Attendance, Absence and Illness Information
Attendance
Our children love coming to school and attendance last academic year was high – above 95%.
We take attendance seriously and ask that parents make sure their children come to school every day, on time and in the correct uniform. We closely monitor the attendance of all pupils. We carry out a termly attendance audit, if a child’s attendance falls below 90% parents will receive a letter and we will continue to monitor the situation.
We work closely with families where their child's attendance is an issue and we offer support to get the child back into lessons as quickly as possible.
Our attendance target for 2023-24 is 97%, this means that on average no pupil misses more than 3% of school days (less than 7 days).
It is the expectation of the school that all children will attend school 100% of the time.
What If My Child Is Unwell Or Has A Medical Appointment We understand that sometimes children are ill or have a need to attend appointments and so we would ask you to telephone school by 8.45am on the first day of their child’s absence. When you have a confirmed medical appointment please inform the school office so that it can be recorded in the register. Wherever possible we would ask that you try to make appointments outside of school hours. If a child is repeatedly absent for appointments, we may ask for proof in the form of an appointment card or letter. This can be the physical letter/card or a photo, screenshot or email. If we do not hear from you we will contact you to ensure that your child is safe.
Attendance Matters Regular attendance is an important part of giving your child the best possible start in life. Children who miss school frequently can fall behind with their work and do less well in tests. The table below shows how your child’s percentage attendance equates to the amount of school time missed.
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Every Minute Counts
If your child arrives late to school every day, their learning begins to suffer. Below is a graph showing how being late to school over a school year adds up to lost learning time.
Absence Procedure
Regular attendance is vital for achievement in school and therefore we monitor attendance rigorously.
Please make contact with the school office as soon as possible if your child is unwell and will not be attending school. If your child is not in school by 9.30am and we have not received a message we will contact you by telephone to seek an explanation for your child's absence.
Lateness Procedure
Every effort should be made to ensure that no child arrives at school before 8.50am after which time the members of staff will assume responsibility for the children. It is the responsibility of parents to see that children do not arrive late at school. If this happens frequently the school will notify you by letter regarding your child's late arrivals.
If your child arrives late at school you need to sign them in at the school office.
Holidays in Term Time
We strongly urge parents to avoid taking holidays during term time. Holiday absence will not be authorised except under exceptional circumstances and with
written approval from the head teacher; this includes family days out. Any such absence will be recorded as unauthorised and may result in a fine between £80 and £160.
Please contact the headteacher if you require further guidance about this matter