Attendance

Attendance at Chaselea

At Chaselea, we are committed to supporting every pupil to attend school regularly and punctually. Good attendance is essential for learning, wellbeing, and long‑term success, and we work closely with parents and carers to ensure that all pupils receive the best possible support. Anyone who is struggling to get their child into school to contact our Attendance Manager Ms Rebecca Hammond to discuss the reasons and work on ways to improve attendance.

Daily Attendance Expectations

Start of the school day

• 8:45 am – School begins. Pupils should arrive by this time and are welcome to join us for breakfast.
• 9:05 am – Lesson 1 starts.
• After 9:15 am – Arrival after this time is recorded as Late after the register has closed. This counts as an unauthorised absence and contributes to any potential statutory referrals or penalty notices.

Please ensure your child is in school by 8:45 am each day. Persistent lateness may be recorded as unauthorised absence.

Our Approach to Attendance

We work positively with pupils and families to encourage good attendance. Pupils who demonstrate excellent attendance and punctuality are entered into our weekly attendance reward raffle.

Reporting an Absence

For safeguarding reasons, it is essential that parents/carers inform us every day aAchild is absent.

Please call the school on 01543 227095 (option 1)

If we do not hear from you, we will contact parents/carers to check that your child is safe. School takes pupil`s absence as a priority, to ensure the safeguarding of our pupils. If school do not receive contact from parent/carer by the 2nd day absence a Safe and Well Check will be implemented by a member of the school`s staffing team. Where necessary, we may also request a welfare check from Social Care or the Police. This ensures we meet our duty of care.

Unauthorised absences will remain on the register until a reason is provided.
Attendance Codes: What They Mean

Schools record attendance using codes for the morning and afternoon session. Common examples include:

• M – Medical appointment (doctor, dentist, etc.)
• I – Illness (genuine, notified by parents/carers)
• G – Unauthorised holiday
• L – Late (before the register closes)
• U – Late (after the register closes) – unauthorised
• O – Unauthorised absence or no reason provided

To avoid an O code, please ensure you contact us with the reason for your child’s absence. Accumulated unauthorised absences, including U codes, may result in fines or legal action.

Important: For medical and similar appointments, please provide a copy of the appointment card or letter to the school reception for the attention of the Attendance Team.

If a pupil becomes unwell during the day, they must speak to a member of the Senior Leadership Team, who will then contact home.

Support for Ongoing Attendance Concerns

We closely monitor attendance. If a pupil’s attendance drops below 90%, we may involve our Education Welfare Officer (EWO).

This may result in an Attendance Meeting either in school or by phone.

These meetings aim to identify reasons for absence, understand any difficulties, and work together to improve attendance.

Term-Time Absence

In line with Government and Local Authority policy:

• Holidays taken during term time are recorded as unauthorised.
• Schools must report attendance to the DfE and Staffordshire County Council.
• We cannot authorise holidays during term time.

How Parents/Carers Can Help

You can support your child’s attendance by:

• Informing school promptly if your child must be absent
• Talking to your child about their school day
• Attending Review Days and meetings
• Familiarising yourself with our Attendance Policy
• Avoiding absences unless absolutely necessary
• Arranging family holidays outside of term time
• Booking medical appointments outside school hours where possible
• Not allowing absences for birthdays, haircuts, or shopping
• Contacting your child’s teacher, Deputy Head, or Headteacher if issues arise

What the Law Says

Parents/carers have a legal duty to ensure their child receives an appropriate education, either through regular school attendance or otherwise, as outlined in:

• Education Act (Sections 445–447)
• Children Act 1989 (Section 36)
• Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 (Section 19, February 2004)

Key points:

• Children must attend school every day and arrive on time.
• Children must not be permitted to work during school hours.
• Parents/carers may face a fine of up to £2,500, community service or up to three months’
• imprisonment for failing to secure school attendance.
• Penalty Notices (up to £120) may be issued for periods of unauthorised absence, including holidays taken in term time)