Our Attendance Vision

Attendance and punctuality are priorities at Whitworth Community High School. Students need to be in school every day so that they have access to the whole curriculum.

Attendance also forms part of the wider safeguarding picture. It is therefore vital that attendance is tracked and monitored carefully so that appropriate interventions can be put in place to support students and their families to sustain regular attendance.

We live by our motto, "Climbing Higher", with a profound belief that every student, regardless of their background, deserves to reach their full potential. Regular attendance is vital if this potential is to be reached.

We recognise that the climb is different for each individual and family. Therefore, our unwavering commitment is to provide the bespoke support and guidance required by different students and families.

Attendance is led by the Attendance Champion, who is also a member of the Senior Leadership Team. The Attendance Champion ensures that effective systems for improving attendance and tackling absence are maintained and followed consistently by all staff.

Attendance is everyone's responsibility. This includes form tutors, who play a vital pastoral role, and teaching staff, who support students to catch up when they have gaps in their learning due to absence.

Attendance at Whitworth Community High School

At Whitworth Community High School, we believe that excellent attendance is essential for academic success, wellbeing and future life chances.

There is a clear link between regular attendance and strong achievement, positive relationships and successful transitions into further education, training and employment.

Our aim is to work in partnership with families to ensure every student attends school regularly, punctually and safely unless absence is unavoidable.

Our whole-school attendance target is 97%, although we encourage all students to aim for 100% attendance wherever possible.

Why Attendance Matters

• Every day of learning counts.
• Absence disrupts learning and progress.
• Poor attendance can affect confidence, friendships and wellbeing.
• Regular attendance helps students build routines, resilience and independence.

Department for Education research has highlighted the importance of regular attendance. Findings include:

• Year 11 students with near-perfect attendance have substantially greater odds of achieving Grade 5 or above in English and Mathematics than students with lower attendance.
• Persistent absence during secondary school is associated with lower earnings in adulthood.
• Each additional day of absence from Years 7 to 11 is associated with a reduction in estimated future lifetime earnings.

Parents and carers have a legal responsibility to ensure that children of compulsory school age who are registered at school attend regularly.

Reporting Absence – What Parents/Carers Must Do

If your child is going to be absent, parents/carers must inform the school as soon as possible and no later than 8:45 am on each day of absence.

Absence can be reported by:

• EduLink One
• Telephone: 01706 343218

Please ensure that the school always has up-to-date contact details for parents/carers and emergency contacts.

If the school does not receive notification of an absence:

• The school will contact parents/carers on the first day of absence.
• Emergency contacts may be contacted.
• A home visit may be carried out as part of our safeguarding procedures, where appropriate.

Where no reason for absence has been provided, the absence will initially be recorded while the reason is established. If no acceptable reason is provided, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised.

Illness and Medical Absence

Absence may be authorised where a student is too ill to attend school.

Parents/carers should inform the school of the reason for illness absence as soon as possible.

Schools are not expected to routinely request medical evidence to support illness absence. In most cases, a parent/carer's notification that their child is too ill to attend will be sufficient.

Where the school has genuine and reasonable concerns about the reason for absence, or requires further information in order to record the absence accurately, appropriate supporting evidence may be requested.

Medical and dental appointments should be arranged outside school hours wherever possible.

Where this is not possible, parents/carers should inform the school in advance and may be asked to provide confirmation of the appointment.

Students should attend school before and/or after appointments wherever reasonably possible.

If you are unsure whether your child is well enough to attend school, NHS guidance can help you decide.

Appointments During the School Day

If your child needs to leave school during the day:

• Parents/carers must inform the school in advance.
• Parents/carers may be asked to provide confirmation of the appointment.
• Students must sign in and out via Reception.

Students will not be allowed to leave the school site without prior agreement.

Religious Observance

The school will authorise absence where a student is unable to attend school on a day that is exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which their parent/carer belongs.

Parents/carers should inform the school in advance wherever possible.

Requests for additional time away from school that do not meet the criteria for religious observance will be considered in accordance with the school's leave of absence procedures.

Punctuality – Arriving on Time Matters

The school day begins at 8:45 am. Students are expected to be in school and ready to learn at this time.

