Attendance
Regular school attendance is vital if students are to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available to them in law. We encourage students to aim for 100% attendance and the minimum attendance target for each student at Stratton is 96%.
Attendance that falls below 96% is not considered to be regular attendance and we will monitor the absences of these students closely, and intervene as necessary, to support improved attendance.
We would also like to reassure parents that there is no requirement to keep a child off school for 48 hours after a bout of sickness. At Stratton we would expect a child to return to school as soon as they feel well enough to do so.
This will help to minimise stress and anxiety that may be caused due to missed work and loss of social interactions with peer groups during a spell of absence.
Attendance & Support Info (Sept. 2024)
https://www.meridiantrust.co.uk/key-information/attendance/
AM Official Registers Open at 8:40am
AM Registration Period Closes (after which students are coded 'L' Late before Registers Officially Closes) 8:50am
AM Official Registers Close (after which children are coded 'U' U/A Late 9:00am
PM Official Registers are recorded at 12:35pm
PM Official Registers Close at 12:50pm
Key Documents
Local Authority Penalty Notice Code of Conduct
Trust Attendance Policies
Trust Parent Attendance Support Information
Holidays During Term Time
Parents/carers often plan holidays in advance and as such, during the transition process, we wish to draw to your attention our policy on holidays during term time, which are actively discouraged.
- Term time holiday requests will only be authorised in exceptional extenuating circumstances
- There is no automatic right to absence for a family holiday. Holiday which has not been agreed will be coded as unauthorised and may be subject to the issuing of a Penalty Notice by the Local Authority Access and Inclusion Team.
Where extenuating circumstances exist, parents/carers are asked to write to Mr Farmer (Principal) at least 4 weeks before the date you would like the period of absence to begin. You should state the reasons for your request and the dates of the proposed absence. We hope you will appreciate that whilst we are sympathetic where genuine difficulties exist, the government guidelines are strict and we are legally required to do all that we can to work with students and their families to ensure high levels of attendance.
Each student has a target of 96% attendance and we work hard to ensure that as many students as possible either meet or exceed this.
Attendance Matters
December update 2024 - Mrs Ling
A big thank you for your ongoing support to help us maximise your young person’s attendance to access their learning here at Stratton School. You will know from our previous newsletters, there have been some significant changes this year with attendance, so we thought it would be helpful to do a reminder at the end of this first term.
The changes are due to the introduction of the statutory guidance, Working Together to Improve School Attendance August 2024, which was underpinned by the new legislation The School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024. We are pleased that the ‘support first’ relational approach to attendance that we have developed over the last decade links very well with the new guidance and legislation. They all reinforce positive relationships being key to everyone’s success and we know that this helps us to celebrate the positives with you, as well as being here to ensure supportive, early action can be taken if concerns arise.
These link to the core Stratton School values
What does the new DfE Guidance mean in a practical sense?
· We must follow the guidance, have a dedicated Senior Attendance Leader in each school, have an attendance policy in place and use the statutory coding for absences.
· We must ensure a whole school culture that promotes the benefits of attending school, that reinforces attendance is an ‘all-staff responsibility’ like safeguarding, and we must make sure everyone is aware of their role in attendance.
· We must not keep our AM and PM registration periods open for more than 30 minutes and if students arrive after that point they must be marked absent for the whole session, using an authorised or unauthorised absence code (students must sign in to be counted for fire registers).
· We should work collaboratively with others (parents, local authorities, health and other agencies) to promote the expectation of good attendance, support students to attend school and/or access the education they are legally entitled to by helping to remove barriers to education.
· The new legislation reinforces that all absence must be requested in advance and a national threshold was set at 10 unauthorised sessions of absence in a rolling 10 school weeks.
· It also reinforces that early intervention is essential and we should prevent students reaching the above threshold by monitoring and exploring all types of absence earlier, offering both informal and formal support where it is required, but where the threshold is reached, we must explore and offer that support prior to considering legal action.
