Somerset Education Committee

OAKE, BRADFORD & NYNEHEAD Oake, TAUNTON C of E (VC) PRIMARY SCHOOL Somerset Headteacher: Nick Gilding TA4 1AZ Tel: 01823 461533 Fax: 01823 461478 Email: [email protected]

2018 年 5 月 11 日星期五 Dear Parents / Carers,

During the last academic year, our pupils’ attendance had reached a level which prompted a visit by our Local Authority Attendance Officer. We met to discuss why our school’s attendance was falling below other local schools. On average, attendance was below 95% for the year, with a significant number of pupils below 90%. Two aspects that stood out in comparison to other schools were:  High levels of ‘Unauthorised Holiday’  Frequent absences of one or two days due to illness.

Regular attendance at school is extremely important. The best way for our pupils to fully engage with their learning and to do the best that they can is to have consistency and continuity at school. This is increasingly the case, as teaching is planned on a day-to-day basis to meet individual needs identified in the previous lessons. When pupils are absent, even for a day, this can have an immediate effect on their learning, as every lesson is structured to ensure that all children make progress.

The situation has been discussed by the governing body, with a clear agreement on the steps that are needed to improve our attendance and a review of our attendance policy to make sure that it is clear for all.

In line with national guidelines, we are only able to approve holiday requests when ‘exceptional circumstances’ are evidenced. Despite this, there was not any significant reduction in the number of absences for holidays being taken last year. Parents should be aware that, in cases where patterns of repeated unauthorised absence (including holidays) are identified, the process should move to the next stage which is warning notices and fines. The escalation of measures will be dependent on individual circumstances and levels of attendance, in line with our attendance policy, which is published on our website.

As a parent myself, I understand that the high levels of short-term illness absence are not a straightforward thing to address. The simple thing we can ask is that, on those days when your child seems just a little below par, please encourage them to give it a go rather than opt to stay off. We can always contact you if there is a dip during the day, but it is surprising how often children, who one moment seem to be ailing, can suddenly be revitalised by playtime or a great activity in class. (Of course, the 48 hour recovery period following sickness / diarrhoea still applies.) See attached: revised procedures for reporting absences.

Should attendance issues come to light, we will be contacting families individually to discuss the situation and try to plan a way to address any concerns. We will also be introducing some simple things in school to positively encourage and recognise good attendance and I would ask for the support of all parents to help us lift the overall level – surely 96% is possible this year? I will keep you posted…

Thank you,

Nick Gilding