Attendance & Punctuality
Be on time before 5 to 9!
Attendance
Attending school every day, starting in Reception class and continuing through school, will help give your child the best possible start in life. Evidence shows that good attendance is a key factor in enabling children to reach their potential.
Going to school every day means:
- making friends & having lots of fun
- building lasting relationships
- time to learn and play
- taking part in exciting activities
- making progress with learning
You can help us to help your child by encouraging regular school attendance. Your child’s education is very important; attendance habits established in the foundation years of education can affect their entire school life. As a school we are working very hard to make sure children do not have gaps in their understanding, particularly in Maths and English. An 'odd day off' here and there can really cause difficulties for children, as they build on their previous learning in each lesson and as they move up in each year group. Any missed learning can be difficult to catch up.
Setting good attendance patterns early on will also help your child later on. Although it seems a long way off at the moment, future employers want to recruit people who are reliable. Children who have a poor school attendance record may have less chance of getting a good job.
We place a strong emphasis on good attendance in school and have been working with our school community to improve attendance. Our school target, and the Government target, is that over the whole year each pupil achieves at least 96% attendance. This is no more than 7 days off in a full academic year. Our attendance has been improving over the last few terms and we are committed to continuing to work with families to achieve our target. Our target for attendance this year is at least 96%. Last school year our overall attendance was 94%.
To help your child do well in school you should:
- Arrange any non-urgent appointments out of the school day
- Not take 'odd days off' for birthdays, days out, visits to relatives etc
- Arrange any family holidays/leave of absence to coincide with school holidays
- Be aware of the potential impact on your child’s education of all absences and try to ensure they stay at 96% attendance or higher
What should I do if my child will be off school?
- If your child is too ill to attend school or is absent for any other reason, please contact the school on the first day of absence
- If you are in any doubt as to whether to send your child to school please check the link below and contact the school as soon as possible for advice
Click here to access some advice about when to keep your child off school (NHS advice)
What happens if a child does not attend school regularly?
By law, all children of compulsory school age (between 5 and 16) must get a suitable full time education. As a parent you are responsible for making sure this happens and if you fail to ensure a child of compulsory school age attends school regularly, legal action may be taken by the Local Authority.
What happens about holidays and leave during term time?
Please think very carefully before taking your child out of school during term time.- In law you must ask for permission for your children to miss school, in advance of the planned absence
- Parents can request a leave of absence but, by law, this can only be authorised by the Headteacher if the circumstances are exceptional
- Parents who take a child of compulsory school age out of school without permission, including holidays, family visits etc from the school may be issued with a penalty notice
Click here to access the Leave Request Form