COOKIE NOTICE

This site uses cookies to store information on your computer Please review our cookie policy

Accept
Decline

Attendance

We place great value on regular and punctual attendance in order to maximise the learning opportunities for our pupils and to ensure their well-being. While recognising that there are good reasons why this is not always possible, it is our intention to provide support and challenge where appropriate to ensure that attendance remains high for all pupils in our care.

 

The School Day

The official start time of the day is 8:50am. The registers are taken at 9am - any child arriving after 9am will receive a late mark. The registers are closed at 9:20am and children arriving after this point will receive an absence mark for the morning session. We take the registers again after lunch - between 1pm and 1:15pm, depending on what time the children come in from their lunch break. The school day finishes at 3:15pm.

 

What should I do if my child is unwell?

If your child is too unwell to attend school, you should notify the school office before 9am (0151 638 5406) on the first day of their absence.

Coughs and common colds are not normally a reason for an absence from school. If you're unsure as to whether your child should attend or not, we suggest sending them to school and having a word with the class teacher or the school office to let them know that they are a bit under the weather. We can always contact you if your child feels unwell later in the day.

For minor complaints of aches and pains, children can generally cope well in school. Over the counter medicine such as calpol can be effective for treating discomfort - allowing your child to still attend school. 

If you child has a bout of sickness and/or diarrhoea, they should return to school after 48hours of the last episode - this helps to prevent the spread of any infection.

For any absences linked to Covid-19, we follow the government guidelines. 

If you have any queries at all about whether your child should attend, please contact the office whereby Mrs Billeau will be very happy to offer some friendly advice and support.

 

What should I do if my child has a medical appointment?

We ask that any routine appointments (dentist/doctors etc) are taken outside of school hours. We understand that emergency appointments can't always take place outside of school hours and so for any appointment such as this, we ask that your child attends before and/or after the appointment. Proof of appointment will be required.

If your child is having regular treatment or therapy - i.e. physiotherapy - we suggest that you liaise with the health services to ensure that your appointment times allow for your child to attend school as much as possible. We can also communicate with health teams in order to support your requests in this regard.

 

Can my child be absent for other circumstances such as holidays?

Headteachers are only allowed to authorise absence from school in exceptional circumstances.

Holidays during term time will not be authorised and may result in each parent receiving a fine. Holidays should be booked and taken outside of term time. 

If you would like to apply for an absence due to exceptional circumstances, you must fill out a form (available from the school office). If the absence is not approved and your child is absent on the days requested, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised. Exceptional circumstances are for events such as a funeral.

 

Does the school monitor attendance?

Yes. We monitor attendance on a daily basis as we have a duty to ensure that all children attend school as much as possible. We will contact parents/carers if a child's attendance drops below 95% so that we can offer support and guidance in order to improve and maintain good attendance. We will begin attendance management procedures to monitor attendance. If a child's attendance drops below 90%, they will be classed as persistently absent. The attendance management procedures can involve penalty notices being issued to each parent of the child. 

We are committed to supporting our families and we understand that there can sometimes be lots of reasons that impact on attendance. Our priority will always be the well-being and best interests of your child and so any steps we take, will be done so with this in mind. We pride ourselves on having a solution-focused approach to all aspects of school life, including attendance matters, and simply ask parents and carers to work with us on this. We all have a common goal - supporting the children to reach their very best potential in all aspects of their life. 

 

Do absences and/or lateness really have that much impact?

Yes. Any absence or lateness forms a gap in your child's school experience and in their knowlege and understanding. The impact of this is significant. Absences and/or lateness can also impact on your child's confidence and on their social experiences within school. The attached link at the bottom of this page provides a breakdown of lost learning time.

 

Does the school celebrate good attendance?

Yes. We have a celebration assembly on a weekly basis and one aspect of this is attendance. We celebrate individuals as well as classes and year groups. We have attendance trophies, certificates and stickers. Each phase also celebrates and promotes attendance in their own way - for example, we have a 'Punctual Party' each week. It is also pertinent to note that we understand that some absences cannot be helped and so we work to ensure that children aren't and don't feel penalised or left out in these circumstances.

 

 

 

Student Login

STAFF LOGIN
PARENT LOGIN
SCHOOL BLOGS