Attendance
Why attendance matters
Did you know that the statutory expectation is for children to attend school at least 96% of the time? Regular attendance is essential for building strong relationships with teachers and peers. The more time children spend in school, the faster they progress in their learning. Persistent absence, however, can quickly add up to a significant number of missed days. We are committed to working closely with families to ensure children achieve the best possible attendance.
Absences
There may be times when your child cannot attend school due to illness. In such cases, please inform the office of your child’s absence each day in one of the following ways: phone/voicemail, email or Studybugs. However, if you are unsure whether your child is well enough, we encourage you to send them to school and see how they manage. We closely monitor all children, and if they are unable to continue with the school day, we will contact you and care for them until you arrive.
We work alongside our Education Welfare Officer (EWO) to monitor attendance and support families in improving school attendance where needed. Please note that requests for holidays will not be approved.
Punctuality
Although poor punctuality affects only a small number of children, it is something we monitor daily. The start of the school day is a vital time for children to develop social skills with their peers and to prepare for learning. Arriving late means missing important introductions to lessons and new concepts. We ask that every effort is made to ensure children arrive on time.
Remember, being on time is crucial: missing just 10 minutes each day adds up to two weeks of lost learning over a year.
You can support us by:
- Calling on the first morning of any absence to provide a reason and an expected return date.
- Scheduling dental and doctor’s appointments outside of school hours whenever possible.
- Keeping us informed regularly if your child is absent for an extended period due to illness.
- Sending your child to school if they are feeling slightly ‘under the weather.’ We will monitor them and contact you if needed.
We will:
- Follow up on any unexplained, prolonged, or concerning absences.
- Monitor absence rates closely.
- Regularly remind parents, carers, and families about the importance of consistent attendance and punctuality.
- Inform you if we have concerns about your child’s attendance and provide support to help to make improvements.
If attendance issues persist, we will refer the matter to the Education Welfare Officer (EWO). The EWO regularly visits school to review persistent absences. We may invite you to an Attendance Review Meeting to discuss how we can work together to improve your child’s attendance.
Please remember, we are here to support you and your child through their education journey.