• The morning register closes at 9:15 am.
• Students arriving after 8:45 am must sign in at Reception.
• Students arriving after the register has closed without an authorised reason will receive an unauthorised absence mark for that session.

Being 10 minutes late every day can result in a significant amount of lost learning over the course of a school year.

Persistent lateness may result in:

• Detentions.
• Parent/carer meetings.
• Attendance support and intervention.
• Further action where appropriate.

Persistent and Severe Absence

Persistent Absence (PA) is where a student misses 10% or more of their possible school sessions.

Severe Absence (SA) is where a student misses 50% or more of their possible school sessions.

Where attendance becomes a concern, we will:

• Contact parents/carers early.
• Offer meetings and support.
• Work with students and families to understand the barriers to attendance.
• Use attendance contracts and action plans where appropriate.
• Involve external agencies where appropriate.
• Consider further intervention where support has not resulted in sufficient improvement.

Our focus is always on working with families and providing support to remove barriers to attendance.

Leave of Absence During Term Time

There is no automatic right for parents/carers to take their child out of school during term time.

Leave of absence may only be authorised where the Headteacher considers that exceptional circumstances apply.

Whitworth Community High School asks parents/carers to submit requests for leave of absence at least 10 school days in advance wherever possible.

Each request will be considered individually.

Leave taken without permission, or beyond the period that has been authorised, will be recorded as unauthorised absence.

Unauthorised absence may result in a referral to Lancashire County Council for consideration of a penalty notice or other legal intervention.

Penalty Notices – Important Information

A national framework for school attendance penalty notices has applied since 19 August 2024.

A penalty notice must be considered when a student reaches the national threshold of:

10 sessions of unauthorised absence within a rolling period of 10 school weeks.

Ten sessions are usually equivalent to five school days.

The unauthorised sessions:

• Do not need to be consecutive.
• Can be made up of different types of unauthorised absence.
• Can include sessions where a student arrives after the register has closed and the absence is recorded as unauthorised.

Reaching the national threshold does not automatically mean that a penalty notice will be issued. Each case will be considered individually, taking account of the circumstances and whether appropriate support has been offered or would be appropriate.

Penalty Notice Charges

First penalty notice

A first penalty notice is charged at £160 per parent, per child.

This is reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days.

If the £80 is not paid within 21 days, the full amount of £160 must be paid within 28 days.

Second penalty notice within three years

A second penalty notice issued to the same parent for the same child within a rolling three-year period is charged at £160.

There is no reduced payment option for a second penalty notice.

Further offences

A maximum of two penalty notices may be issued to the same parent for the same child within a rolling three-year period.

If the national threshold is met for a further time within that three-year period, another penalty notice cannot normally be issued and other legal action, including prosecution, may be considered.

Penalty notices are issued to each parent who is legally responsible for the child's attendance.

Notice to Improve

Where appropriate, a Notice to Improve may be issued before a penalty notice is considered.

A Notice to Improve provides parents/carers with a further opportunity to engage with support and demonstrate an improvement in their child's attendance.

A Notice to Improve would not normally be issued in cases involving unauthorised leave of absence during term time.

Legal Action

Where attendance does not improve despite support and intervention, or where support is not appropriate or has not been engaged with, further legal intervention may be considered.

This may include:

• Penalty notices.
• Prosecution under the Education Act 1996.
• Education Supervision Orders.
• Parenting Orders or other legal interventions where appropriate.

Decisions about legal action are made in accordance with Department for Education guidance and Lancashire County Council procedures.

Supporting Students Who Struggle to Attend

If your child is reluctant to attend school, please contact us as early as possible.

We will work with you and your child to understand the reasons for absence and identify appropriate support.

Support may include:

• School-based strategies.
• Pastoral support.
• Attendance action plans.
• Early Help.
• Support from external agencies.
• Reasonable adjustments where appropriate.
• Work with other professionals supporting the child or family.

We believe that every child has a right to full-time education and we are committed to working with families to identify and remove barriers to regular attendance.

Who to Contact About Attendance

Attendance Office – Mrs S Jackson
attendance@whitworth.lancs.sch.uk

Attendance Manager – Mr J Shepherd
j.shepherd@whitworth.lancs.sch.uk

Attendance Champion – Mr A Kewin, Deputy Headteacher
a.kewin@whitworth.lancs.sch.uk