Attendance 

Attendance is a statutory requirement for school aged children. As a school we continue to have a duty to monitor and support good attendance of pupils. Our aim is to work with families to encourage good attendance and support where we can. Mr Merritt (Assistant Headteacher for Inclusion), Miss Coxon (Family Support Officer) and Mrs Mulcahy (our school attendance team) work closely with the Education Welfare officers in the Local Authority, who monitor our school attendance, as well as picking up where there are concerns for individual attendance.  

We know that the more children are in school, the better chance they have of making progress and getting the most out of their school experience.  

As well as monitoring and supporting individual attendance, we also encourage and support good punctuality. We know that when children arrive late to school, not only do they miss important elements of their learning, but this can also unsettle children and make the rest of their day not as positive as it could have been.  

Establishing good routines at home, with children going to bed at a regular, appropriate time, getting up in plenty of time to have a calm start to the day, with time for breakfast, really does make such a difference to the rest of their day.   Our Family Support Officers are always on hand to support with establishing these routines and can work with you and your child. Please just get in touch if this is something you would appreciate.  

We do have a first day response to absences, so please do support us by letting us know before the start of the school day if your child is unable to attend for any reason, for example if they are unwell. Please call the school office to report absences (01429 272007). Where we do not have this communication, we will try to make contact with you to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children.  

Our attendance policy below details what our systems and rewards are to promote good attendance for all. .  

Appointments  

So that children do not miss important learning time, we ask that all appointments are made outside of school hours. We know some cannot be avoided, so if your child does need to be taken for an appointment during the school day, we ask that these are arranged where possible towards the end of the school day, after afternoon registration. If a child arrives late after registration closes, even if they have been for a medical appointment, they will be required to be marked as absent.  

Holidays 

As a school, we are unable to authorise holidays, unless there are exceptional circumstances. We have tried to plan our PD days to support family holidays (see calendar at the back of this guide).  We do ask that parents/carers still request and complete a Leave of Absence form for any holidays/ days required off school, which ensures we know where children are and will avoid us taking safeguarding measures to ensure this, where we have children absent without a known reason. Leave of absence forms are available from the school office.