Attendance
Do You Know Your Child’s Attendance Figures?
How does your child compare?
| Attendance during one school year | equals this number of days absent | which is approximately this many weeks absent | which means that this number of lessons are missed |
| 100% | 0 days | 0 weeks | 0 lessons |
| 95% | 10 days | 2 weeks | 40 lessons |
| 90% | 19 days | 4 weeks | 80 lessons |
| 80% | 38 days | 8 weeks | 160 lessons |
| 70% | 57 days | 11.5 weeks | 230 lessons |
Frequent absence can add up to a considerable amount of lost learning and can seriously disadvantage your child in adult life.
All Warrington Primary Academy Trust Headteachers have agreed in line with government guidance, that unless exceptional circumstances can be proved, any absence for a holiday will be treated as an unauthorised absence.
Leave of absence will be given for attendance at medical or dental appointments or for examinations in music, dance etc. However, where possible such appointments should be made outside of school.
Why is Punctuality so Important?
It is a GREAT START to the day, putting your child in a positive frame of mind to make the most of the day’s learning and activities. Punctuality is linked to good attendance and as we know, good attenders have more opportunities and therefore achieve more!
Also…
It helps your child make friends (in the playground) which leads to improved self confidence and therefore SUCCESS!
Types of Lateness
Registers close at 9am. Persistent lates will lose this time and be unauthorised from 9.30am.
Late before the register closes: Your child is a few minutes late, but they have missed the opportunity to say hello and play with friends. They are likely to feel unsettled and embarrassed as they start morning lessons.
Late after register closes: This counts as an unauthorised absence and will show on your child’s attendance record. Not only has your child missed the chance to meet with their friends before school, they are likely to have missed the start of lessons and could feel unsettled, embarrassed and much less confident than their classmates as the lesson moves on.
Did you realise minutes late soon lead to missing days:
Minutes late per day |
Equivalent of missing |
| 5 minutes | 3.4 school days a year |
| 10 minutes | 6.9 school days a year |
| 15 minutes | 10.3 school days a year |
| 20 minutes | 13.8 school days a year |
| 30 minutes | 20.7 school days a year |
Holidays in Term Time
Ditton Primary Academy School DO NOT authorise holidays in term time.
Term time holidays have become one of the major reasons for absence from school. Contrary to popular belief, there is no entitlement to ten days off school for family holidays. What the law actually provides for is exceptional circumstances. All Warrington Head Teachers have agreed that, unless exceptional circumstances can be proved, any absence for a family holiday in future will be treated as an unauthorised absence.
It is much harder to help children recoup the learning and school experiences lost when they are taken out of school to go on term time holidays. We understand the economic pressures every family now faces, and share the frustration felt by many at having to pay more for breaks within school holiday times.
We recognise that more needs to be done by the government and the travel industry to regulate and reduce these prices but we cannot allow children's education to be put at risk because of high holiday costs.
We urge all parents and carers to work with us and book family time and breaks away during the 175 days of the year when our schools are not open for learning. This will give every child the same chance to take advantage of the rich educational and social experiences our school provides.
WPAT are in the process of introducing a significant fining system for absence due to holidays. Further information will be issued to parents/carers soon as possible. In the meantime parents/carers will be referred to a meeting with our safeguarding/welfare team if they submit a holiday request during term time.