Policy Consultation & Review

This policy is available on our school website and is available on request from the school office. We also inform parents about this policy when their children join our school and regularly thereafter through our school newsletter and other relevant opportunities.

We recognise the expertise our staff build by managing school attendance daily and we therefore invite staff to contribute to and shape this policy and associated attendance and safeguarding arrangements.

This policy will be reviewed in full by the Governing Body/Trustees on at least an annual basis. This policy was last reviewed and agreed by the Governing Body on 22 September 2025. It is due for review in October 2026.

1. Introduction/Aim

At Swanmore College we believe that regular school attendance is essential if children are to achieve their full potential. We value the attendance of all pupils.

Missing out on lessons leaves children vulnerable to falling behind and can put them at risk of wider harm. There is a wide range of evidence as to the health and wellbeing benefits of school-age education. Research commissioned by the Department for Education shows missing school for even a day can mean a child is less likely to achieve good grades, which can have a damaging effect on their life chances. As set out in this policy, we will work with families to identify the reasons for poor attendance and try to resolve any difficulties at the earliest opportunity.

Our attendance policy aims to give clear guidance to staff, parents, pupils, and governors/trustees to:

• Promote good attendance, enabling pupil’s achievement by establishing the highest possible levels of attendance and punctuality.
• Recognise the key role of all staff in promoting good attendance.
• Provide a clear framework for monitoring and responding to pupil absences, acting early to address patterns of absence.
• Building strong relationships with families to ensure pupils have the support in place to attend school.
• Promote positive support systems and advocate multi-agency approaches to improve attendance.
• Make parents aware of their legal responsibilities and ensure their children have access to the education to which they are entitled.

We recognise that attendance is a matter for the whole school community. Our Attendance Policy should not be viewed in isolation; it is a strand that runs through all aspects of school improvement, supported by our policies on safeguarding, prevention of bullying, behaviour, and inclusive learning. This policy also considers the Human Rights Act 1998, the Equality Act 2010, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and other relevant legislation.

2. Legal Framework

This policy meets the requirements of the Working together to improve school attendance from the Department for Education (DfE), and refers to the DfE’s statutory guidance on school attendance parental responsibility measures.

Section 7 of the 1996 Education Act states that parents must ensure that children of compulsory school age receive efficient full-time education suitable to their age, ability, and aptitude to any special educational needs they may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise. A child is of compulsory school age at the beginning of the term following their 5th birthday. A child ceases to be of compulsory school age on the last Friday in June of the school year in which they reach the age of 16.

The government expects all schools and local authorities to:

• Promote good attendance and reduce absence, including persistent and severe absence.
• Ensure every pupil has access to full-time education to which they are entitled.
• Act early to address patterns of absence.

Parents are expected to perform their legal duty by ensuring their children of compulsory school age who are registered at school attend regularly.

In accordance with the Education Act 1996, we will work with parents and carers and the Local Authority to ensure that parents and carers are supported to secure education for children of compulsory school age. Where required, we will formalise support and where necessary, work with the LA to use legal measures.

A “Parent” is defined as:

• Any natural parent, whether married or not.
• Any parent who, although not a natural parent, has parental responsibility as defined in the Children Act (1989) for a child or young person.
• Any person who, although not a natural parent, has care of a child or young person.

3. Roles and Responsibilities

At Swanmore College we believe that improving school attendance is everyone’s business. It is a shared responsibility by governors/trustees, all school staff, parents, pupils, the wider school community and multi-agency partners. We aim to always work in partnership with our parents.

