Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome to the first term of the new academic year. We hope you all enjoyed a lovely summer holiday, and the children are refreshed and looking forward to a new year of learning.

We will be sending you termly newsletters via your school communication system to update you with attendance reminders, support that you can access and any updates you need to be aware of.

The Welsh Government have been clear that any child who has attendance below 90% is persistently absent from school. This means that any child with attendance below 90% in July will have missed a minimum of 19 school days.

Regular school attendance is vital to ensure your child does not miss out on lessons, support and social activities held within the school day. Missing school can also impact your child’s future earnings. Data has shown that persistently absent pupils in secondary school could earn £10,000 less at age 28 compared to pupils with near-perfect attendance. For each additional day of absence between Years 7 to 11, the typical pupil could miss out on an average of £750 in future lifetime earnings.

This year, in line with other Local Authorities in Wales, any unauthorised holiday taken in term time could result in a Fixed Penalty Notice of a £60 fine per child per parent.  We support schools not authorising holidays due to the impact of lost learning and the opportunity to enjoy family days in school holidays.

We have launched our new parent Padlet which will help parents/carers understand more about our service as well as what support is available if you need it. Lots of advice and guidance can also be found – please scan the QR code to access the Padlet in the attached flyer.

We hope your child settles into the new school year and enjoys all the lovely opportunities our schools have to offer. Don’t forget to speak to your child’s teacher/head of year if you have any concerns.

Best wishes

Senf for and on behalf of:

The Inclusion Service

Vale of Glamorgan