Why are good attendance and punctuality important?
A good education gives a child the best possible start in life. We must ensure that all our pupils have an equal chance to make good use of the education that the school offers by providing a positive and encouraging atmosphere. To achieve this it is important that each child attends school regularly and punctually. When a child does not attend school regularly and on time they will have difficulty keeping up with their work and will therefore underachieve.
The school recognises that parents/ carers have a vital role to play in supporting and encouraging good attendance and punctuality. By accepting responsibility in partnership with the school, we can work together to ensure the children’s right to a full education, as well as enabling parents/ carers to fulfil their legal responsibility.
It is very important for all children to attend school every day and to arrive on time. To have the best possible beginning to the school day we have a soft start, which works as follows:
- Breakfast club starts at 8.00am in the Lodge.
- The playground opens at 8.45am and parents/carers are welcome to bring their children in the playground from this time.
- The start time for children is between 8.45am and 9.00am.
- All children in the playground go up to their classrooms independently from 8.45am. Reception class children use the Reception playground entrance. Nursery and 2+ children are taken to their classrooms.
- Breakfast club children go to their classes at 8.45am.
- There are staff members in every class to welcome the children and start them on a range of learning activities ranging from reading, handwriting, spelling, number bonds, times tables and reviewing previous learning.
- Lessons start promptly after registration at 9.00am.
- Please note that any child arriving after registration must report to the school office and is marked late.
To help with punctuality, in addition to breakfast club in the Lodge from 8.00am, the playground opens at 8.45am.
Not only does lateness make a bad start to the day, arrival after 9.30am is considered half a day’s absence. All lateness/attendance is recorded and monitored by the school.
Usually, the only acceptable reason for a pupil to miss a day of school is if they are too ill to attend. If this is the case, you should ring the school office by 9.30am. If you are not sure in the morning whether your child is well enough for school, we suggest you send them in. We can always call you if they become too ill to get through the day.
Authorisation for absence will not be given for outings, shopping trips or family visits. Holidays should be taken during the school breaks and not during term time. In exceptional circumstances permission may be sought from the headteacher and every case will be treated individually.
Medical appointments should be made out of school hours if possible. If your child has to see a doctor or dentist in school time they should attend school for as much of the day as possible. It is not permitted to take a whole day off school for a medical appointment unless the appointment lasts all day.
