At Cherry Orchard Primary School we value the importance of regular attendance at school and we strive to have the highest attendance possible.  High attendance (97% +) is essential to ensure uninterrupted progress and to enable children to fully develop their learning potential.

The attendance patterns for all children is monitored on a weekly basis, with the school seeking to work actively with parents to ensure a regular pattern is maintained.  When a child’s attendance drops below an acceptable level parents will receive a letter and then could be invited into school for a meeting. More detail about this can be found in our Attendance policy below.

Attendance is published weekly in the newsletter, with breakdowns by year group. Your child's individual attendance can be found on the ScholarPack app.

Research has shown that poor attendance can seriously affect each child's:-

• attainment in school
• progress in school
• attitude towards learning
• relationships with other children and their ability to form lasting friendships
• confidence to attempt new work and work alongside others
• long-term life chances

 

Punctuality

It is very important that children are on time, every day for school.  Our gates open at 8:30am. At 8:45am, children should be in class as lessons start straight away.  If children are not coming into school until 9:00am, they will have already missed 15 minutes of learning time.  Over a week, this will equate to missing 1 ¹/4  hours of learning which is 5 hours per month.

Please ensure your children, for their benefit, are in school and on time every day.

If your child arrives after 9:15am, they will receive a U code on the register which effectively means that they miss a whole session.

 

Absence

Illness and Medical Appointments

If your child is unwell and can’t attend school, then please contact the School Office by 9:00am to inform us.  As part of our Safeguarding Procedures, the school office will endeavour to contact the parent or carer and other emergency contacts if no message has been received regarding the reason for the absence, to check on the safety of the child. If there has been no contact, we will carry out a home visit.

a) Every effort should be made to arrange medical appointments outside school hours.

b) An appointment card or verification by the doctors/ dentist/hospital is required.

c) If it is necessary for a child to be out of school for this reason, the child should be returned to school directly after the appointment.

d) If your child is absent due to vomiting and diarrhea then they should not return to school for the next 48 hours.  The 48 hour period starts from the last time that the child is ill. This is to reduce the risk of spreading the infection to other children and adults at the school.

e) Medical certificates are required for absence greater than five days.

 

The NHS gives the following advice on how long children should stay off school if they are unwell.

Vomiting or diarrhoea – 48 hours after the symptoms have stopped

Chicken pox – when all the spots have crusted over – usually 5 days after they first appeared.

Impetigo – 48 hours after starting prescription medication, or when the patches have crusted over if they aren’t taking medication.

Scarlet fever – 24 hours after starting antibiotics

Hand, foot and mouth – As long as your child is feeling unwell but there is no need to wait until the blisters heal before they return.

Measles – at least 4 days after the rash develops.

Scabies – 24 hours after the first treatment.

Shingles – When the last blister has scabbed, usually 10-14 days after they first appear.

There is no need for your child to stay off school with the following conditions, unless they’re feeling unwell.

Slapped cheek,       Headlice, once treated,      Coughs and colds,      Threadworms,         Ringworm,       Verrucas

 

Planned Absence - Family Holidays

The school recognises that pupil absence during term time can seriously disrupt a pupil’s continuity of learning. Parents are requested not to take their children out of school during term time.  Pupils will only be given permission to take leave in term time if there are exceptional circumstances.

As a school we are asked to inform you that, in line with Worcestershire County Council Policy, unauthorised absence may be subject to a penalty notice fine of £80 payable per parent, per child, increasing to £160 each if not paid within 21 days. If no payment is received within 28 days this may lead to court proceedings.

A 'Leave of Absence' form can be requested by visiting the school office in person. Please complete this form to request leave for an exceptional reason.

Our key priority is to ensure that our pupils are as successful as possible and achieve their full potential.  Please support the Local Authority and Government policy stating that holidays should be only be taken in the 13 weeks of school holidays, except in exceptional circumstances. 

 

Persistently absent

We will keep you updated throughout the year regarding your child’s attendance. If attendance falls below 90%, we will send you a letter and offer you support to help to improve this. Your child’s attendance will be closely monitored thereafter. If attendance continues to fall, we will invite you in for a meeting and set up an action plan to support better attendance. We may also carry out a home visit as part of our welfare check.

 

Legal Consequences of Poor Attendance 

• Penalty Notices: Parents can be issued penalty notices for unauthorised absences that meet a specific threshold. The national threshold is 10 sessions (usually 5 school days) of unauthorised absence within a rolling 10 school-week period. If two parents have responsibility for two children with irregular attendance, four penalty notices would be issued. 

• Prosecution: Failure to secure regular attendance can lead to fines and/or imprisonment. 

• Attendance Contracts: These are formal written agreements between a parent and the school or local authority to address irregular attendance. 

• Education Supervision Order: A legally binding order through the Family Court if an attendance contract is not adhered to. 

• Parenting Orders: Courts can order parents to attend counselling or guidance sessions to improve their child's attendance.