Attendance and Punctuality

Attending school on a regular basis is the key to your child doing well at school and will set them up with good routines for later life and the working world, as well as giving them the opportunity to: 

• Make friends and feel included 
• Learn new things and develop skills 
• Increase their confidence and self esteem 
• Improve social skills 
• Achieve their potential and fulfil aspirations 
• Every school day counts 
• Every single day a child is absent from school equates to a day of lost learning. 
• 100% attendance – No days missed 
• 95% attendance – 9 days of absence (One week and four days of learning missed) 
• 90% attendance – 19 days of absence (Three weeks and four days of learning missed) 
• 85% attendance – 28 days of absence (Five weeks and three days of learning missed) 

This is any absence that is approved by your child’s headteacher. These absences will be marked in the attendance register with an authorised absence code. 

Every parent* must make sure their child gets a full-time education that meets their needs. This can be at a school or through home education. Children must get an education between the school term after their 5th birthday and the last Friday in June in the school year they turn 16.

If a child is unexpectedly missing from school, you will be contacted by our Attendance Officer or a member of the Pastoral Administration Team.  Contact will be made if a child is missing, even for one day. Parents can be prosecuted for failing to ensure satisfactory attendance to school.

At Heritage good attendance is seen as more than simply a legal requirement. The school recognises that high levels of attendance and punctuality are essential in meeting the outcomes of the Keeping Children Safe in Education agenda. This is vitally important if scholars are to take full advantage of the full range of opportunities that the school offers and gain the appropriate skills that will equip them for life. The school also recognises the direct link between attendance and attainment and as such encourages high levels of attendance, in order for scholars to fulfil their potential academically. Evidence shows that children with poor attendance are unlikely to succeed academically and are more likely not to be in education, training or employment when they leave school.

The school aims to achieve good attendance by operating an attendance policy which enables governors, staff, scholars, parents, carers and the Education Welfare Service (EWS) to work in partnership. The school will monitor attendance and ensure quick and early intervention if a problem is identified.

As a school, we will encourage good attendance and liaise with home and other agencies when this is appropriate. Good attendance will be seen as an achievement in its own right and recognised as such by the school. The attendance policy is based on the premise of equal opportunities for all.

“Derbyshire County Council has published the following document for parents regarding Penalty Notices Advice” Penalty Notices Advice For Parents And Carers

Absence in Term Time

Parents and Carers must obtain permission from the Headteacher to take their child out of college during term time.  This should be done by completing a Leave Of Absence Request Form

Illness Guide

*The definition of a parent for school purposes is much wider than for any other situation. The Education Act 1996 defines a parent as:

All natural parents, including those that are not married;
Any person who has parental responsibility but is not a natural parent e.g. a legally appointed guardian or the Local Authority named in a Care Order;
Any person who has care of a child i.e. a person with whom the child resides and who looks after the child irrespective of the relationship

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