Attendance
Regular attendance at school promotes pupils’ well-being and gives them the best chance of learning and reaching their potential. Pupils should attend school every day the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable.
Good Attendance is Important Because Pupils:
-
Form better learning relationships with other pupils in class/school
-
Understand and adhere better to school routines, learning and friendships
-
Find learning easier because they do not miss out (no gaps in learning)
-
Achieve better results during assessments (no gaps in learning)
-
Transitions are more successful between primary school, secondary school, higher education and employment or training
-
Are known to be safe and well by the staff in schools
Research shows a direct link between high attendance and doing well at school. All children have the right to an education. We encourage and expect 100% attendance for all pupils.
Support By The School:
-
Tell pupils and parents the importance of being at school every day
-
Check that pupils are at school every day
-
Follow up and check the absence of persistent non-attenders
-
Phone home on the first day of absence to check where absent children are
-
Follow up an explained absence by phone call and email, and meetings for persistent absentees
-
Aim for an attendance rate of at least 97%. Pupils who are under school age, in Nursery or Reception, are treated in the same way as all other children
-
Monitor school attendance data of individual and groups and target our support towards removing barriers to attendance for individuals and groups who need it most
-
Discuss poor attendance with parents to understand any barriers the pupil or family might be facing
-
Facilitate support for families to help remove identified barriers to attendance. This could include support through the local authority attendance team, access to early help, such as parenting service
-
Where absence persists and support offered is not being engaged with, we will communicate the consequences to parents, this may include formalising support through a parenting contract or education supervision order
-
When all avenues of support have been exhausted and support has not worked or being engaged with, the Local Authority can enforce attendance through a statutory intervention or prosecution to protect a pupil's right to an education
-
Share and discuss attendance data with the Full Governing Board on a termly basis
What We Need Parents To Do:
-
By law, parents must ensure that their child attends school
-
Should arrange dental and doctor’s appointments out of school hours or during school holidays, whenever possible
-
Pupils must arrive and be collected from school on time
-
Make sure that their child arrives on time between 08:50 and 08:57; the whistle is blown at 08:57 for parents and carers to exit the school grounds, as pupils must line up and enter the school at 09:00
-
Pupils go straight to their classroom at 09:00 and registration starts immediately
-
Registration starts at 09:03, for all pupils from Reception to Year 6
-
If pupils arrive after 09:00 parents must sign in through the school office
-
If pupils arrive after 09:10, they are marked in as 'Unautorised Absence'
-
Turning up at school late can cause pupils to feel anxious and upset, so please ensure that you are punctual
-
If a pupil is collected late, after 15:35, they will join the After School Club. KidzActive will charge a fee for this childcare
-
We take the view there are no late children, only late parents
-
We contact parents of pupils who have patterns of lateness to talk about how to arrive and/or be collected on time
-
Parents MUST contact the school on the first day their child is absent from school.
