Attendance & Absence

Every Day Counts.......


Rhyl High School is committed to providing all children with the best start in life and works hard to ensure that all children attend school regularly.


Reducing absence from school is a key priority for the school, Denbighshire and the Government. The majority of parents at Rhyl High School ensure that their children attend school regularly. 


The following documents give important information in addition to the remainder of this page. 


 



 

 



Why should my child attend school every day



 

  • 100% = Best chance of success! 

 

  • Poor attendance will impact on learning.

 

  • Very poor attendance has a significant impact on learning.

 


 


At Rhyl High School:

Of pupils who miss more than 30% of school, 0% manage to achieve 5 A*-C GCSE grades, including English and Maths.


Of pupils who miss between 10-20% of school, only 45% manage to achieve 5 A*-C GCSE grades, including English and Maths.


Of pupils who miss less than 5% of school, 73% achieve 5 A*-C GCSE grades, including English and Maths.

 


Support with School Attendance

Please remember that if there are reasons why your child is missing school then keep the school informed. If your child is off school, then speak to the school as early as possible on the first day of their absence.


If no notification of absence is received, the school will contact parents to find out why.


Where possible let the school know in advance of any planned absences e.g. hospital appointments.


Where possible make medical/dental appointments out of school hours.


Parents should provide reasons for absences and the school must decide whether or not they authorise in line with Government Guidelines


Your child is expected to be in school for 195 days an academic year with 175 days off due to weekends and school holidays.


 

Why does attendance matter?

Attending School on a regular basis is the key to your child doing well at school and will set them up with good routines for later life and the working world, as well as giving your child the opportunity to:


 

  • Make lots of friends and feel included.
  • Learn new things and develop many skills.
  • Increase confidence and self esteem
  • Improve social skills
  • Achieve potential and fulfil aspirations.
  • 90% Attendance 

 


David is a child who attends school for 90% of the time. His parents think this is quite good. David is absent from school for the equivalent of one half day a week. 


Over a whole school year David would miss four weeks of lessons. David would also spend more time away from school over the year than in school! 


If David’s attendance for his whole time at school was 90% he would have missed 209 days of school, that’s a whole school year!


 


N.B. When “Parent” is referred to in this leaflet, we are referring to Parents and Carers. 


This year’s target attendance for each pupil is 100% with the minimum required 92%. 


MINIMUM TARGET ATTENDANCE FOR 2023/24 92%


 


Celebrating Attendance

We reward good attendance with praise postcards and celebration assemblies. In addition, there will be additional rewards for the House and Form with the highest attendance on a termly basis. 



Term Time Holiday

Family holidays should take place during the school holiday dates. These are published two years in advance. Please be mindful that absence due to a holiday is not, and never has been a parent’s entitlement. If a holiday in term time cannot be avoided due to exceptional circumstances, an absence request form should be completed. The Head teacher will then decide whether or not to authorise this absence. Parents may receive a Fixed Penalty Notice for an unauthorised holiday in term time.


 

Arriving late to school

When a child arrives late to school it can be very disruptive for the child, the teacher and other children in the class. If your child arrives late to School they will be marked as late on the register. If your child arrives very late i.e after the register has closed; this an Unauthorised Absence. Detentions will be issued as a sanction for arriving at school late. Persistent late arrival at school may also lead to a Fixed Penalty Notice being issued.

 


Minutes late per day Equals missed days of education


5 Minutes      3.4 Days


10 Minutes    6.9 Days


15 Minutes    10.3 Days


20 Minutes    13.8 Days


30 Minutes    20.7 Days

 


Absence and the Law

As a parent you are committing an offence if you fail to make sure that your child attends regularly, even if they are missing school without your knowledge. This could lead to the initiation of legal proceedings


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