ATTENDANCE AT MEDWAY

Medway is committed to ensuring that every child has access to a high-quality educational experience which allows them to fulfil their potential.  Attendance at school is a legal requirement and is important to a child’s social development and academic success.

Regular attendance and good punctuality at school are essential for good success.

There is a clear link between poor school attendance and lower academic achievement. If children are not in class, they are NOT LEARNING!

Research conducted by the Department of Education has shown that attendance is the most significant factor affecting how well children achieve in school.

We do understand that, in some cases, underlying medical or health issues can affect attendance, and in these cases, we would urge you to contact our admin team or Mr Atkinson/Mr Duda to discuss the impact of these issues on your child’s education. Working together, we should be able to improve your child’s school experience and attendance.

ABSENCE FROM SCHOOL

By law, children are required to attend school for 190 days each year. At Medway, our aim is for all children to have 100% attendance, and we view children’s attendance in the following way:

100%	Outstanding
98.01%-99.99%	Excellent (with no unauthorised absence)
96.01% - 98%	Good (with no unauthorised absence)
90.01% - 96%	Requires Improvement
90% & Under	Persistent Absentee

The table below shows how quickly even a few days from school can negatively impact on the learning time that children miss out on:

Attendance during one school year	days absent	weeks absent	lessons missed
95%	9 Days	2 Weeks	40 lessons
90%	19 Days	4 Weeks	80 lessons
85%	29 Days	6 Weeks	120 lessons
80%	38 Days	8 Weeks	160 lessons
75%	48 Days	10 Weeks	200 lessons
70%	57 Days	11.5 Weeks	230 lessons

If Your Child is Sick

If your son or daughter is absent from school, please notify the office by 8.30 am on 01162544811. You should do this on the first day of absence and every day after that until your child returns to school. In addition, a note explaining your child’s absence should be brought in and handed to the staff at reception on their return.

Please note: High levels of absence due to illness will not be authorised unless medical evidence from a doctor is provided.

Medical Appointments

Please try to avoid making any appointments with the dentist, optician, or doctor during the school day. If a school-time appointment is unavoidable, please make sure your child attends school before and after the appointment.

Please note: Medical evidence is required for all appointments.

Family Holidays in Term Time

By law we can no longer authorise holidays during term time. Parents wishing to take their child on holiday should do so during the school holidays.

Please note: If your child has an unauthorised leave of absence for any reason, you may either be issued with a Penalty Notice of £120 per parent per child (discounted to £60 if paid within 21 days), or your case could be referred by the Local Authority directly to the Magistrates' Court.

Persistent Absence (PA) Pupils

The definition of a PA pupil is now any pupil who misses 10% or more of their education.

If your child’s attendance drops to 90% and below, they become classified as a Persistent Absence (PA) pupil. This will automatically result in the Education Welfare Service becoming involved and taking action. To avoid this happening, it is absolutely essential that your child’s attendance remains as close to 100% as possible.

Medway is committed to ensuring that all our children achieve their full potential. We work hard to monitor each pupil's attendance and provide support and guidance where necessary. Equally, as a parent/carer, it is your responsibility to ensure that your child’s attendance remains as far above 96% as possible. If you have any concerns about attendance or punctuality, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher in the first instance.

HOW ARE WE DOING?

For your information, below are Medway’s whole-school attendance figures for the past three years.

School Year	Term 1	Term 2	Term 3	Year End
2021 - 22	90.2%	91.2%	91.3%	90.9%
2019-20	93.1%	88.2%	61.9%	91.0%
2018-19	92.7%	93.6%	91.4%	92.9%

 

Penalty Notice Information

For unauthorised absence from August 2024, Penalty Notices will increase to £160 per parent per child (discounted to £80 if paid within 21 days).  If there is an occasion to issue a second Penalty Notice for unauthorised leave of absence within a rolling 3-year period, it will be issued at the higher rate of £160 per parent per child, with no opportunity to pay at the lower level.  A Penalty Notice cannot be issued if there is a third occasion of unauthorised leave of absence in the rolling 3-year period, and it is highly likely that the local authority will take direct prosecution action in the Magistrates’ Court, which could result in you receiving a criminal conviction.  Please also be aware that any cases of extended unauthorised absence linked to holidays or trips away are highly likely to result in prosecution by the local authority.

If your child has unauthorised leave of absence, you will either be issued with a Penalty Notice of £120 per parent per child (discounted to £60 if paid within 21 days), or your case will be referred by the Local Authority directly to the Magistrates’ Court.