THE BIG FOCUS on SCHOOL ATTENDANCE 2025-20262 September 2025 (by admin) |
You may have read about it in the national news this week...SCHOOL ATTENDANCE MATTERS! It is a regular message we send out at St. Bernard's BECAUSE YOUR CHILD'S SCHOOL ATTENDANCE means OPPORUNITIES FOR LIFE! It's that important!
School attendance at St. Bernard's (in all school establishments really!) is VITALLY IMPORTANT. Your child's attendance really matters.
We continue to get lots of requests from parents for extended leave during term time. Please be aware that periods of extended leave will not be authorised during term time - if you take your child out of school for extended leave then you will be fined by the ELT. The Education Legal Team and Authority correspond with parents regarding this - they process fines, penalty notices, and can process court proceedings. Please remember this. The Authority and ELT work with every educational establishment.
Please note...
It is vital that your child is in school every day and on time - a reminder that the school gates close at 8:45 each day (8.30am/8.45am). WINDOW of OPPORTUNITY of 15 minutes to get your child safely into school.
Of course we realise there can be genuine reasons for pupil absence (sickness, significant medical and underlying health issues). Just keep the school office informed accordingly. It's about working in partnership.
As the attached table shows, even a small amount of time missed can have a huge impact on your child's development and could lead to them falling significantly behind their peers (and it's not just about academic performance, it's about emotional and social personal development) :
|
% of attendance in a school year |
Number of days absent |
Weeks missed |
|
98% |
4 |
Less than 1 week |
|
95% |
9.5 |
Nearly 2 weeks |
|
90% |
19 |
Nearly 4 weeks |
|
85% |
28.5 |
Nearly 6 weeks |