Attendance & Punctuality

The law entitles every child of compulsory school age to an efficient, full-time education suitable to their age, ability and any special educational need they may have.  We all know that good school attendance is essential if children - if a child is absent they miss valuable lesson time which can have a negative effect on their progress and attainment, as well as their safety and wellbeing.  Good school attendance But it is directly linked to higher achievement as well as reducing the likelihood of them getting involved in antisocial behaviour and/or crime.  For secondary-aged learners in particular, good attendance and punctuality shows potential employers that they are reliable and worth investing in as an employee.

The Education Act 1996 outlines that it is the legal responsibility of every parent to ensure their child(ren) receives that education by attendance at school or by education other than at school (EOTAS) and that any parent is guilty of an offence if their child fails to attend their registered school regularly.  The same Act also stipulates that for the purposes of Education Law, parent includes: all biological parents, whether they are married or not; any person who, although not a biological parent, has parental responsibility for a child or young person - this could be an adoptive parent, a step-parent, guardian or other relative; any person who, although not a biological parent and does not have parental responsibility, has care of a child or young person. This could be one parent, both parents and/or carers.

New statutory guidance from the Department for Education - Working Together to Improve School Attendance - came into effect in August 2024 which requires all schools and local partners to work with families to remove barriers to learning and deal with the root causes of absence.  It is has always been our practice to work with learners and their parents/carers to improve attendance and punctuality - how we manage and improve attendance is set out in our Attendance & Absence Management Policy.

Our Attendance and Engagement Officers, Mr D Heyes and Mr M Ratcliffe, work closely with the Attendance Enforcement Team at Wigan Council, and with the mainstream schools of our dual-registered learners.  They are  also available for families to chat with and offer suggestions to support getting your child into school, and on time. This may include:

• home visits;
• meeting learners in school to offer support and advice;
• liaison between home and school to improve communication links and resolve any difficulties that have hindered progress.
• working in partnership with other agencies to promote the child’s welfare and gain appropriate support e.g referrals to Startwell.

What can you do to support your child to attend school regularly, and on time?

• Familiarise yourself with our Attendance & Absence Management Policy and Procedures;
• Check our website for term dates and any school closures;
• Chat with your child about their school day;
• Attend our Review Days and Celebration events with your child;
• Let your children know you care and that if they are experiencing any difficulties, that they can talk to you;
• Do not allow your child to be absent without good cause -  birthdays, haircuts or shopping are not good causes;
• Arrange visits to the doctor, dentist, opticians etc for outside of school hours whenever possible;
• Arrange family holidays during the school holidays not in term time;
• Tell us if your child has to be off school (preferably prior to absence or on the first day of illness) 
• If there are any problems, speak to your child’s class/form teacher, Head of House or one of our Attendance & Engagement Officers.