Attendance

At Cedar Hall School, we believe in developing good patterns of attendance and set high expectations for the attendance and punctuality for all our pupils from the outset. It is a central part of our school’s vision, values, ethos, and day to day life. Parents and Carers are at the forefront of this and your commitment to getting your child into school as much as possible is greatly appreciated. 

We also understand that illnesses occur and are very hard to avoid, and there are times when children genuinely need time away from school. However, there is a strong connection between attendance, attainment, safeguarding and wellbeing of pupils, and as a school, we expect children to attend every session available to them so they can benefit from the educational opportunities provided. For more information on deciding whether to keep your child off school, please refer to the NHS guidance on Is my child too ill for school?  

If your child is absent from school due to illness or an appointment, it is important that you let us know on the first day of absence. Cedar Hall has a secure system for reporting your child’s absence.  The Studybugs app is free to download or you can register on the Studybugs website . If you prefer there is also an automated absence line that can be reached by telephoning the school on 01268 77472 after 8.30am.

The Department for Education has introduced a new statutory national framework that all schools in England must follow, and we wanted to make you aware of some of the key updates include:  

● Schools must rigorously use attendance data to identify patterns of poor attendance as soon as possible so all parties can work together to resolve them before they become persistent and entrenched.  

● Schools must ensure that attendance improvement is prioritised and strategies and action plans are put in place for pupils with persistent (90% or below) and severe (50% or below) absence.  

● Schools are to continue to work closely with each identified pupil and their families to understand and address the reasons for absence, and come up with an attendance contract if attendance doesn’t improve.  

● There continues to be no entitlement in law for pupils to take time off during the term to go on holiday. The law specifies that headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are "exceptional circumstances".  

● A new national threshold of 10 sessions (usually equivalent to 5 school days) of unauthorised absence within a rolling 10 school week period will now mean schools have to consider a penalty notice and/or family attendance plans. These sessions do not have to be consecutive and can be made up of a combination of any type of unauthorised absence, including lateness.  

● If a Penalty Notice is issued for an offence of unauthorised absence, the first will attract a fine of up to £160 per parent, per pupil (£80 if paid within 21 days);  

● A second offence in three years will attract a fine of £160 per parent, per pupil.  

● Schools cannot issue a third penalty notice in 3 years, and must consider other sanctions, which may include prosecution.  

Refer to the links below for further information and guidance:  

● Cedar Hall School Attendance Policy  

● Essex County Council School attendance and absence page  

● The DfE’s blog post designed for parents - How to improve your child’s school attendance and where to get support