Dear Parents and Carers of Learners at Lliswerry High School
We want the best for all Newport children and young people and we would like to remind you of the importance of good attendance at school.
What is good attendance?
The recommendation from Welsh Government is that good attendance is at least 95% and we expect this of most children. Out of 365 days in a year, schools are open to pupils 190 days which allows 175 designated days for parents to take holidays, dental/medical appointments and other non-urgent appointments.
What are the advantages of good attendance?
Attending school has the benefit of:
* Keeping up with school work
* Ensuring that children meet their expected progress
* Meeting friends and learning and playing together
* Learning key skills needed for adult life such as regular attendance and arriving on time.
What are the consequences of poor attendance?
* Your child will fall behind in their learning and miss out on key concepts taught.
* Lack of social contact in school; difficulty in maintaining friendship groups.
* Low self-esteem and poor pupil well-being.
* Statistics show that poor attendance can be linked directly to low attainment in National tests.
Regular attendance is required by law. Following the pandemic, the Welsh Government has re-introduced the use of Fixed Penalty Notices for non-school attendance. Schools in Newport will resume their use of Fixed Penalty Notices to ensure children and young people are accessing their education. This can be issued for any absences not authorised by the school, including holidays. Newport City Council will issue these notices when concerns are raised by EWO, school or the police. The fine is £120 unless paid within 28 days when it is £60.
Contacts
If your child is absent for any reason, please contact the school to explain why.
If you need help and advice with any difficulties, contact the Education Welfare Service on 01633 210615 or email inclusionadmin.support@newport.gov.uk
Lliswerry Cluster Information on Fixed Penalty Notices linked to unauthorised absence:
Following Welsh Government Legislation, Newport City Council has adopted a Code of Conduct which allows the Local Authority to issue Fixed Penalty Notices to the parents of pupils who miss five school days or ten school sessions which are unauthorised.
Please note that protocols and procedures in relation to Fixed Penalty Notices will be enforced from 1st September 2022.
Issue of a Fixed Penalty Notice
* A Fixed Penalty Notice can only be issued in cases of unauthorised absence;
* Fixed Penalty Notices will be restricted to one notice per parent of a pupil in an academic year;
* In cases where there is more than one poorly-attending pupil in a family, Notices may be issued for more than one child;
* There will be no restriction on the number of times a parent may receive a formal warning of a possible Fixed Penalty Notice.
Fixed Penalty Notices may be considered appropriate when:
* At least 10 sessions (5 school days) are lost due to unauthorised absence during the current term. These do not need to be consecutive;
* Unauthorised absences of at least 10 sessions (5 school days) due to holidays in term time or delayed return from extended holidays;
* Persistent late arrival at school, i.e. after the register has closed, in the current term. “Persistent” means at least 10 sessions of late arrival;
* Truancy, where the child has come to the attention of the Police or public during school hours for being absent from school, without an acceptable reason.
Fixed Penalty Notices are currently set at £60 and must be paid within 28 days. Non-payment within this timeframe results in a total Penalty of £120. Non-payment of fines will result in prosecution.
Unauthorised absences are those which the Local Authority does not consider reasonable and for which no ‘leave of absence’ has been agreed by the school. These include:
* Holidays during school time
* Parents keeping children off school unnecessarily, e.g. for company, shopping, birthdays, hair appointments, dancing shows, looking after other children etc.
* Truancy before or during the school day
* Absences which have never been properly explained
* Children who arrive at school too late to receive a mark i.e. after the register has closed.
The last School Inspection carried out by Estyn identified attendance at Lliswerry High School as an area of concern. As part of our school action plan we are required to identify actions to address this concern. In an attempt to increase attendance percentages, we have been seeking information and advice locally and nationally on what initiatives will support our school in this process.
The Callio Attendance Model’ has been used by other authorities and has proved successful in increasing attendance percentages in schools. The Callio system is a simple but effective tool based on providing immediate feedback on attendance. The Callio model uses all the data available to identify and act on attendance issues quickly and consistently.
Children are grouped in the following way:
When a child falls into the ‘red zone’ i.e. less than 92%, the system notifies the administrators of this. There are then a set of clear procedures that follow to manage this level of attendance.
If you would like any further information regarding this process, please inform the office staff.
Thank you for supporting us with our actions.