As well as having good attendance, parents also have a responsibility to ensure that their child arrives at school on time and stays in school during the day.

If a pupil is five minutes late to school each day they have missed three school days each year. Pupils often miss important messages and have an unsettled start to the day. It can lead to their confidence being undermined and in some circumstances to unacceptable behaviour because the pupil is struggling with the set work. This should help explain why being on time is so important.

Legal action can involve a penalty notice (£120 fine per pupil per parent reduced to £60 if paid within 21 days) or in more serious cases parents being prosecuted with a maximum fine of £2500. Parenting orders may also be issued requiring parents to attend counselling and guidance programmes, usually a parenting class. Where parents fail to pay fines, or the law around regular attendance is repeatedly broken and previous legal interventions have been ineffective, parents can face a period of imprisonment. Ensuring regular attendance at school is important and the consequences of breaking the law are serious.

Although school has a responsibility to liaise closely with the Local Authority (LA) and provide information which may be required to support legal action, our aim is to prevent this from being necessary. At Co-op Academy North Manchester we pride ourselves on our ability to support families and help young people thrive. We have the will and expertise to help and even in specialist circumstances where we are unable to help, we can signpost you to the right services and support you in this process. If you are experiencing difficulties with your child, and you haven’t kept school informed, please pick up the phone today and ask to speak with your child’s Head of Year. We are here to help!

Many pupils have time off school for illnesses that are manageable on the school site with the help of over the counter medication e.g. headaches, colds, muscle pain etc. If your child presents as ill at home, you should go to the local pharmacy and ask for the appropriate medication. If you then contact school with the required information, we can monitor your child and issue any medication in line with your instructions and school policy. Guidance on whether your child is fit enough and medically able to attend school can be found here Public Health Agency It is rare for pupils who take the positive decision to try to manage their illness through the school day have to be sent home, but of course if this is necessary school will contact you to make the necessary arrangements. Often school can be a helpful distraction and although pupils may not always complete work to their usual standard, not missing out on the ideas they are exposed to in lessons is a great help when they are fully fit and well again. Many pupils feel a huge sense of pride when they get to the end of the school day having successfully managed an illness and at Co-op Academy North Manchester, we would commend them on their resilience.

• Illness which is severe enough to warrant time off school.
• Medical or dental appointments that cannot be made outside of school hours.
• Religious observance.
• Family bereavement for a close relative.
• Self-isolation due to a transmissible disease that poses a risk to others.

If the school agrees to authorise absence this will not lead to legal action.

We understand how tempting it must be to book a holiday in term time. Cheaper holidays (even taking the penalty notice into consideration), quieter destinations and it being easier to book time off from work are just a few of the considerations. However, you must consider the hidden cost. One or two weeks away from school can be devastating in terms of undermining learning. Learning is like building a house- a firm foundation needs to be laid and then skills and knowledge are layered like bricks. Each layer is critical to understanding what comes next. Miss some layers and learning stops making sense. Effectively there is nothing to hold the ceiling up by the time the pupil gets to the test or examination. This can result in pupils lacking confidence, losing the desire to learn, and feeling embarrassed about their test scores or not being able to complete the work. It can be the start of general disengagement and a loss of self-esteem. Over time, the consequences of a holiday in term time could lead to underachievement and lower GCSE grades. Research, and our own experience, shows that missing just 8.5 days a year will usually lead to the pupil dropping a GCSE grade, on average, in every subject. This in turn could become a barrier to career options and potential future earnings. The holiday might sound like a fantastic idea in the here and now but is it worth jeopardising your child’s future?

Attendance and punctuality are part of the criteria for reward sessions and trips. The criteria is shared with pupils at the start of each half-term through assemblies and Personal Development time.

If you have any concerns about your child’s attendance, or want to speak to anyone, then please contact your child’s form tutor, year team or Attendance Officer.