· The exception to the above are absences that would not be deemed exceptional circumstances e.g., for the purpose of holidays, recreation or leisure, which carry an automatic consideration of legal action. Also, if these types of absence are repeated, legal action can be taken for the ‘pattern’ even if the 10-session threshold is not met for an individual absence event.
· Support should be done using in-school reasonable adjustments, local authority early help pathways, whole family plans and the newly introduced Attendance Contract process which are all there to nurture, support and remove barriers to attending school and promote well-being.
· Where support does not lead to improvement in attendance, we must formally warn parents/carers to give the opportunity to improve the situation but where subsequent improvement does not occur, we must consider either intense support through statutory agencies or consider legal action.
What can you do to help?
· Ensure you request all planned absence in advance and only do so for absence that can be demonstrated as exceptional circumstances - plan family trips, holidays, or events outside of term time.
· Ensure you notify us as soon as possible in the case of an emergency/illness absence.
· Where possible arrange health appointments at times that prevent absence from the AM or PM registration periods.
· Encourage and reinforce positive thinking about school and its importance with the understanding that regular attendance means attending every day the school is open unless an exceptional or statutory reason applies.
· Talk openly about school and/or any worries that occur to build self-awareness, encourage problem solving skills and boost confidence to know it is normal to be worried about things, but that we can help ourselves by sharing those worries with others.
· Proactively engage with us in supporting the removal of barriers to attendance and education.
Above all, please do speak to us if there are any concerns. We are all here to support you and your young people to make the most of their time with us.
We look forward to seeing all students on 7th January.
Historic Guidance on Covid-19
Since March 2022, there have no longer been specific rules relating to Covid-19 in schools, colleges, childcare and other education settings.
Schools have been advised to treat Covid-19 like other respiratory infections such as flu and should still be encouraging their pupils to follow basic hygiene precautions.
The full guidance is available on the Department for Education website - https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/27/what-are-the-latest-rules-around-covid-19-in-schools-colleges-nurseries-and-other-education-settings/
To help to refer to, here are some common questions and answers.
What are the symptoms of Covid-19?
- High Temperature
- Loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
- Shortness of breath
- Headache
- Aching body
- Sore throat
- Blocked or runny nose
- Loss of appetite
- Diarrhoea
- Feeling sick or being sick
- New continuous cough
The symptoms of Covid-19 are similar to illnesses such as influenza and norovirus, and it can be hard to distinguish the differences between these.
Can a child go to school if they have Covid-19 or Covid-19 symptoms?
No, a child shouldn’t attend school with Covid-19 or Covid-19 symptoms. Children and young people who are unwell and have a high temperature or who have tested positive for Covid-19 are advised to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for three days. The day of the test being day 0.
After three days if they feel well and don’t have a temperature they can return to school. If they are still unwell they should wait until they feel better and their temperature has returned to normal.
What happens if a teacher or staff member gets Covid-19?
Teachers are advised to follow the standard guidelines for adults and stay at home and avoid contact for at least five days. The day the test is taken will be counted as day 0. Schools don’t have to inform parents of Covid cases.
Does a child still need to be tested for Covid-19 if they show symptoms?
No, they don’t. Free tests are now only offered to people at risk of developing serious illness from Covid-19. This applies to adults and children. It is not recommended that children and young people are tested for Covid-19 unless directed to by a health professional.
If a parent or carer tests positive for Covid-19, can the child go to school?
Yes, the child can and should. It is only the person who has Covid-19 who is advised to stay at home, not their children or other family members.
What measures are schools still taking to prevent the spread of Covid-19?
The best protection is vaccination and all eligible pupils are encouraged to take up vaccination programmes for Covid-19 and flu. Masks are no longer recommended in schools, but the following hygiene measures are still in place:
- encouraging basic hygiene measures such as regular hand washing and cleaning
- encouraging children to cover their mouths when coughing and sneezing
- ensuring that spaces are well-ventilated and that fresh air is let in regularly
Again, to remind you, this and other guidance is available on the Department for Education website - https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/27/what-are-the-latest-rules-around-covid-19-in-schools-colleges-nurseries-and-other-education-settings/
Any major change to the guidance from the Department for Education will be issued by the school to its community.
