Attendance

Your child’s success depends on being in school to learn.  Being absent means they lose valuable learning time and also prevents them from engaging with their friends and other activities they enjoy.  We ask for your full support in ensuring your child attends everyday unless they are suffering from illness or as directed by a doctor. Remember sometimes Calpol and hydrating can help your child come into school and still learn.

We work closely with our Trust Education Welfare officer (EWO) to help parents and children come in to school on time, where attendance and punctuality becomes a concern.

Every Day Counts – aiming for 100% attendance and punctuality

  • Gold Level 1 – Attendance is above 97%
    This means that your child is absent for less than 6 days a year.
    Your child has every chance of meeting and possibly exceeding target levels.
  • Green Level 2 – Attendance is 95% or more
    Absent for less than 10 days in the school year, therefore missing up to 50 hours of learning.
    Your child will probably achieve their target levels if they catch up on lost learning
  • Yellow Level 3 – Attendance is 90-94.5%
    Absent for up to 20 days in the school year which is a month’s lost learning of potentially 100 hours.
    The amount of absence may make progress in learning difficult
  • Amber Level 4 – Attendance is between 85-90%
    Absent for up to 30 days in the school year – 6 weeks which is potentially 120 hours of lost learning.
    Missing this much time will make it extremely difficult for your child to keep up in lessons, make progress and reach their target levels. The Leigh Attendance Welfare Officer and the Local Authority will become involved.
  • Red Level 5 – Attendance is below 85%
    This amount of absence will seriously affect your child’s learning potential and life chances. Parents/Carers may face court action.
    Your child is missing 180 hours+ of learning and unlikely to reach target levels and fulfil potential.

If your child is ill, please contact us on the first day of absence.

By ringing: 01322 224453 and selecting Option 1.
By email: attendance@dartford.latrust.org.uk

If you have genuine difficulties in getting your child to school, please contact our FLOs:

The following guidelines should be followed to ensure infection or illness is not passed on to other children:

  • Vomiting or diarrhoea – keep off for at least 48 hours after the last episode.
  • Chickenpox – keep off until the last batch of spots have crusted.
  • Measles – keep off for 5 days from the onset of the rash.
  • Mumps – keep off for 5 days from the onset of swollen glands.
  • Impetigo – keep off until the lesions have crusted over.

Leigh Academies Trust Attendance Policy

Lateness and Punctuality

Your child needs to be ready to start their daily classroom learning promptly and in a calm manner.  Rushing in late causes disruption for other children and does not help your child set up well for the day.  We ask you to ensure your child is ready to be lined up and taken in by the class teacher (where appropriate).  Children arriving late will need to sign in at reception and where necessary will be referred to our Trust Education Welfare Officer if lateness and punctuality starts to impact your child’s learning.

Holidays in term time

At Leigh Academy Dartford, holidays during term time are not permitted.  We will not authorise any leave during the times in which your child should be learning.  In very exceptional circumstances, we request you make an appointment with our Attendance officer to discuss your circumstance, before meeting with the Principal.  We will actively work with our educational welfare officer to ensure all unauthorised absence is kept to a minimum.