Attendance
Excellence, Care and Partnership
We expect good attendance and punctuality from our students. Absence from school affects attainment, wellbeing and can also be a risk to the safeguarding of students. We consider an attendance rate of at least 96% to be good. Persistent absence (PA) is defined as an attendance rate of 90% or below and this equates to missing 19 days of school in a year. Parents/carers are responsible for making sure that their children attend school regularly and we will work with parents to support them with this responsibility.
How parents can monitor attendance of their children
Class Charts is best way for parents to monitor homework, behaviour and attendance of their children. Please contact school through info@earls.dudley.sch.uk if you would like us to resend the log in details for your Class Charts account.
If you need to report an absence
The parent/carer must notify the school on the first day and subsequent days of any unplanned absence by 8.30am or as soon as practically possible either by using the Class Charts App, email to attendance@earls.dudley.sch.uk or telephoning 01384 8168406.
We encourage parents/carers to make medical and dental appointments out of school hours.
Lateness to school
The school register is taken each morning at 8.40am. Students will be marked as late if they are not in their form room for registration. When students are repeatedly late for registration or for lessons during the day, they will be given a detention by their Year Co-ordinator.
When attendance becomes a concern
We strive to provide a welcoming, caring environment, where each member of the school community feels valued and secure. Children are, however, sometimes reluctant to attend school. In these instances, the school and parents will work together to ensure that any barriers to attending school are removed.
All interventions by the school will be sensitive to the individual needs and circumstances of the student. They may involve the Form Tutor, Year Co-ordinator, Head of School, Assistant Headteacher or other members of the Pastoral Team.
We will be proactive in supporting families when attendance begins to be a concern and will meet informally with the student and their family to identify any barriers to attending school.
Parents may also be invited to an Attendance Clinic when there are ongoing concerns about attendance and this will be followed by an Attendance Action Plan and planned review points where the school and parents will evaluate the impact of the action plan.
If a student’s absence continues to rise, we will consider involving other outside agencies.
Holidays and other requests or leave of absence
The headteacher will only authorise holiday during term-time in exceptional circumstances. You should put your request in writing to the school as soon as possible. If you go on a holiday without the authorisation of the headteacher, you may be liable to pay a fine and/or be prosecuted for non-attendance.
If you have any concerns about attendance, please get in touch using the attendance@earls.dudley.sch.uk email. Our full attendance policy can be found on the school website here.
Support with Attendance
If you or your child need further support with attendance to school, please don’t hesitate to contact their form tutor, Year Co-Ordinator or Mrs Reynolds.
Persistent Absenteeism
If a student’ attendance falls to 90% they are classed as persistently absent. Parents will be contacted, and a meeting arranged to provide support and address any barriers.
| Attendance for school year | Approximate number of days absent | Approximate weeks missed | Approximate lessons missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95% | 10 | 2 | 40 |
| 90% | 20 | 4 | 80 |
| 85% | 30 | 6 | 120 |
| 80% | 40 | 8 | 160 |
(Scroll right to see all data.)
Holidays in Term Time
Headteachers are now only allowed to authorise any leave of absence when an application has been made in advance, and it is felt to be for an exceptional circumstance. The annual family holiday would not be deemed an exceptional circumstance.
A letter from a primary parent or carer must be sent to the Headteacher at least two weeks before and must be agreed to before the leave begins. This is not an entitlement and holidays taken in term time will adversely affect your child’s attendance record and their academic progress.
If a leave of absence is taken during term time without permission, this will be marked in the school register as an unauthorised absence, and further action may be taken. The school works closely with Education Inclusion Service to monitor attendance.