Attendance at Chessbrook ESC

Good attendance rates and punctuality are vital for students to succeed in their education. We would expect that all students aim for 100% attendance but recognise that this is not always possible.

If we have any concerns about attendance, we like to work in partnership with the child and their family to ensure that absence is kept to a minimum and any missed work is available for completion.

Attendance is monitored daily and any students whose overall attendance falls below 90% would be a real cause for concern and would require us to seek the support of the Local Authority Attendance Team.

The statutory framework and the fixed penalty notice

Under Section 444 of the 1996 Education Act, a pupil is required to attend regularly at the school / education provision where he/she is a registered pupil.

The school is obliged by law to differentiate between authorised and unauthorised absence. 

A letter or telephone message from a parent does not in itself authorise an absence. Only if the school is satisfied as to the validity of the explanation offered by the letter/message, will the absence be authorised.

At Chessbrook ESC, we expect parents to work closely with us to address any concerns around their child’s attendance. 

If a student has had 10 sessions (1 day = 2 sessions) or more of unauthorised absence in the current and/or previous term (including unauthorised holidays) the Head Teacher may ask the Local Authority to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice. 

First offence: £160 per parent, if paid within 28 days of being issued, this amount is reduced to £80 if paid within the first 21 days of being issued

Second offence: The penalty notice is payable at the full amount of £160 within 28 days of the date of being issued 

Third offence: In a case where the national threshold is met for a third time within 3 years, alternative action will be taken instead. This will often include considering prosecution, but may include other tools such as one of the other attendance legal interventions. 

Procedure for reporting absence

If your child is unable to attend for any reason, you should:

• Telephone Chessbrook as early as possibly, no later than 8.30am, to inform them of the reason for absence
• If your child is going to be absent for more than one day, you should call each morning
• If your child has not arrived and we have not received a telephone call, we will contact you by 8.45am

Please note that the final decision of whether or not to authorise an absence rests with Chessbrook. Our preference is for all medical appointments to be made outside of the school day and we would therefore ask that you provide evidence for appointments within the school day.

Holidays in term time

Holidays during term time are only permitted in exceptional circumstances and only with the explicit permission of the Headteacher. Any request for holidays during term time must be made in writing. Parents should be aware that holidays taken during term time will have a detrimental impact on a child’s learning.

Missed Learning Opportunities

Days off school add up to missed learning:

• 100% attendance = No missed learning - PERFECT
• 95% attendance = 9 days of learning lost
• 90% attendance = 19 days of learning lost
• 85% attendance = 28 days of learning lost
• 80% attendance = 38 days of learning lost

If you are concerned about your child’s attendance, please contact;

Miss Lessiter

Attendance and Safeguarding Officer

01923 212025