The School expects all pupils to aim for 100% attendance.  If your child is absent for one school week for genuine medical reasons, this will bring their attendance down to 97%.  During the week of absence, they will have missed 25 hours of learning. 

Any attendance level that creates a cause for concern would initiate intervention by the school. This could be as simple as a conversation with the form teacher or a member of the pastoral team.  In more severe circumstances, this may lead to the involvement of agencies outside of the school. 

An Education Penalty Notice is a fine issued to parents or carers and can be either £80 per parent or carer (if the payment is made within 21 days of receipt) or £160 per parent or carer (if paid after this, but within 28 days). Education Penalty Notices are issued by first class post to your home and will explain how and where to send your payment. You must pay the whole of the amount owing in one payment. You cannot pay in instalments or part of the amount.  

If a second penalty notice is issued to the same parent for the same child within a 3-year rolling period, the fine will automatically rise to £160 with no option to pay the lower rate of £80. If the parent then commits a third offence in a 3-year rolling period, the local authority will need to consider enforcement options available to them. 

10 sessions of unauthorised absence for any reason (equivalent to 5 school days) within a 10–school–week period. This includes holidays, truancy, arriving late after the register has closed and failing to provide a reason for absence 

Due to the legal change in the Department for Education (DfE) legislation, at The Deanery Church of England High School, we will only grant leave of absence in exceptional circumstances that are not related to holidays. 

Term time holidays/extended leave are not allowed, and parents/carers are discouraged from arranging them in term time. 

If parents/carers choose to take their child out on holiday in term time the absence will be recorded as an unauthorised absence. This will lead to an Education Penalty Notice being issued. 

Parents/carers must send in a letter addressed to the headteacher (at least 6 weeks before) requesting permission to take their child out of school during term time due to an exceptional circumstance. 

Parents/carers must send in a letter addressed to the Headteacher at least 20 days before the proposed absence. It will be for the Headteacher to decide as to whether there are exceptional circumstances that will allow them to grant the absence from school. Do not assume that the absence will be granted until you have received confirmation from the school. 

Wigan Council School Attendance Guidance

Parents must notify the school on the first day of an unplanned absence – for example, if their child is unable to attend due to ill health – by 8.30am  

Before phoning, please consider carefully if you child is too ill to attend school. Each day the school is attended by a few pupils who feel under the weather or ‘a bit unwell’. Most of these pupils improve during the day and have no problems because of their attending lessons. 

Is my child too ill for school?- NHS Guidance

Parents can call on 01942 768801 or via email to attendance@deanery.wigan.sch.uk

Absence due to illness will be authorised unless the school has a genuine concern about the authenticity of the illness or the student’s percentage attendance is below a satisfactory level. 

If the school is not satisfied with the authenticity of the illness, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised, and parents will be notified of this.  

Please note that the school may perform a home visit to check on the authenticity of an illness, particularly if the student is part of an attendance monitoring group. 

Inform pupils and parents of the importance of attendance by: 

• Daily encouragement and praise for pupils to maintain excellent attitude to attendance 

• Addressing absences early and closing any gaps in learning so that pupils feel valued and supported 

• Communicating clearly with parents and pupils about the impact of absence on academic progress and personal development 

Rewarding high levels of attendance through: 

• ‘Synergy Shout Outs’ for students who have 100% attendance for the week. 

• Weekly Form rewards for forms who have 100% attendance for the week. 

• Recognition that excellent attendance contributes to our fortnightly ‘Cookie Friday’ treat and termly Flourish Awards. 

• Termly awards celebrating excellent and most improved attendance. 

In addition, excellent pupil attendance is promoted through the school website, and visually around school notice boards. 

• Form Tutors play a central role in establishing healthy attitudes towards attendance, meeting pupils each day and getting to know them as individuals.   Subject teachers will develop strong working relationships with pupils and will identify and address any gaps in pupils’ learning because of absence.   

• Heads of Year and Senior Progress Leaders will also monitor pupils’ attendance and make contact with parents/carers when concerning patterns develop.  They will work closely with the school’s inclusion team to oversee pupils’ attainment and ensure they achieve their potential.   

• The school uses an electronic system of attendance registration that is updated within each lesson by the form teacher or subject teacher. 

• The system records whether the child is present or absent. 

• Absence is categorised as being authorised (agreed and accepted by the school as being appropriate) or unauthorised. 

• Examples of authorised absence would be genuine illness, medical appointments etc. 

• Examples of unauthorised absence would be truancy, parentally condoned absence without appropriate reason, and unauthorised holidays in term time. 

• The codes used are standard codes as issued by the government. 

• On the first day of your child’s absence, if you have not already contacted the school, you will receive a message or phone call from the school to ask you to explain your child’s absence. 

• If your child’s absences are more frequent, you should expect to receive a letter informing you of your child’s attendance level. 

• If your child’s absence is unacceptable or at a significantly low level you would be asked to attend a meeting in school to discuss support appropriate to your child. 

• You will be contacted by the school, either by telephone, letter and/or visit to your home in order that the level of, and reasons for, your child’s absence can be discussed with you. 

• A plan of action will be compiled that is aimed at helping you improve your child’s school attendance. 

• A failure to comply with any such plan without a valid reason will, if your child’s school attendance does not improve, result in a referral being made to the Local Authority Attendance Pathway who will aim to support you in ensuring your child attends school regularly. 

• Further poor school attendance by your child may result in legal action being taken against you by the local authority. 

• You may initially be issued with an Education Penalty Notice (fine). Warning letters are issued at the start of the school year. 

• See the information provided below with regard to the Educational Penalty Notice.

At the beginning of each academic year regardless of your child’s previous or current attendance school will issue each family with a warning letter. This outlines the legal duty upon all parents/carers to make sure their child regularly attends school. It also clarifies the specific criteria that if not met, would require school to request Wigan Local Authority to issue an Education Penalty Notice Fine.