Parents and carers

Attendance and punctuality

Research shows that pupils who attend school regularly achieve higher grades than those who do not. Also, for a child in care, school can be the only constant in their life.

The Virtual School, therefore, is committed to every child in care receiving a full-time education.

The Virtual School will:

  • monitor the attendance and transition of children in care, using data from Welfare Call
  • support parents, carers and social workers in accessing appropriate educational provision for children in care
  • support carers, pupils and schools in achieving regular school attendance
  • offer support and advice to carers, social workers, schools and pupils on all aspects of school attendance and admission

Coming to school every day and being on time really matters and makes a significant difference.

Did you know that:

  • pupils who miss 2 weeks of school in a year miss 5% of their education
  • by taking holidays during term time, pupils miss not only vital parts of their education, but other social and sporting activities
  • it can be extremely hard and disruptive for a pupil to catch up on missed work

Holidays should only be taken during school holiday periods. The Head of Corporate Parenting and the Virtual School Head, as well as the Head Teacher of the school a child attends, would all have to agree that there were exceptional circumstances to justify taking any child in care out of school during term time.