Attendance
Good Attendance Guide
Excellent attendance at school is important to allow your child to fulfil their potential and for them to have the best possible start in life.
Although we aim for 100%, each year we set a target for attendance and this is used to compare us to other schools nationally. Our current target is 96% attendance.
Click here to read our Good Attendance School Guide.
Sele First School Good Attendance Guide
Attendance Matters - Lateness = Lost Learning
ABSENCES
Good attendance is essential for all children and therefore attendance data is carefully monitored. If your child is unwell please call the office before 9.30am on the first day of illness (tel: 01434 602808 option 2). Please continue to call for each subsequent days’ absence unless otherwise discussed with the school office. The office is open from 8.30am.
If your child has a medical appointment requiring absence during the school day, please email the school office with as much notice as possible, giving details of the appointment and attaching the appointment card or letter. All absences must be authorised by the school. Unexplained absences or those not considered appropriate will be registered as unauthorised absences.
Attendance data is published as a part of our weekly bulletin and also on our website. Our school target is at least 96% attendance. If, for exceptional reasons, leave of absence is necessary during term time a leave of absence request form must be completed and returned at least two weeks before the absence is due to begin. The table below shows the thresholds for attendance rates at Sele First School.
| % | SESSIONS ABSENT | REPORT COMMENT | JUDGEMENT |
| 98%+ | 0-6 sessions | Outstanding | High |
| 96% + | 7-12 sessions | Good | High Average |
| 93.7%+ | 13-20 sessions | Average | Low Average |
| 93.6%-90% | 21-34 sessions | Significant | Poor |
| 89%-86% | 35-47 sessions | Persistent | Persistent |
| 85% or below | 48 sessions or more | Persistent | Persistent |
PENALTY NOTICES
Under the requirements of s7 of the Education Act 1996 (“the 1996 Act”) it is the duty of a parent to ensure that every child of compulsory school age receives efficient full-time education suitable to their age, ability and aptitude and to any special educational needs or additional learning needs they may have.
New legislation comes into force on 19th August 2024 regarding the issue of Penalty Notices to address attendance concerns to commence, there will be a transitional period, but this new legislation will take effect for absences recorded from the start of the new academic year commencing in September 2024.
Click here for further information.