Good attendance is a key factor in pupil attainment and we encourage all pupils to achieve the highest possible attendance and strive for 100% attendance wherever possible. By being in school regularly, pupils have access to their full education and also the wide array of other opportunities available in school. Pupil attendance remains a high priority in the UK and all of the research suggests that regular and consistent school attendance is one of the best things we can do for our children to help improve their physical and mental health, educational attainment and future prospects.

We do, of course, understand that children get ill, and that there are sometimes times when sending your child to school is not appropriate. We also know that many families are perhaps feeling a little less confident with assessing when a child is well enough to attend school following the COVID-19 pandemic. To help with this, all schools have been issued with advice from the The Chief Medical Officer, which acknowledges that ‘school attendance is vital to the life chances of children and improves their health, wellbeing and socialisation’. Therefore, the official advice is that, generally, children are able to attend school when they have mild illnesses such as mild coughs, colds, runny noses or sore throats. Only if these symptoms are accompanied by a high temperature of above 38°C+ should children be kept at home. The following link is a helpful NHS page which may help parents / carers to decide if their child is too ill for school.

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/.

Below are some frequently asked questions regarding attendance at Aston Fields Middle School. If you have any other queries, or you need support in helping your child attend school regularly, please get in touch with your child’s form teacher, Director of Year or Mrs Wildsmith, and we will do all we can to help. We all have the same aim: a happy, healthy and content child. We very much want to work in partnership with you to achieve this.

If my child is too ill to attend school, how do I make the school aware?

Please call the school on 01527 876026 and follow the instructions to leave a message on the attendance answerphone.

If your child is absent, and we have not been made aware, you will receive an absence text.

What should I do if my child is reluctant or refusing to attend?

If your child is reluctant or refusing to attend school, please call the school as a matter of urgency so that we can help alleviate any worries or concerns. Please do not be afraid or worried to talk to us about these concerns as we all have a common goal of wanting your child to be happy and achieving their full potential.

When is my child allowed to miss school?

The law implicitly states that there are only 2 reasons for a child to miss school:

• They are too ill to attend.
• You have advance permission from the school. The circumstances in which we are able to authorise this are extremely limited.

How can I make an absence request?

All planned absences must be notified to the school as far in advance as possible, but at least 2 weeks before. If you wish to take your child out of school during term time, you should submit a formal request to the school using the term time absence form and send it to office@astonfields.worcs.sch.uk marking your email for the attention of Mrs Stacey.

Is the school likely to grant an absence request?

Each absence request is considered individually, and we may ask for supporting evidence to enable us to give full consideration to your request. However, absences will not be authorised other than in ‘exceptional circumstances’. Absence for family holiday are very unlikely to be granted. Parents / carers should be aware that the Local Authority may issue a fixed penalty notice and that if a child is taken out of school for a holiday, or any other reason, and the school is not informed, the absence will be unauthorised, and a penalty notice may be issued.

Please note that under current laws, there is a very strict interpretation of what circumstances are classed as 'exceptional'. As a guideline, cheaper holidays or absences that coincide with assessments or the start of terms are not exceptional.

What will happen if I take my child out of school without it being authorised?

The only reason a pupil should be out of school without advanced notice and permission is because they are too unwell to attend. If you choose to remove your child from school, without advance notice and permission, you could be fined or prosecuted. This could involve one or a combination of the following:

• A fine of £80 if paid within 21 days (or, if unpaid, £160 within 28 days).
• A parenting order, where you’d be required to attend parenting classes and improve your child’s attendance.
• An education supervision order, which would involve an officer from the local authority supervising your child’s attendance.
• Attendance prosecution, which would involve going to court, and could result in a fine, a community order or prison sentence as a final resort.

Useful Links

Please find below some useful links regarding attendance: