At the end of the last academic year, our whole school attendance was 94.6% – a very slight increase on the previous year which was 94.3%. However, this still falls short on our attendance target of 96% which remains for 2018/19.
Children are expected, by law, to attend school every day. As you are aware, attendance and achievement are closely linked and good habits developed early in life do have an impact on levels of achievement. The negative impact of regular absence also affects your child’s friendships, self- esteem and confidence.
As part of my role, I am available every morning on the school playground to speak to parents regarding any concerns you may have which could affect your child’s attendance. Alternatively, I can be contacted on the main school numberand/or appointments can be arranged to see me in school at your convenience.
Timekeeping
The main school day starts at 9.00am and finishes at 3.15pm. Classroom doors open at 8.50am and close at 9.00am. Children should therefore be in school and ready to learn at these times. Children arriving after 9.00am will enter school via the main reception and will be recorded as late. Timekeeping and punctuality is extremely important. If your child is persistently late they are missing out on vital learning opportunities at the start of the school day. Letters will be sent to parents of children who are persistently late at the end of each Half Term.
Reporting Absence
We appreciate that there will be times when your child may be too ill to attend school. Should this be the case, we request that parents contact school as a matter of importance to speak directly to myself or leave a message. If we do not receive a call or message, I will contact parents to ascertain the reason for absence. If no contact is possible and/or parents are unable to provide a valid reason for absence, your child’s absence will be recorded as unauthorised. Attendance checks are carried out on a daily, half termly and termly basis and home visits are carried out where necessary. I will continue to work very closely with the Education Welfare Service again this academic year and attendance letters of concern will be sent to parents of children who have persistent absence which falls below 90%. Please look out for the attendance table which will be available soon on the school website to check how your child’s class attendance is doing.
Celebrating Attendance Success!
We will continue to celebrate the success of children who do achieve 100% attendance. In addition to the weekly prizes for attendance we are now offering termly prize draws. Prizes so far have included a Cadbury’s chocolate hamper and a family cinema ticket. Please watch out for our upcoming prizes which will be advertised on the attendance display in the school hall!
Finally, thank you for your support over the last academic year. The new academic year is now well and truly under wayand we do still have room for improvement with attendance. However, I am confident that with all our efforts, commitments and support from parents, we will rapidly improve attendance and achieve, if not exceed, our target of 96%.
Mrs Conway
Attendance Officer/Parent Support Advisor
We have been notified by the local authority that the ‘persistent absence threshold’ will change this academic year from 15% to 10%. This means that if your child has attendance of 90% or less they will be classed as ‘persistently’ absent and may become subject to the involvement of the Educational Welfare Officer. Mrs Winstanley will work with any family who is falling into this category and is also available to discuss any other concerns about attendance. 
