Leave of Absence

Regular attendance at school is a key factor in opening up more opportunities in adult life. Good attendance helps children to make good progress in school and fulfil their potential in life.

One of the most important ways a parent can support the education of their child and the child’s social, emotional and academic development is to ensure they attend every day and on time and avoid any unauthorised absences. 

Your child should aim to achieve a minimum of 96% attendance during each academic year. If your child has consistently good attendance, it is likely that they will outperform pupils who have poor attendance.

Did you know that:

·        A child who is absent a day of school per week misses an equivalent of two years of their school life

·        Each day of school missed by a child will reduce their attendance by 0.5%, and at secondary school, they miss five lessons.

·        Ten whole days of school have been missed if a pupil has 95% attendance – that’s 50 lessons.

·        Twenty whole days of school have been missed if a pupil’s attendance is 90%.

·        If a pupil is persistently absent (90% attendance) they have missed 4 weeks of schooling.

·        Being 15 minutes late each day is the same as missing two weeks of school over the year.

·        Catching up on missed lessons impacts the pupil, the teacher and other pupils in that class.

If your child is not in school, then they must have a justifiable reason and contact must be made with the school before 9.30am at the latest on the first day of absence.

Your child’s absence always needs to be explained either through a phone call, email, letter and/or medical evidence when appropriate.

If a parent or carer does not make contact with the school, you can expect a member of staff to phone to find out the reason for your child's absence. If there is still no contact, this may be followed up with a home visit from one of the attendance/pastoral team.

Portsmouth City Council Attendance Campaign – ‘Moments Matter, Attendance Counts!’

The new 'Moments matter, attendance counts!' campaign aims to improve school attendance levels in the city by highlighting to parents, carers and our young people what they can achieve if they have good attendance and reach their full potential.

School is the best place for children and young people to enjoy developing independence, building friendships and learning with their friends. All Portsmouth schools are committed to enabling all children to develop the best versions of themselves as individuals, achieving the very best they can and learning how to develop the personal relationships and interests which will enable them to live rewarding lives. Find out more https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/services/schoolslearning-and-childcare/schools/school-attendance