Attendance
Attendance/Lates
We thank you for your support in ensuring that your child attends daily and arrives on time to school.
The gates open at 8:35am for children to arrive and start their day on the playground. The bell is rung promptly at 8:50am for children to line up and go into class for registration. If your child arrives after 8.50am they will receive a late code 'L' with minutes late. Should they arrive after registration closes after 9.15am they will receive a 'U' code which means an unauthorised absence. If your child is late, please report to the school office, where you will need to sign your child in, providing a reason for being late.
Reading is the first lesson every morning, and lateness causes disruption not only to your child’s learning, but the learning of the other children in the class.
Should your child be too unwell for school please ensure that you contact the school office no later than 9:15am each day. Please provide the child’s name, class and your relationship to the child. Please provide details of the reason for your child's absence. To state they are unwell is not sufficient.
Good attendance and punctuality are important skills that are learnt at an early age. Children who arrive late to school are not only getting into bad habits, but are also risking future success by missing learning.
Should your child need to attend a medical appointment during school hours, please inform the school office in advance and where possible provide a medical appointment letter/text or email. Should your child be absent for a medical procedure, again please provide any relevant information.
For routine opticians and dental appointments, where possible try to make these either before or after school.
As part of our commitment to improving the attainment of our pupils we monitor pupil attendance on a regular basis. During our regular monitoring of pupil attendance we identify any pupil whose attendance causes concern. We then issue a first letter to register our concern and monitor attendance closely. Further correspondence will follow if improvements are not made.
Poor punctuality impacts on the child, their peers and staff. Parents have a legal obligation to ensure their children get to school on time. From the 27th February 2004 Penalty Notices were introduced under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 as an additional sanction to address the problem of poor school attendance. Section 7 of the 1996 Education Act also states that you have a duty to ensure regular attendance at school.
The information below shows how attendance can affect your child’s future progression.
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Above 97%: Less than 6 days absence a year Excellent attendance. These children will almost certainly get the best grades they can, leading to better prospects for the future. Pupils will also get into the habit of attending school which will help in the future. |
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95%: 10 days absence a year These pupils are likely to achieve good grades and form a habit of attending school regularly. Pupils who take a 2-week holiday every year can only achieve 95% attendance. |
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90% and below: 19 days + absence a year The Government classes children in this group as “Persistent Absentees”, and it will be almost impossible to keep up with work. Parents of children in this group could also face the possibility of legal action being taken by the Local Authority. |
There is a clear link between attendance and attainment.
We are keen to work with parents to ensure the best possible outcomes and attendance rate for all children. If there are any issues surrounding attendance, please feel free to contact the school.
