Good attendance and punctuality are essential if you are to succeed at school, in fact research shows that there is a direct link between good attendance and academic progress and achievement.

Our whole school target is 97% - 100% attendance.

It is everyone's responsibility to make every effort to attend school every day.   Sometimes children may become ill or have other genuine reasons for absence.  If this is the case, please notify the office on the first day of absence, by 9:15am, if your child is unable to attend.  If we do not hear from you, we will call you to find out why your child is not in school.  If we cannot get a response or the register has closed, then your child's absent could go down as unauthorised.

As a school we are asked to inform you that, in line with the national framework for penalty notices, 10 sessions of unauthorised absence within 10 school rolling weeks may be subject to a Penalty Notice fine of £160 payable per parent, per child, which can be reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days, but only if it is the first Penalty Notice issued to you from 1^st September 2024.  If this fine is not paid within 28 days this may lead to court proceedings which could ultimately result in a criminal record and a fine of up to £2500 and/or an alternative sentence which can include up to three months imprisonment. 

If any unauthorised absence results in a second Penalty Notice issued to you within three years of the date of the first one, (from 1^st September 2024) a flat rate of £160 will apply. A third Penalty Notice will not be issued within a three-year rolling period. Therefore, alternative action or legal measures will be utilised when the criteria of 10 sessions of unauthorised absences in a 10school week rolling period are met.

Is my child too ill for school?

When your child is unwell, it can be hard deciding whether to keep them off school. These simple guidelines should help.

If your child is unwell, ask yourself the following questions.

• Is my child well enough to do the activities of the school day?
• Does my child have a condition that could be passed on to other children or school staff?
• Would I take a day off work if I had this condition?

Common conditions

If your child is ill, it’s likely to be due to one of a few minor health conditions.

Whether you send your child to school will depend on how severe you think the illness is. Use this guidance to help you make that judgement.

Remember: if you’re concerned about your child’s health, consult a GP or health professional.

• Cough and cold: A child with a minor cough or cold may attend school.  If the cold is accompanied by a raised temperature, shivers or drowsiness, the child should stay off school, visit the GP and return to school 24 hours after they start to feel better. If your child has a more severe and long-lasting cough, consult your GP.
• Raised temperature: If your child has a raised temperature, they shouldn’t attend school. They can return 24 hours after they start to feel better.
• Rash: Skin rashes can be the first sign of many infectious illnesses, such as chickenpox and measles. Children with these conditions shouldn’t attend school. If your child has a rash, check with your GP or practice nurse before sending them to school.
• Headache: A child with a minor headache doesn’t usually need to be kept off school. If the headache is more severe or is accompanied by other symptoms, such as raised temperature or drowsiness, then keep the child off school and consult your GP.
• Vomiting and diarrhoea: Children with diarrhoea and/or vomiting should definitely be kept off school until 48 hours after their symptoms have gone. Most cases of diarrhoea and vomiting in children get better without treatment, but if symptoms persist, consult your GP.
• Sore throat: A sore throat alone doesn’t have to keep a child from school. But if it’s accompanied by a high temperature, your child should stay at home.
• Chickenpox: If your child has chickenpox, keep them off school until all their spots have crusted over.

Arriving late for School

The gates open at 8:35am and shut at 8.45am.  If you arrive after 8:45am, your will need to bring your child in through the school office, where your child will be signed in. This will mean a late mark in the register.  

Medical Appointments

Please try and book appointments for your child out of school hours. If you must take your child out of school for an appointment, please let the office know in advance and provide evidence of the appointment such as a hospital letter/GP letter.

We monitor our attendance every half term.  If your child drops below 90% you will receive a stage 1 attendance letter, if it continues into the next half term and does not improve, you will receive a stage 2 letter.  

Although 90% in an exam is a good score, 90% attendance is a poor score. In fact the government class 90% and below as persistent absence. We hope to talk to you before your child reaches this level so that we can work with you as necessary and support your child's success in school.

At Lawley Village academy, we also use Working Together to Improve Attendance from the Department for Education.  This is helping us improve our attendance in line with current best practice.

Government advice to parents regarding attendance can be found here.