Attendance

School attendance policy: a quick guide for parents

At Avon Valley School, we are committed to ensuring that every child has the best possible chance to succeed, both academically and socially. This guide clarifies the school's expectations and your responsibilities regarding student attendance and punctuality.

We believe that excellent attendance is vital to your child's success.  Where possible, pupils should aim for 95% attendance to school (equivalent to 10 days missed per year).

Why Attendance Matters

Good attendance to school is directly linked to positive outcomes in school and beyond. Research shows that students who attend school regularly:

• Achieve higher grades, particularly at GCSE.
• Develop stronger friendships and social skills.
• Build confidence and resilience.
• Are better prepared for further education, apprenticeships and employment.

Your Legal Responsibilities

As a parent or carer, you have a legal responsibility to ensure your child attends school regularly and on time, and to provide a reason to school for any absences.

Authorised Absences

All absences must be explained and authorised by the school.  These absences will be authorised by school following contact with parent/carer.

Reporting An Illness

If your child is too ill for school, please report the absence on each day of the illness. This can be done via each of the following methods:

• Telephone - calling into the main school office on 01788 542355 and select the attendance option
• Classcharts (this is the quickest and easiest way to report)
• Email – absences@avonvalleyschool.uk

Please do not report absences on the MyEd app. This app is only used for finance.

According to NHS guidance pupils should only be off school for sickness and diarrhoea (48 hours off), a temperature or infectious disease – for example chickenpox (not a cough or cold). Many illnesses can now be treated by the local pharmacy. 

Please find the link below for guidance:

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

Leave of Absence (LOA)

We fully understand that children may sometimes need time off for illness or other unavoidable reasons or opportunities. When incidences of this occur, we would like to work with families to minimise lost learning and support pupils to return as soon as possible. However, we encourage families to keep absences to a minimum and to work with us if you are experiencing difficulties with attending school.

If you do require time off school, please ensure a LOA form is completed and sent into school. As a school we follow statutory guidance from the Department for Education and the Local Authority. We are unable to approve/consider a holiday request without prior notice. LOA forms can be found on the school website or requested at the attendance office in school. The link below outlines the process around holidays during term time and the fines imposed. These fines are not received by the school.

Penalty Notices Fines for School Unauthorised Absences and Lateness

ATTEND Communications

Following positive feedback last year, we will be using the communication tool ‘ATTEND’ to send personalised messages/updates to parents via email and text related to school attendance. These messages will contain:

• Updates on your child’s current attendance status.
• Achievable improvement targets.
• Communicate positive messages of celebration when milestones or improvements are met.

Parents are welcome to respond to these message when they are received to communicate with staff. 

How You Can Support Your Child:

• Encourage good routines, including regular bedtimes.
• Aim to arrive at school on time each day (Tutor time starts at 8:45).
• Avoid taking holidays during term time – Any absence should be applied for in advance via a leave of absence form.
• Contact the school if you are facing any challenges that affect your child’s attendance—we are here to help.
• It is normal for children to feel anxious at times about school. If this persists and becomes a concern, please inform school as soon as possible for us to support.

Together, we can make sure your child gets the very best from their education. Your support is vital in ensuring that your child makes the most of every learning opportunity.

Frequently Asked Questions

My child has a medical/dental appointment in school time. Should I re-book it in non-school time?

Yes, please try to make all non-emergency appointments outside of the school day. If this is not possible, please give the school as much notice as possible of the intended appointment. Absences not accepted by the school will be unauthorised.

What is Truancy?

Truancy is a form of unauthorised absence when a child deliberately misses school. Parents, however, remain legally responsible for this absence.  If attendance does not improve, a referral may be made to Warwickshire Attendance Service (WAS) and this may result in legal action.

Sometimes my child arrives to school late. Is this okay?

No. Punctuality is a legal requirement. Children who arrive late miss important learning and disrupt the class.  We monitor lateness carefully because it is often a precursor to later absenteeism.

• The Attendance Lead can only authorise leave of absences in exceptional circumstances. Leave is unlikely, however, to be granted for the purpose of a family holiday.

• Where parents are separated, only the parent with residence may make an application and must do so on behalf of the other parent if that parent wishes to take the child out of school.

• If a leave of absence request is granted, the Attendance Lead will determine the length of time the child can be away from school.

• If you have to apply for a Leave of Absence, you should do so BEFORE booking transport and accommodation to avoid disappointment.

• Leave of absences which are unauthorised should not be taken. If they do so, parents are committing an offence and may be subject to a Fixed Penalty Notice or prosecution.

Penalty Notices Fines for School Unauthorised Absences and Lateness

What age does my child finish school?

Once a child is registered in school, attendance is compulsory until the last Friday in June of the academic year in which the child turns 16 (Year 11).

Impact of Attendance

The following table indicates the impact of absence on your child’s learning and progress and any action school is legally required to take:

For further advice about attendance/Leave of Absence visit our policies page.

Attendance Info