Attendance
There is a strong link between good school attendance and achieving good results for students. If students frequently miss school they may fall behind in their work which may affect their future prospects.
No student in our Academy will feel that less than 100% attendance is good enough. Students will be able to understand and be able to articulate that there is a direct correlation between the number of days that they attend school and the grades they achieve.
Good school attendance also shows future employers that a young person is reliable, more likely to achieve well, earn more and play a positive role in their community.
At Consett Academy we aim to support individuals of all abilities and aspirations to fulfil their potential through learning.
- 365 days in a calendar year…
- 175 days not in school!
- All this time for holidays and appointments.
- 90% attendance is like having a day off every two weeks.
- Lateness = Lost Learning
*(Figures below are calculated over a school year)
- 5 minutes late each day 3 days lost!
- 10 minutes late each day 6.5 days lost!
- 15 minutes late each day 10 days lost!
- 20 minutes late each day 13 days lost!
- 30 minutes late each day 19 days lost!
Parents and carers are by far the most important influence on children’s lives and learning and it is parents and carers who are responsible for making sure their child is educated.
We are happy to help you resolve any issues there may be affecting your child’s attendance, please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss the support we can offer.
If your child’s attendance is poor, their Year Manager may contact you to offer advice. If appropriate a member of staff, may visit you to help you get your child back to school.
Your child should be aiming for at least 95% attendance.
Please see our policy page for our Attendance & Punctuality Policy.
What can we do to support your child
You can help prevent your child missing school by:
- making sure they understand the importance of good attendance and punctuality;
- taking an interest in their education – ask about school work and encourage them to get involved in school activities;
- discussing any problems they may have at the Academy – inform their Year Manager about anything serious;
- not letting them take time off school for minor ailments, particularly those which would not prevent you from going to work; and
- arranging appointments and outings after school hours, at weekends or during school holidays will help to prevent disruption to your child’s education and to the school.
What the Law states
As a parent/carer, you’re legally responsible for making sure that your child attends the Academy regularly unless you’re home-educating. Parents/carers must ensure that a reason for absence is reported to school on the first day of absence, ideally before 9.30am, and every day of absence, this can be done by either:
- telephoning the Academy on 01207 507001 or
- via Weduc;
- emailing the Academy studentabsence@consettacademy.org.uk;
- A letter confirming the reason for absence must be sent on your child’s return to the Academy.
Family Holidays in Term Time
We appreciate that many holidays were cancelled due to the pandemic. If you booked a holiday that has now been rearranged by the holiday company for term time, we will only authorise this if you can prove that the original booking was made for during the school holidays.
All requests for absence during term time should have proof attached. If your employee cannot offer you holiday time during school holidays, we will only accept a letter from your employee on letter headed paper.
Please note that all absences are only authorised by the Headteacher not the parent.
Time lost by children and young people due to family holidays taken in term time can be disruptive to their education.
We advise that wherever possible, absence from school should be avoided as it can have a serious effect on your child’s educational progress, and can create difficulties for them on their return to school. Many parents say that the time their child misses because of a holiday doesn’t affect their school work. However, a child who has 10 days holiday each year of their school life will miss 24 weeks (nearly a full school year) of their formal education. This is in addition to absences – for instance, if your child is ill. If, after serious consideration of this, you still propose to take your child away from school for a holiday, it is important to note that in line with government guidelines, Consett Academy will not agree to leave of absence unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Requests for the following reasons are not considered to be exceptional circumstances;
- Availability of cheap holidays
- Availability of desired accommodation
- Poor weather experienced in school holiday periods
- Overlapping with beginning or end of term
Where children have unauthorised absences in term time, legal action may be taken against each parent under the following legislation:
Section 444(1) of the Education Act 1996 provides that a parent commits an offence if his or her child, being of compulsory school age, fails to attend regularly the school at which he or she is a registered pupil. Section 444A allows for a penalty notice to be issued to parents who commit such an offence. Please see DCC Holidays in School Time information for parents booklet.
Failure to pay may result in prosecution where on conviction you would be liable to a fine of up to £1000. Please see DCC Penalty factsheet.