Attendance
The law entitles every child of compulsory school age to an efficient, full-time education suitable to their age, aptitude, and any special educational need they may have. It is the legal responsibility of every parent to make sure their child receives that education either by attendance at a school or by education otherwise than at a school.
Where parents decide to have their child registered at school, they have an additional legal duty to ensure their child attends that school regularly. This means their child must attend every day that the school is open, except in a small number of allowable circumstances such as being too ill to attend or being given permission for an absence in advance from the school.
This is essential for pupils to get the most out of their school experience, including their attainment, wellbeing, and wider life chances. The pupils with the highest attainment at the end of key stage 2 and key stage 4 have higher rates of attendance over the key stage compared to those with the lowest attainment. At KS4, pupils not achieving grade 9 to 4 in English and maths had an overall absence rate of 8.8%, compared to 5.2% among those achieving grade 4. The overall absence rate of pupils not achieving grade 9 to 4 was over twice as high as those achieving grade 9 to 5 (8.8% compared to 3.7%).
For the most vulnerable pupils, regular attendance is also an important protective factor and the best opportunity for needs to be identified and support provided. Research has shown associations between regular absence from school and several extra familial harms, including crime (the proportion of children that had been cautioned or sentenced for any offence that had ever been persistently absent was 81% and for serious violence offence was 85%).
Wyvern expects all students to maintain an attendance of above 95% and to strive for above 97%.
Attendance below 95% is considered a cause for concern and the school will seek to work with parents in partnership to improve the child’s attendance through supportive measures first. Where support has been offered and either not engaged with, or was not effective, the school is expected to protect the child’s right to a full-time education by working with the local authority to improve attendance through Attendance Legal Intervention measures if necessary.
To encourage and celebrate consistent attendance, we have implemented several rewards and recognition strategies:
- Praise Trips: Students with outstanding attendance may qualify for exciting praise trips, providing an additional incentive to attend regularly.
- Weekly Recognition: Each week, students who maintain good attendance and punctuality are awarded house points. These points contribute to our house system, building a sense of pride and friendly competition.
- Termly Praise Postcards: Students who demonstrate strong attendance each term receive praise postcards as a personal acknowledgment of their commitment.
- Celebration Assemblies: Strong attendance is celebrated in year group assemblies, where students with exemplary attendance records receive rewards and recognition.
- Half-Termly Absence Reports: Students with low absence rates are acknowledged via praise comments in half-termly absence reports, congratulating them for their dedication.
We aim to motivate all students to attend school regularly, and we’re proud to recognise those who do.
Late Arrivals
The College has a centralised system used for monitoring lateness to tutor time and to lessons. A student’s weekly count of lates will include both tutor time and lesson lates. Sanctions are applied based on the following thresholds:
- 1–3 Lates per Week: No sanction
- 4–6 Lates per Week: 30-minute after-school detention
- 7+ Lates per Week: 75-minute after-school detention
If a student receives a sanction for lateness and parents would like further details they should contact detentions@wyvern.hants.sch.uk.
Reporting late arrivals
If a student will be late due to an appointment, parents/carers are asked to report this by 8:15 a.m. A note in the student’s logbook is required unless the late arrival has been reported via phone or message. Upon arrival after morning registration, students must sign in at Student Services or the Welfare Office.
The Headteacher has the discretion to grant term time absence only in exceptional circumstances. Under DFE guidance, family holidays would not meet the criteria of exceptional circumstances and would be unauthorised. Any such absences could result in the issuing of a £160 fixed Penalty Notice to each parent for each child absent. For any request for leave of absence during term-time, we ask that parents complete a ‘request for leave of absence’ form and submit this in advance of the absence.
Application Form For Leave of Absence
Note, it is important that parents understand that the school is only able to issue two Penalty Notices within a three-year rolling period, so if there are further instances of unauthorised absence that meet the national threshold within this timeframe it is possible a referral to the local authority Attendance Legal Intervention Team will be made which can lead to a prosecution.
Below are some further guides for parents/carers on attendance matters.
Monitoring Attendance and Support for Students & Families
Illness and Medical Appointments Guidance
Penanlty Notice Guidance from Hampshire Local Autority
Hampshire County Council offers a highly respected, parent-targeted guide. You can find it under their Educational Psychology materials here: Hampshire EBSA guidance for parents.
The college's Attendance and Punctuality Policy can be viewed on the Policy Page.
Please direct all attendance queries to our Attendance Officer: Mrs Clark- k.clark@wyvern.hants.sch.uk