Attendance FAQs

Being in school is important to your child’s achievement, wellbeing, wider development and mental health.

• Every moment in school counts, and days missed can quickly add up.

• For most students, the best place to be during term time is in school, surrounded by the support of their friends, teachers and other school staff.

• There is plenty of time for children and families to enjoy activities, holidays and time together outside of term time. Did you know that your child is only at school for around 52% of the calendar year? The rest of the time is yours!

Research shows a clear link between good attendance and academic achievement. Students with the highest attendance throughout their time at school are more likely to achieve the best GCSE and A-Level results.

While an attendance figure of 90% may not initially sound very low, research shows that it can reduce a child's chance of achieving good GCSE or A-Level examination grades from an 81% chance to a 57% chance.

A student who averages 80% attendance throughout secondary school effectively misses one whole year of education, significantly affecting the amount of teaching and learning they receive.

For a Year 11 student, missing just 17 days of school can reduce their final GCSE results by one grade across all subjects.

Every day of attendance therefore makes a difference. Good attendance gives students the best possible opportunity to keep up with their learning, make progress and achieve their potential.

We understand that children are sometimes genuinely too unwell to attend school. However, NHS guidance makes clear that children can still attend school with many minor illnesses, provided they are otherwise well enough to take part in normal school activities.

Your child can usually attend school with:

• a minor cough or cold
• a runny nose
• a sore throat, provided they do not have a high temperature
• a mild headache, provided they are otherwise well
• head lice
• cold sores
• conjunctivitis, unless they are feeling very unwell
• hand, foot and mouth disease, provided they are well enough to attend
• threadworms

Your child should stay at home if:

They have a high temperature
Keep your child at home until their high temperature has gone.

They have diarrhoea or vomiting
Your child should remain away from school until they have not had diarrhoea or vomiting for at least 48 hours.

They have chickenpox
Keep your child off school until all the spots have crusted over. This is usually around five days after the spots first appeared.

They have impetigo
Your child should remain off school until the sores have crusted over and healed, or for 48 hours after starting antibiotic treatment.

Different guidance applies to some infectious illnesses, including measles, mumps, scarlet fever and whooping cough. Please follow NHS advice and let the school know if your child has been diagnosed with an infectious illness.

For the latest information, please refer to the NHS guidance “Is my child too ill for school?”

We know that anxiety, friendship difficulties, problems with schoolwork or other concerns can sometimes make attending school feel difficult.

Keeping a child away from school because they are worried can sometimes make returning more difficult. If your child is struggling, please speak to us as early as possible so that we can understand what is happening and put appropriate support in place.

Please contact your child’s Tutor, Guidance and Welfare team or Head of Year.

Parents and carers have a legal responsibility to ensure that their child receives a full-time education.

If your child is unable to attend school:

• Please let us know as early as possible on the first day of absence, explaining the reason.
• Call 01258 451121 and press 1 for Attendance.
• If we have not heard from you, we will contact you on the first morning of your child’s absence.
• Please continue to keep us informed if the absence continues.

If you need to request permission for your child to be absent during term time, please complete our Leave of Absence Form at least two weeks before the requested dates.

Leave during term time can only be authorised by the school in exceptional circumstances. 

Please also read The Blandford School Attendance Policy for further information about our attendance procedures, support and interventions.

We are here to help.

If your child’s attendance begins to fall, we may contact you to make you aware and to discuss whether there are any difficulties affecting their attendance. Early communication gives us the best opportunity to work together and put appropriate support in place.

If you have concerns about your child’s attendance, please contact their Tutor, Guidance and Welfare team or Head of Year.

Guidance and Welfare: guidanceandwelfare@blandfordschool.org.uk

You can also visit our Signposting for Support page for advice, practical help and details of organisations that can support children, young people and families.

Further information about school attendance is also available from the Department for Education and NHS.

Please don't worry about contacting us. The purpose of our attendance letters is to make families aware of concerns at an early stage so that we can work together.

We report your child’s attendance half-termly and may also contact you if their attendance falls below the expected level of 95%.

Some attendance correspondence contains information about parents' and carers' legal responsibilities, so you may wish to read the letter yourself before discussing it with your child.

If you receive a letter, we encourage you to contact the member of staff named in it, or your child’s Tutor, Guidance and Welfare team or Head of Year.

By communicating early, we can explore the reasons for absence, identify any support that may be needed and work together to improve attendance before it begins to affect your child’s education.

Every day matters. Every lesson matters. Attendance matters.