At Ysgol Bro Hyddgen we want all of our pupils to achieve. It is therefore important that parents do their best to support pupils in attending school for the full 190 days in an academic year, as stated in the Education Regulations (School Day and School Year, Wales – 2006 Amendment).

Under the Education Act (1996), it is the responsibility of the parent or carer to ensure that their child attends school. Regular school attendance is vital and missing school can have a significant impact on achievement over a one year period as illustrated below:

95-100% attendance Best chance of success Your child is taking full advantage of every learning opportunity.

90-95% attendance

 At least 2 weeks of learning missed Satisfactory. Your child may have to spend time catching up with work.

85-90% attendance

 At least 4 weeks of learning missed Your child may be at risk of underachieving and may need extra support from you to catch up with work.

80-85% attendance

 At least 5 ½ weeks of learning missed Your child’s poor attendance has a significant impact on learning.

Below 80% attendance

 At least 7½ weeks of learning missed Your child is missing out on a broad and balanced education. You are at risk of prosecution.

Punctuality

Please note that punctuality is also a factor and if your child arrives at school after registration closes – 9.30 am / 1.50 pm – without good reason, then he/she will be registered as absent without consent for that session.

Holiday Requests

If there are circumstances that mean you have to take a holiday during term time, we ask that you fill in a Holiday Request Form (available from the school office) and return it to school for the attention of the head teacher. The form must be completed at least 28 days before the absence is required to be considered for authorisation.

The Pupil Registration (Wales) Regulations 2010 provide head teachers with a discretionary power to authorise leave for a family holiday during term time where parents seek permission. Save in exceptional circumstances, no more than 10 days leave should be granted for this purpose. The procedure at Ysgol Bro Hyddgen is that all the factors noted below will be taken into consideration before a decision is made as to whether to authorise any periods of holiday requested during term time.

· Attendance figures for the last year. (We would expect attendance to be above 94.7% in the Primary; 93.8% in the Secondary

· Behaviour and attitude to school life.

· That the holiday does not impact on any key periods of learning identified and highlighted by the school (such as the Statutory Assessments which take place in May each year).

· That the Holiday request Form has been completed correctly and the request has been made 28 days before the holiday.

Unauthorised Absences

It should also be noted that an application for a Fixed Penalty Notice will be considered if there are 5 or more days (10 sessions – morning/afternoon) of unauthorised absence recorded, in addition to the attendance level being below 90% for the school year to date.

We hope that you can cooperate with us on this matter and arrange your holidays around the existing 175 days the school is closed and help us support your child in achieving success in school. In this way we can work together to ensure the school is not placed in a low category in the Schools Categorisation process.