School attendance is one of the most important factors in maintaining a pupil’s progress.  Non-attendance is the biggest barrier to learning……

At Drayton Park, to ensure the safety and well-being of our pupils, we will make an ‘Every Day Response’ call should your child be absent from school and you have not informed us why. We will continue to call on each day of absence to check why your child is not in school should we not hear from you first.  Our policy is to make a visit to your home address should your child be off school for three consecutive days.  Please call the school before 9am on each day your child is absent.

If you are unsure, if your child should be in school, please do call and ask. 

Coughs and colds are not reasons for a child to be off school, in which case we would advise calpol, lots of fluids, and then sending into school.  Should your child become too ill to be at school we will of course call home for them to be collected.

Have a Nice Holiday…. But Not in Term Time!

As of September 2013 the Secretary of State for Education has removed the discretion of head teachers to grant up to ten days leave in term time holidays.  All holidays will now be marked as unauthorised and could result in a Fixed Penalty Notice of £60 if paid within 21 days. 

Should you need to request any absence for your child, please see reception for a Leave of Absence Form (or download one here). This must be completed four weeks before any proposed leave of absence. We are unable to authorise any leave for pupils unless it is on the grounds of ‘exceptional circumstances..  However, should we have reason to believe that you have taken your child out of school for any reason other than illness or ‘exceptional circumstances’ we will make the necessary checks and act accordingly.

Schools across the country have been given the target of 95% attendance.  Drayton Park are very proud to currently have an attendance figure of 96.5% and it is ever increasing.   As a school we have set ourselves our personal target of 97% attendance. This is the difference between ‘Good’ and ‘Outstanding’ when it comes to OFSTED and obviously will also have a huge impact on the pupil’s learning.

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s attendance at school, please do feel free to contact the school or our Attendance Officer, who will be more than happy to help or answer any questions you may have.