Our Commitment to your Child’s Success
At Heathland School, we want every child to feel happy, safe, included and able to achieve their full potential. Regular and punctual attendance plays an essential part in making this possible.
Every day in school matters. Regular attendance enables children to access the full curriculum, build on previous learning, develop positive relationships and benefit from the routines and support available in school.
Good attendance is not simply about academic achievement. Being part of school every day can also support children’s wellbeing, friendships, sense of belonging and confidence.
We recognise that there can be genuine reasons why attending school becomes difficult for a child or family. Where difficulties arise, we encourage parents and carers to speak to us as early as possible so that we can listen, understand the barriers and work together to identify appropriate support.
Why Attendance Matters
Research published by the Department for Education found that higher attendance is associated with higher academic achievement, including at Key Stage 2. The research considered pupils with similar characteristics and found a clear relationship between attendance and the likelihood of achieving successful educational outcomes. Attendance: why it matters, key data and guidance – GOV.UK
Regular attendance also gives children the best opportunity to:
Every School Day Matters
Even relatively small amounts of absence can accumulate over the course of a school year and result in valuable learning time being missed. The below guide helps families understand where a pupil’s attendance sits and what each percentage band used at Heathland School means.
Attendance Tracker: What Attendance Percentages Mean:
| Percentage | What it means | If absence Continues |
|---|---|---|
| 98-100% Excellence attendance | Almost all learning opportunities are accessed. Pupils can fully engage in lessons, school routines, enrichment activities and friendships. | Missed explanations may create small gaps in learning that are harder to notice at first. Repeated absence can begin to affect a pupil’s sense of routine and well-being. |
| 95-97% Good attendance | Most school days are attended, although some learning and classroom experiences have been missed. | It may become harder to follow class routines, complete work and keep up with new learning. This can also affect confidence, friendships and overall well-being. |
| 91-94% Attendance is becoming a concern | Absence is beginning to have a noticeable impact on learning, progress and participation in school life. | Gaps in knowledge can affect progress and confidence. Missing routines, friendships and support may also begin to affect a pupil’s well-being. |
| 90% and below serious cause for concern | A significant amount of learning has been missed. This is likely to have a substantial impact on a pupil’s progress, attainment and ability to keep up with the curriculum, as well as their participation in wider school life. | If absence continues, learning gaps are likely to become wider and increasingly difficult to address. This may significantly affect progress, confidence and well-being, and make it harder for pupils to keep up with lessons, routines, friendships and the expectations of their year group. |
Our aim is for every child to attend school regularly and punctually.
The DfE defines a pupil as persistently absent when they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions, regardless of whether those absences are authorised or unauthorised. Schools are expected to identify emerging attendance concerns early and put appropriate support in place.
Monitoring Attendance and Supporting Families
At Heathland School, we have high expectations for attendance (between 98%-100%) and monitor attendance daily so that we can identify changes or emerging concerns as early as possible.
Where attendance begins to cause concern, we will work with parents and carers to understand what is happening and what support may be needed.
Depending on the individual circumstances, this may include:
Our approach is always to identify concerns early and work with families wherever possible to improve attendance.
We understand that children will sometimes be too unwell to attend school. Follow the link, to check the NHS guidance when considering the absence Is my child too ill for school? – NHS
If your child is absent because of illness, please follow the school’s absence-reporting procedures and keep us informed. This can be done by
Where illness or a medical condition begins to have an ongoing impact on attendance, we encourage families to speak to us so that we can consider what additional support may be appropriate.
Term-Time Holidays and Leave of Absence
Parents and carers should arrange family holidays during the school holidays. Leave of absence during term time cannot be granted for a family holiday/trip abroad. A leave of absence may only be granted where the school considers there to be exceptional circumstances. Each application will be considered individually.
If you need to request a leave of absence during term time, the request should be made to the school in advance. Please use the following link to complete and submit your request to the school.
Application for leave – Word Doc
Education Penalty Notices
Harrow Council issues Education Penalty Notices on behalf of schools where the relevant criteria are met.
The current penalty is:
Further information about attendance and Education Penalty Notices is available from Harrow Council. School attendance and penalty notices – London Borough of Harrow
Working Together
Attendance is everyone’s responsibility, and we want to work in partnership with our families.
If your child is experiencing difficulties attending school, or you are concerned that their attendance may begin to decline, please do not wait for the situation to become more difficult before contacting us.
We will listen to you, seek to understand the reasons affecting your child’s attendance and work with you to identify appropriate support.
Our shared goal is simple: for every child at Heathland School to feel safe, happy, included and able to attend regularly so they can achieve their full potential.
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Heathland Whitefriars Federation, a charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales with company number 09066965. Registered office address: Healthland School, Eastcote Lane, Harrow, HA2 9AG.
