Promoting Attendance

Every school has a duty to promote attendance and we work hard to ensure that our pupils come to school every day, because every day matters. Attendance is rigorously tracked and we can see that pupils who have poor attendance make slower progress and experience greater difficulties in forming strong, supportive friendships. Parents/carers have a vital role to play in developing a positive attitude towards school attendance.  If, at any time, you have a problem with your child not wanting to come to school then please speak to their classteacher or to Mr Hynes.  If a child misses their school day we can never replace it for them, so we need them with us for all 190 days!

Tracking Attendance

Registration takes place twice a day, at the start of morning school and at the start of the afternoon.  Therefore, each day counts as 2 sessions. Any absence is recorded as authorised (when the school is aware of the cause of the absence) or unauthorised (when the school does not know the cause of the absence.)  Each term the Attendance Officer meets with members of the leadership team school to review attendance.  Any pupil with attendance below 95% is closely monitored and the Attendance Officer may contact parents/carers if they feel that attendance is worsening.  Pupils who have attendance below 80% (ie missing at least 1 day of school per week) will be contacted and in certain cases they will be referred to the legal process.

Celebrating Attendance

Each week the class with the best attendance is celebrated in the Grapevine and a trophy is displayed in the winning classroom.  In addition pupils with excellent attendance records are celebrated at the mid-year review and at the end of the school year. 

We also reward consistent punctuality. Every child that is in school on time, everyday will be entered into a class weekly prize draw. Remember school starts at 8:40am. The main gate open at 8:25am. The teacher that is welcoming on the gate that morning will ring the bell just before 8:40am as a sign to hurry up. The playground gate will close at 8:40am

All late pupils need to be signed in at the front office.

Sickness Absence
If your child is ill and not able to attend school then please telephone the school office before 9:10am. If you do not contact us then the regulations state that the absence must be recorded as unauthorised. All unauthorised absences are reviewed by the Local Authority Attendance Officer and may result in further action being taken. If your child has been sick or had an upset stomach then they must not return to school for 48 hours since their last bout of illness, this is to prevent the spread of infections.

Special Leave of Absence

In exceptional circumstances, such as for a music examination, a family wedding or funeral, parents/carers may apply for permission for special leave of absence for their child/children. Please note that parents/carers are not entitled to take their child out of school for a term-time holiday.

When reviewing requests for special leave of absence we take into account the child’s previous attendance record and the likely impact of any missed time on educational progress and social stability; all applications are treated on an individual basis. Requests for absence which coincide with SATs (Years 2 to 6 inclusive) or year 1 Phonics will not be granted. If permission for term time absence is refused, and the child is subsequently absent from school, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised and reported to the Local Authority Attendance Officer in line with local and national guidelines. Any unauthorised leave of absence could result in a Penalty Notice fine being issued.