The Importance Of Attendance

Regular and punctual attendance is key to our pupils' success, and we regard this as being of the utmost importance, setting ourselves challenging attendance targets (in excess of 96.5%) in relation to the attaining of which we value the support of our parents.

We do, of course, appreciate that there will be the odd occasion when a pupil is unable to be present due to illness, and that there will sometimes be other circumstances which necessitate a pupil's absence. What we would ask, however, is that parents keep us informed, and that they also monitor their children's ongoing attendance record. 

 We are always happy to discuss any concerns, and to offer the support of our in-school Pastoral Support Worker in appropriate circumstances. 

If your child's attendance percentage falls below 96% you can expect to receive a letter drawing to your attention the impact in terms of missed learning, and asking whether there is an underlying reason of which the school is not aware, and whether the school can help in any way. If your child's attendance percentage falls further, you may be invited into school for a discussion with a member of the Senior Leadership Team. 

A letter will also be sent in the event that your child is repeatedly late for school, as this can be disruptive to both the individual pupil's learning, and to the learning of his/her class.

Interestingly, whilst an overall attendance percentage of 90% might, at first glance, appear reasonably good, over the course of a year this in fact equates to 4 whole weeks of missed lessons! Indeed, the Department for Education classifies pupils whose attendance is below 90% as persistent absentees. Friendships can also suffer.

We look forward to working in partnership. Maximising each and every child's attendance percentage is just one way in which we can give our pupils the best possible chance of success in their learning.

In the event of a pupil's absence...

If your child is unable to attend school due to illness please notify us before 9am on the day in question, and also on each subsequent day of absence (so that we know your child is safe), by telephoning 01353 662163, or by emailing enquiries@esm.school, so as to enable us readily to account for each and every pupil. It is always helpful if you can provide us with a doctor's appointment card or a copy of any prescription issued, in appropriate circumstances, so that this can be put on file; should absences due to illness be prolonged/frequent, we might require one or other of these items if the absence is to be recorded as authorised. 

Absences for other reasons should be requested, with as much notice as possible, using our Term Time Leave Request Form; we would ask that you consider very carefully whether the absence can be avoided, and also the impact which the absence will have on your child's education, before submitting the form. Where the circumstances necessitating an absence occur suddenly, at short notice, we would ask that you notify us on the day and that you complete and submit the below form retrospectively, please.