Attendance
Holy Family Catholic School is working in partnership with parents and the Local Authority to improve school attendance. We would like to congratulate the many parents who make sure their children attend school regularly
Absence disrupts the education of the individual pupil and the whole class. Are you aware that children who do not attend regularly:
- Do not achieve well in exams;
- Find it difficult to maintain friendships;
- Are more likely to become involved in crime;
- Miss out on opportunities in further education and the world of work?
Lost Learning due to Poor Attendance
The chart below identifies the possible amount of lost learning due to poor attendance:
| Attendance during the school year | Equals this number of days absent | Which is approx this many weeks absent | Which means this number of lessons missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95% | 9 days | 2 weeks | 50 lessons |
| 90% | 19 days | 4 weeks | 100 lessons |
| 85% | 29 days | 6 weeks | 150 lessons |
| 80% | 38 days | 8 weeks | 200 lessons |
Associated Documents
Absence from School
Reporting Absences
Parents and carers should contact the school office by phone or in person if their child needs to be absent from school.
Authorised Absences
Acceptable reasons include sickness, hospital appointments, dentist appointments, and religious observances (one day per holiday ONLY) and funerals. Medical appointments should be arranged outside of school hours, if possible. Where this is not possible, we expect parents to provide proof of the appointment and we expect pupils to only miss part of the day.
Unauthorised Absences
Some reasons absences may not be authorised include visiting relatives, taking additional days for a religious observances, and going on holiday outside of school holidays.
To request any leave in term time – for exceptional circumstances only – see our Leave in Term Time Request Form.
Holidays/Trips
The school supports the view that every school day counts and discourages parents from taking holidays during term time.