Why Attendance is Important

At Ysgol Tanyfron, we know how important it is for every child to reach their full potential. Research shows that children better reach their potential if they are on time and have good attendance. In order to provide your child with the best education, we aim for every child to achieve at least 95% attendance, with a goal of 100%.

The reasons why attendance is important…

  • Statistics show a direct link between higher achievement and good attendance
  • Regular attendees make better progress, both socially and academically
  • Regular attendees find school routines and school work easier to cope with
  • Regular attendees find learning more satisfying
  • Regular attendees have an easier transfer to secondary school.

Last year, as a whole school, we achieved a whole school attendance of 93.2%, so this year, we are setting our attendance target at 94.0%.

In order to achieve this, we need the support of parents to ensure that their child is at school and on time. Please remember that school are here to help you if needed. You will receive a letter at the end of each term to inform you of your child’s attendance so you can help monitor this along with school.

Wrexham Local Authority code attendance into Green, Amber and Red Catagories:

How Ysgol Tanyfron Encourage Good Attendance

  • We have a weekly ‘best class attendance’ award at school, the winning class has a trophy to proudly display.
  • Along with the trophy, prizes are given out at the end of each term for the most wins!

We Are Here to Help!

Our goal is to support pupils and their families in raising attendance. If your child’s attendance falls below 95%, this will be monitored both by school, and the Educational Social Worker (ESW).

Letter may be sent home and you may be invited into school for a meeting. Additionally, the ESW may visit you at home to look at ways of improving attendance/punctuality.

If your child falls ill or cannot attend school due to exceptional circumstances then please ensure you contact school on the first day of absence by 9am, stating the reason. If the school does not receive an explanation or if the explanation is unacceptable, then the absence will be marked as unauthorised. If pupils are absent frequently for medical reasons then a medical note may be requested.

Taking Holidays in Term Time

The Local Authority recommends that no holidays are authorised in term time unless for exceptional circumstances.

Holiday absence must be sought from the Headteacher by completing a ‘Holiday Request’ form. The Headteacher has discretion to authorise up to 10 days during term time, however a holiday in term time will not be authorised unless there are exceptional circumstances (listed below). Unauthorised absences can lead to legal action resulting in a Fixed Penalty Notice.

Criteria for Exceptional Circumstances:

  • Where it is company/organisational policy for an employee to take leave at a specified time in the year and there is no opportunity for a family holiday in school holidays. This must be supported by documentation from the organisation.
  • Service personnel returning from/scheduled to embark on a tour of duty abroad.
  • To attend religious festivals or services such as the wedding or funeral of an immediate family member.
  • Other comapssionate circumstances e.g. family illness or family crisis.
  • Where a holiday is recommended as part of a parent or child.s rehabilitation from a medical or emotional issues. Evidence must be provided from a qualified professional such as a doctor.
  • Where there are other factors which the Headteacher may consider exceptional circumstances, this may be referred to the Local Authority for advice.
  • It should be noted that financial considerations are not deemed exceptional circumstances.

A fixed Penalty Notice can be issued where a pupil has accrued 10 unauthorised absences, or late registrations. Please note that AM and PM sessions count as separate absences – so 10 missed sessions would be 5 full days.

Lateness

When your child arrived late at school, he/she missed the teachers instructions for the morning and may also feel embarrassed at having to enter the classroom late.

Minutes Late Per Day During the School Year

5 minutes

10 minutes

15 minutes

20 minutes

30 minutes

Equivalent Days Lost

3.4 days

6.9 days

10.3 days

13.8 days

20.7 days

Attendance Overview

DaysAttendanceDays LostWeeks Lost
190100%0
18597.37%51
18094.74%102
17592.11%153
17089.47%204
16586.84%255
16084.21%306 (half a term)

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all parents for their support in getting their children to school, and on time. If you need assistance with getting your child to school on time, please let us know!

You can find full details of our Attendance Policy on our School Policies page of this website, under Local Authority Recommended Policies. Alternatively, you can click here.