Parents have a responsibility to ensure that their children receive full time education and are in school every day. Regular attendance is essential if children are to progress with their learning. Poor attendance has a negative impact on social and academic progress.

The senior leadership team work closely with the Headteacher to monitor attendance. If you have any concerns regarding your child's attendance, please do not hesitate to contact us. We hope to work in partnership to improve attendance for all.

Our attendance monitoring process

We have a duty as a school to monitor and challenge poor attendance. Attendance is monitored closely by the Headteacher.

Contact is made on the first day of any absence not reported. Parents and carers have a duty of care to ensure that their child accesses education daily. Parents/ Carers are expected to contact the school office on 01763 241535 or via email on admin@romanway.herts.sch.uk by 9.00am on each day of absence to give a clear reason for their child's non attendance to school. 

Lateness after 9.10am will be recorded as an unauthorised late or unauthorised absence and will affect your child's attendance percentage. Non-notification will result in an unauthorised absence being recorded.

The national average for school attendance in England is 95%.  As a school we work towards 100% attendance, but aim to always be in line or above the national percentage.

• 98% or above - excellent
• 96% and above - good
• Below 96% - concerns
• Below 94% - serious concerns
• Below 90% - persistent absentee

If a pupil's attendance falls to 96%, attendance will be monitored closely and may require a phone call home to discuss any issues or problems, and how we as a school can support you to improve this.

If a pupil's attendance falls below 96%, a letter is sent home to raise concerns about the attendance falling below national standard. Your child's attendance will remain under close monitoring and if concerns persist, you will be invited for a meeting with the Headteacher to discuss ways school can support you to make rapid improvements in your child's attendance. Attendance will continue to be monitored, and further meetings may be arranged with parents/ carers if concerns about your child's absence persist. You may also be required to provide evidence for all further absences to be authorised.

If a pupil's attendance falls below 90%, a letter is sent home to explain that the child's attendance is now being raised as a concern. Pupil's with attendance below 90% are classes as persistent absentees. Parents/ carers will be invited to meet with the Headteacher and attendance officer to discuss reasons for the persistent absence and offer support as necessary. The Headteacher will set targets to improve your child's attendance. All further absences will remain unauthorised without evidence to support the reason for the absence.

For any holidays taken during term time or for any planned/ unplanned absences, you are required to complete a 'Request for Leave of Absence' form for the attention of the Headteacher.  These can be obtained from the school office. 

Any holidays, or other unauthorised absences, during term time may lead to a fixed penalty notice (FPN).  These also include unauthorised sessions for reasons other than term-time holidays.  A morning or afternoon are considered a session, and therefore, a day consists of 2 sessions.

If unauthorised absences persist, your child's case may need to be assessed in accordance to the current national framework of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN). Please refer to the school attendance poster attachment on this page for further details.

We strongly urge you to work co-operatively with the school when managing attendance. We want the very best for all children and for children to reach their full potential. This can only be achieved if they are in school every day.

Every Day Counts leaflet- see attachment for more details

Don’t underestimate the importance of 100 percent attendance. Even a missed day can have an effect on learning:

98 percent attendance means 4 school days missed

95 percent attendance means 10 school days missed

90 percent attendance means 19 school days missed

80 percent attendance means 38 school days missed

5 minutes late each day means 3 school days missed