Holidays in Term Time

There have been many mixed messages given in recent years regarding holidays during term time and attendance in general. This has mainly been due to government legislation and the questioning of the legality of ‘zero tolerance’ approaches. As a result, our own policy has been unclear and subsequently, attendance has dipped during the last term and we are currently not on track to meet the targets set for us.

 

In light of the above, governors have met and approved a new policy for attendance and holidays in term time. The full version of this will be released early in the summer term but I have set out the main points for your consideration below:

 

• Each year we are set an attendance target by RCT. This year’s target is 95.6%
• The governors can approve a holiday of up to 5 days (once a year) if your child’s attendance has been at or above the target for the past 12 months.
• This would allow a family to take a holiday for a fortnight if attached to a school holiday.
• Any holidays taken above and beyond this would be marked as unauthorised.
• More than one unauthorised holiday taken in a year would invoke a referral to the Attendance Wellbeing Service (AWS).
• Non-engagement with the AWS or school could lead to the issuing of a Fixed Penalty Notice.

 

Each term the Senior Management Team will meet and review attendance of all pupils. Attendance levels will be banded into three colour codes based on that particular year’s target as set out in the example below:

 

Green	Attendance at 95.6% and above.
Amber	Attendance 92-95.5%
Red	Attendance less than 92%

 

Parents will be sent a letter detailing which band their child has fallen into and what this means in terms of days lost. The table below is based on national guidelines and expectations for attendance at primary school.

 

100% attendance	0 days missed	Excellent
95% attendance	9 days of absence (1 week and 4 days of learning missed)	Satisfactory
90% attendance	19 days of absence (3 weeks and 4 days of learning missed)	Poor
85% attendance	28 days of absence (5 weeks and 3 days of learning missed)	Very Poor
80% attendance	38 days of absence (7 Weeks and 3 days of learning missed)	Unacceptable

 

For some parents, 90% may seem like an acceptable level of attendance, but the reality is that 90% attendance means that your child will miss the equivalent of half a school day every week or 19 days of school during the school year.

 

These new guidelines will come into force from the beginning of the summer term 2017 and be linked to new guidelines on punctuality and lateness (to follow separately). Should you be planning to take a holiday during the summer term, please complete a holiday request form, available from Mrs James, in plenty of time to ensure your request can be reviewed.

 

Should you have any questions regarding the contents of this post, please do not hesitate to contact me in school. As always, thank you for your continued support.