Attendance and Absence

At Fairfield High School we endeavour to achieve high attendance figures for the whole school.

Attending school regularly greatly improves your child's chances of fulfilling their potential and receiving a good education. A child remains of compulsory school age until the last Friday in June of the academic year in which they become 16. Young people are then required to participate in education, training or work with training until they turn 18.

We are raising the profile of attendance in school each term with form prizes each week for the registration group with the best attendance, and the group with most improved attendance.  In addition, we will continue to reward individuals who maintain high attendance figures.

Your child’s attendance figure will appear on their academic reports, and it is always requested when students change schools or transition to further education.  It is sometimes very easy to think that the odd day here and there or an afternoon missed does not really matter, but we have noticed over the past few years that in some cases these ‘occasional days’ can add up to a significant amount of time missed. We monitor attendance weekly and if we see a drop in attendance, we will send letters home to make parents/carers aware of it and to ask whether support is needed for attendance.  We can offer a range of strategies and links to external agencies if required.  The most effective strategy of all is for parents/carers and the school to work together to help our young people understand that good attendance is very important and crucial training for later life and the world of work.

 95% attendance is equivalent to a half day off every fortnight; 90% is equivalent to a day off every fortnight.  80% attendance means your child is absent for the equivalent of one day every week!  We know that this kind of absence, even in Key Stage 3, can have a big impact on GCSE grades and plans, because it has a cumulative effect.

We understand that hospital and dental appointments are usually beyond parental control, and we do not expect children to come to school if they are genuinely ill and could not manage the school day.  However, it is a legal requirement for your child/children to attend school; therefore, we are required to gather as much information as possible regarding any absence. If your child is absent from school, parents and carers have a responsibility to report this to the school and provide specific information. Students will be marked as unauthorised if there is not an appropriate or agreed reason for absence given; schools are obliged to follow up unauthorised absences and take further action in line with our Attendance Policy and the requirements of the DfE.

When 10 sessions are marked as unauthorised (5 days in total) in a 10-week period, a letter of concern is sent home and possibly a Penalty notice will be issued.

Tips to encourage good school attendance

• Ensure your child attends every day the school is open except when a statutory reason applies
• Show your child that you think school attendance is important
• Make sure you know what time the school day starts and ensure your child arrives at school on time. Arriving late can be embarrassing for your child and disruptive to the class, especially if lessons have started. Your child may miss important information which is often given at the start of the day
• Encourage good habits such as going to bed on time, reading before bed, regular bedtimes
• Encourage your child to get everything ready for school the night before
• Attend parent evenings to discuss your child's progress
• Make appointments for dentist or doctor after school hours or in school holidays where possible and make sure children return to school after an appointment if it has to be in school time
• Do not take your child on holiday during term time
• Always let the school know when your child is off school through illness and when they can expect them back
• Work with your school and Herefordshire Council to help them understand if there are barriers to your child's attendance
• Proactively engage with any formal support offered - including any parenting contract or voluntary early help plan to prevent the need for legal intervention

Procedure for Illness/Absence

Please call the absence line on 01981 551006 or email with a detailed explanation for absence to attendance@fairfield.hereford.sch.uk before 8.45am. Please ensure you update the school with this absence if it is longer than 1 day. We understand that hospital and dental appointments are usually beyond parental control, and we do not expect children to come to school if they are genuinely ill and could not manage the school day.  If your child is absent from school, parents and carers have a responsibility to report this to the school and provide specific information. Students will be marked as unauthorised if there is not an appropriate or agreed reason for absence given; schools are obliged to follow up unauthorised absences and take further action in line with our Attendance Policy and the requirements of the DfE.

Notification of Pupil Absence: 15 consecutive or cumulative days absence using Code I only:

Schools are legally required to notify the local authority where pupils are coded I (illness) and who the school has reasonable grounds to believe will miss 15 days consecutively or cumulatively because of sickness.

When 10 sessions are marked as unauthorised (5 days in total) in a 10-week period, a letter of concern is sent home and possibly a Penalty notice will be issued.

If your child is late to school, they will need to sign in at reception. Registration begins at 08.45am. Any arrivals after that time must go to reception. If lateness is a regular occurrence, we will send a letter home with details.

Medical absence

We ask if you could please arrange medical appointments before or after school if possible. This will reduce the number of lessons missed.  We expect students to return to school for the rest of the day or to come into school before an appointment unless there are specific reasons not to do so.

Please provide evidence if your child/children are required to attend a medical appointment.

This can be via a photo, screenshot or letter and sent to attendance@fairfield.hereford.sch.uk 

Letters can be photocopied upon arrival/ collection by reception. Please also call the attendance line to notify in advance of the appointment.

Please note that all information will be recorded on the student’s file.

For all other absences, please ensure an ‘Absence request form’ is completed at least two weeks prior to the absence. This can be found on the schools website under: Parents & Carers > Forms and Letters

The attendance policy is on the school website www.fairfield.hereford.sch.uk, together with information about strategies and agencies that may be able to offer support to improve attendance if needed.

Thank you for your ongoing support in this matter.

 

School anxiety and refusal parents guide

https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/a-z-guide/school-anxiety-and-refusal/