise school attendance and punctuality.  

Both the school and parents have a legal duty with regards to student attendance so we need to work together.  Communication between the school and parents is vital. Student absence from school for any reason (illness, appointments, leave for exceptional circumstances) will cause your child to miss lessons and it will affect your child’s education so we encourage open and honest communication between parents and the school. 

What happens if my child is late for school?

School gates open at 8.25am and close at 8.35am.  The school day starts at 8.30am.  Children arriving late (after 8.35am) need to be signed in by an adult at the school office with a reason given for the late arrival.  They will receive a late mark in the register and the number of minutes late will be recorded.

Medical appointments

Wherever possible, medical appointments should be booked outside the school day but we recognise that this is not always achievable.  If the appointment is early, we expect your child to return to school after the appointment and vice versa if the appointment is later in the school day.  It is not reasonable to take a whole day off for an appointment.

When a child is absent due to a medical appointment, please email or visit the school office to provide a copy of the appointment confirmation so this absence can be authorised.

Leave of absence requests

Any leave of absence must be requested using the 'absence request form' below.  A leave of absence will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances eg:

- death or serious illness of a close family member (mother, father, sibling or grandparent)

- wedding or funeral for a close family member (mother, father, sibling or grandparent)

- sporting event or performing arts competition at county or national level, if the child is participating

Holidays during term-time are not considered exceptional circumstances.

Is my child well enough to attend school?

If your child is unwell, it is essential that you telephone the school office (01489 579100) to report your child's absence and the reason why for every day your child is off school.

During the winter, with illnesses circulating at high levels, the UK Health Security Agency (UK HSA) advice remains clear that children can continue to attend school as normal unless they are unwell and have a high temperature.  There is no requirement to be absent from school on a precautionary basis and all schools must continue to maintain high expectations for face to face attendance.  To reduce the spread of common viruses, we have CO2 monitors in each classroom and we purge rooms with clean air as often as needed.

For these reasons, we do not provide home learning for children who are unwell unless there is a long-term reason for the child's absence.  Instead, your child should stay at home to recover until they are well enough to return to school.

It can be difficult to decide if your child is well enough to attend school so we suggest the following:

• A child should not attend if he/she has a fever/temperature and is feeling unwell enough that he/she cannot perform his/her normal daily activities.
• If a child has vomited or suffered diarrhea, it is important that they do not return to school until 48 hours after the last episode of sickness/diarrhea.

To help you decide whether your child is well enough for school, please use the link for further advice provided by the NHS: