In this feature we share some helpful tips from our school attendance team that might be useful to help your child to develop good habits from the start of the new school year and get the most out of their time at school.
Did you know...
Having an attendance level of just 90% is the same as having half a day off every week of the academic year
Parents and carers have a legal responsibility for making sure their child gets a full-time education. Children must get an education from the school term after their fifth birthday until the last Friday in June in the school year they turn 16.
For most parents, this means making sure their child is in school every day, except when:
- they are too ill to go to school
- there are exceptional circumstances and the headteacher has given permission
- your religious body has a day especially for religious observance.
There is a small list of reasons why absence from school is acceptable, which are if your child has a contagious disease, or if they have a medical appointment that could not be arranged during the school holidays or after school hours.
The following reasons are not considered acceptable reasons for missing school, according to the policy set by government including if they do not have uniform, their birthday falls on a school day, they have a minor illness such as a headache or stomach ache, their parents are ill or their school work is too hard.
To help your child get the most out of their education you could:
- Pack school bags the night before or encourage them to make this a habit when they get home if they’re in secondary school
- Check they have everything they need such as books, PE kit and lunch money
- Make sure their uniform is ready, especially after the weekend
- Make sure they get to bed at a reasonable time so they have a good night’s sleep. Younger children who are persistently sleep deprived seem irritable, overactive and cannot concentrate, which can be mistaken for ADHD
- Set an alarm clock so you can all wake up in plenty of time to get ready for school properly
- Encourage your child to eat breakfast
- Set off for school in plenty of time to allow for traffic – being punctual is important for your child’s development and to ensure the rest of the class is not disrupted
- Talk to your child’s school if your child is finding work hard you to discuss your concerns
- Contact the school straight away if you are unhappy about something happening during the day
- Talk to your child about what they did in school each day
Children who have concerns about attending school should be encouraged to speak to a trusted adult.
Getting to school each day
It is important your child arrives on time each day. Arriving late to school is unsettling for a child and it can be disruptive for their teacher and other children in the same class.
What to do if your child finds it challenging to attend school or arrive on time
There is support available for parents and carers of children who find it challenging to attend school all the time or arrive on time.
Visit www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-attendance for more information.
