We understand that there may be genuine reasons why your child may be absent from school, but where there are not you may be putting your child's education at risk. Research shows that children who have attendance below 96% are less likely to achieve as well as their peers. 

We seek to ensure that all children receive a full time education maximising opportunities for them to reach their true potential. All staff will work with children and their families to ensure that any problems that may impede full attendance are acted upon quickly. You can read more below about how we monitor your child's attendance.

At our school and nurseries the curriculum is planned so children continually build their knowledge and skills in a sequential way. This means when your child misses work this can lead to gaps in their learning. Regular absence can impact on your child's friendships, a child who misses school a lot finds it hard to make relationships.

 Did you know...

• 90% attendance means that a child is deemed to be a persistent absentee and is missing half a day’s school a week or 19 days (4 weeks) of school during a year
• 95% attendance means that a child will miss two weeks of school in a year
  
• there is a clear relationship between poor attendance and poor behaviour.

How you can help your child so they have good attendance.

• Establish good routines at home both in the morning and in the evening so your child is ready for school and nursery.
• Make sure your child behaves well and bring them to school each day.
• Ensure your child arrives at school on time (children can feel embarrassed when they go into their classroom late).
• Arrange medical and dental appointments out of school hours wherever possible.
• Always report your child's absence to the school office on 01952 387860 so we don't have to chase you it's important we know why your child is not in school or nursery.
• Take family holidays outside of term time (There are 190 school days in a year leaving 175 in which to take holiday).
• Read our weekly newsletter so you can talk to your child about what is happening in school and nursery.
• Read with your child at home so they become confident and can access their learning.
• Attend parent/teacher consultations so you know how well your child is doing.
• Praise and reward your child's achievements at school and nursery.
• Please speak with a member of the admin team or our pastoral support with any questions or concerns regarding attendance.

Please click on the link to access information about childhood illnesses Should I Keep My Child Off School? for advice and guidance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: My child is unwell, what should I do? 

A: Please call the school office on 01952 387860 no later than 8.40am, leave a message stating your child’s name, class and a brief explanation of the nature of the illness. A call is requested for every day of absence unless you have spoken directly with the Attendance Officer.

Q: Why do I need to call every day?

A: We cannot assume that a child is unwell just because they were off school the previous day. If you believe an absence due to illness may be prolonged, please contact us so that we can make arrangements to avoid you calling daily.

Q: I know in advance that my child needs to leave school early for an appointment, what should I do?

A: Send your child to school with a note stating the reason they need to leave school and the time you wish to collect them. The note should be handed in at Reception or to the child’s class teacher. Alternatively you can speak with the class teacher before or after school or the school admin team during the day.

Q: I have just remembered that I need to collect my child during the school day but I have forgotten to send a note what should I do?

A: Please call us, 01952 387860 to inform the admin team.

Leave of absence during term time 

There are 190 school days in a year leaving a 175 days in which to take holidays or non emergency medical appointments. Leave of absence will only be granted in exceptional circumstances, and can only be authorised by the Executive Headteacher. Exceptional Circumstances are defined as ‘one-off’ occasions where a request for leave of absence is unavoidable. It does not cover annually occurring family holiday. Please follow the link for the school's Updated Attendance Policy September 2024

Please click on the link for a form Leave of Absence Form 

Hand the completed form to the school office or email it to A2116@taw.org.uk no later than four weeks prior to the start of the leave. In order for the Headteacher to reach an informed decision, please include as much detail as possible to explain why exceptional circumstances apply.

Why is punctuality important?

Being on time gives your child a great start to the day. They arrive at school in a positive frame of mind to make the most of their day's learning.

Punctuality is linked to good attendance and good attenders have more opportunities, more support and therefore achieve more. Arriving on time before the bell gives your child opportunities to make friends on the playground which can lead to improved self confidence and success. Establishing good routines sets your child up for the future, whether this is for college, university or work they could lose their place or their job if they think it's acceptable to be late.

Late before the register closes your child is a few minutes late-but they have missed the opportunity to say hello to and play with friends. They are likely to feel unsettled and embarrassed when they arrive.

Late after the register closes this counts as an unauthorised absence and will show on your child's attendance record. Not only has your child missed the chance to meet with their friends before school, they are likely to have missed the start of lessons and could feel unsettled, embarrassed and much less confident than their classmates as the lesson moves on.

Top Tips

• Make sure they have everything ready the night before PE kit, uniform and homework.
• Get your child into the habit of doing their reading or maths homework in the evening-instead of in the morning at the breakfast table. 
• Make sure your child has a good bedtime routine so they get plenty of rest and don't struggle out of bed in the morning-not a bad idea for parents either.
• Invest in a good, reliable alarm clock-make setting it part of your child's bedtime routine.
• Try to ensure your child has a good breakfast to set them up for the day-we have a super breakfast club you could use if you need to be at work early.
• Have a back up plan for getting your child to school in case something crops up-friends or family perhaps neighbours who are taking they children to school anyway.
• Allow lots of time for your journey to school.
• If you are finding it difficult to get your child to school on time, talk to a teacher and ask for help.

How do we monitor attendance and punctuality?

We monitor attendance daily, we check that we have a reason for your child's absence, a member of the admin team will call you to establish the reason for non attendance.

Each week the attendance officer checks attendance to see if any child's attendance has fallen below the expected level. A member of the attendance team will contact you if there are not genuine reasons for absence or you may be invited to an Attendance Concern Meeting.

Please see the table below for attendance ratings.

Every 4 weeks the Educational Welfare Officer will attend school and meet with the headteacher to monitor those children who have fallen below 90%. Our first response will be to work with parents to try to improve attendance however if attendance does not improve we will take a formal approach. 

Attendance percentages are reported to the governing board each term so they can ensure high levels of attendance.

Our attendance team

Mrs Gascoigne	Miss Teale	Vacancy	Mrs Griffiths	Mrs Pike
Exec. Headteacher	Pastoral Team	Administrator	School Business Manger	Education Welfare Officer

 

Contact school: 01952 387860

Education Welfare Officer: Alison Pike

Attendance Nominated Person: Jenny Gascoigne