What is persistent absence?

If your child has particularly poor attendance it is classed as persistent absence. Attendance below 90% is classed as persistent absence and this means your child missing 19 or more days during the academic year. This is roughly equivalent to your child missing 1 day or more every 2 weeks, or around 6 days each term.

It s helpful for you to think about your child’s attendance in terms of days, and make sure they are not missing too many days. Average attendance across the country is children missing no more than 10 days in the year.

Once a child has reached 38 sessions, or 19 days absence, they will be classified as Persistently Absent from school and we will report this to the Local Authority and follow external legal proceedings.

Under the Education Act 1996, the Local Authority has a statutory responsibility to ensure that parents secure education for children of compulsory school age and where necessary, use legal enforcement. At Grestone Academy we recognise Birmingham City Council’s ‘FastTrack on Attendance’ and implement prosecution where it is fair and equitable to do so.

The Fast Track process is designed to support improved attendance. However, if significant improvement is not seen, it can lead to fines. The chart below clearly sets out the process.

In addition to this, a letter is sent home at the beginning of each year.

Legal Sanctions and Prosecutions