Role	Name	Contact details
SLT responsible for Attendance	Miss G Brown	01489 892256
Attendance Officer	Mrs K Meiklejohn	01489 892256 attendance@swanmore-sec.hants.sch.uk
Named Governor/Trustee for Attendance	Link Governor for Attendance & Behaviour

The Governors of Swanmore College recognises the importance of school attendance and promotes it through the school’s ethos and across its policies. They may take an active role in attendance improvement by:

• Setting high expectations of all leaders, staff, pupils, and parents so that children attend school every day and are safeguarded.
• Identifying a member of the governing body/trustee to lead on attendance matters and ensuring that there is a named senior manager to lead on attendance.
• Prioritising attendance in strategies, such as raising attainment, behaviour and combatting bullying, special educational needs and disabilities, wellbeing, and safeguarding.
• Ensuring school leaders fulfil expectations and statutory duties by rigorously evaluating the effectiveness of the school’s attendance procedures so that consistent attendance support is provided for all pupils.
• Ensuring the schools’ attendance management processes are delivered effectively, and that consistent attendance support is provided for pupils who require it most by prioritising the staff and resources needed. This includes ensuring schools engage and work effectively with the local authority School Attendance Support Team and wider local partners and services.
• Regularly reviewing attendance data, discussing, challenging trends, and helping school leaders focus improvement efforts on the individual pupils or cohorts who need it most.
• Ensuring high aspirations are maintained for all pupils and processes for support are adapted to the individual needs of pupils including those with long term illnesses, special educational needs and disabilities, pupils with a social worker, those pupils under the Virtual School and pupils from cohorts with historically lower attendance such as those eligible for free school meals.
• Ensuring all school staff receive adequate training on attendance and that relevant staff have access to opportunities to share and learn from good practice in other schools.
• Ensuring that attendance data is shared with the Local Authority or Department for Education in line with statutory reporting deadlines.
• Reviewing the school’s Attendance Policy on at least an annual basis, ensuring that the required resources are available to fully implement the policy, which is published and publicised regularly so that it is easily accessible to pupils, parents and staff.

The Senior Management Team at Swanmore College will:

• Actively promote the importance and value of good attendance to pupils and their parents.
• Form and maintain positive relationships with pupils and parents.
• Ensure that there is a whole school approach which reinforces good school attendance, with good teaching and learning experiences, with a whole school culture that encourage all pupils to attend and to achieve.
• Make sure all teaching and non-teaching staff know the importance of good attendance, are consistent in their communication with pupils and parents, and receive the training and professional development they need.
• Have a clear school attendance policy which all staff, pupils and parents understand. Monitor the implementation and effectiveness of the Attendance Policy and ensure that the policy is reviewed annually.
• Ensure the school have accurate, complete admission and attendance registers and have effective day to day processes in place to follow-up absence.
• Regularly monitor and analyse attendance and absence data to identify pupils or cohorts that require support with their attendance and put effective strategies in place.
• Share information and work collaboratively with other schools in the area, local authorities, and other partners where a pupil’s absence is at risk of becoming persistent or severe.
• Ensure that there is a named Senior Attendance Champion to lead on attendance and allocate sufficient time and resource.
• Attend the termly school attendance supporting meetings with the local authority, focusing on those pupils with severe absence, making sure a regularly reviewed plan is in place.

All staff at Swanmore College will:

• Actively promote the importance and value of good attendance to pupils and their parents.
• Form positive relationships with pupils and parents.
• Contribute to a whole school approach which reinforces good school attendance; with good teaching and learning experiences that encourage all pupils to attend and to achieve.
• Know the importance of good attendance, are consistent in their communication with pupils and parents, and receive the training and professional development they need.

The member of staff responsible for attendance will work to further develop relationships with families to bring about improved attendance. This may involve seeking multi-agency support.

Swanmore College requests that parents:

• Take a positive interest in their child’s work and educational progress.
• Ensure their child has regular attendance at school.
• Instill the value of education and regular school attendance within the home environment.
• Contact the school via ClassCharts before 8am if their child is absent to let them know the reason. Medical evidence attached where applicable
• Avoid unnecessary absences; for example, by making medical and dental appointments for outside of school hours.
• Ask the school for help if their child is experiencing difficulties with any aspect of their schoolwork or home and family life.
• Inform the school of any change in circumstances that may impact on their child’s attendance.
• Support the school by becoming involved in their child’s education, forming a positive relationship with school, and acknowledging the importance of children receiving the same messages from both school and home.
• Maintain effe