ATTENDANCE
Information for Parents and Carers
Why is it important for your child not to miss school?
If children do not attend school regularly they may:
- Struggle to keep up with school work.
- Make little progress in their learning.
- Miss out on the school social life.
- Find it difficult to make and maintain friendships.
- Become withdrawn and lack confidence.
Research has shown that children who are not in school are most vulnerable.
What does the law say?
By law, all children of compulsory school age must get a suitable full-time education. Once your child is registered at a school, you are responsible for making sure he or she attends. The Local Authority may take legal action against you.
The school has to report any poor attendance to the Education Welfare Officer and Local Authority. As a parent you are committing an offence if you fail to make sure that your child attends school.
School Educational Welfare Officer – Rachel Worrad
Contact details – rachelworrad@monmouthshire.gov.uk
How much time is lost?
| % Attendance during one school year | Number of days absent | Sessions absent
(2 sessions each day) |
Which is approximately weeks absent |
| 95% | 9 ½ Days | 19 Sessions | 2 Weeks |
| 92% | 15 Days | 30 Sessions | 3 Weeks |
| 90% | 19 Days | 38 Sessions | 4 Weeks |
| 85% | 28 ½ Days | 57 Sessions | 6 Weeks |
| 80% | 38 Days | 76 Sessions | 8 Weeks |
| 75% | 47 ½ Days | 95 Sessions | 9 ½ Weeks |
| 70% | 57 Days | 114 Sessions | 11 ½ Weeks |
| 65% | 67 Days | 134 Sessions | 13 ½ Weeks |
Please help your child to be punctual!
Frequent lateness can add up to a considerable amount of learning lost and can seriously disadvantage your child.
| Minutes late per day for the School Year | Number of days learning lost in a School year |
| 5 minutes | 3.4 days |
| 10 minutes | 6.9 days |
| 15 minutes | 10.3 days |
| 20 minutes | 13.8 days |
| 30 minutes | 20.7 days |
Attendance Matters!
How can parents help?
- Do not take holidays within term time.
- Do not take long weekends which result in the children losing Fridays/ Mondays.
- Always tell us where your child is. Let us know straight away via a phone call.
- If you are struggling and need help let us know.
- Always engage with the school so that we can support you. Sometimes children are ill and they cannot help being absent.
- Always attend attendance meetings if requested. These meetings are meant to be supportive and to ensure that the school is aware of any issues.
- Work with us because we only want the best educational opportunities for your child
- ‘Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.’ Albert Einstein