Attendance and Punctuality

Why is attendance and punctuality important?

Good attendance and punctuality is vital if children are to do their best and make good progress.   Research shows that children are much more likely to meet age-related expectations if they have high levels of attendance at school, and we aim to promote this from the very start of their schooling years.  This encourages children to form positive attitudes from a young age, which will influence their approach to work and life in later years.  If children understand how important good attendance and punctuality is, they will achieve more in school and will develop good habits for the future. 

The government's minimum standard for a primary school's attendance is 95%, however our expectation is much higher than this as a school, and our attendance target is generally 96% or over.  We also work very hard to encourage all 3 and 4 year old children who attend our Nursery to come to school every day.

Absence

If your child is unwell and is unable to come to school parents/carers must inform the school office on the first day of absence, preferably by calling in before start of the school day.  If an absence is not reported by the parent/carers then we are duty bound to investigate, and if no reason is given it will be recorded as unauthorised absence. 

Leave of absence request

Leave of absence requests in term time are not permitted, and the school complies with the national and Ealing Council policies where fines are issued to families if children are taken out of school for more than four consecutive says for a holiday or other reason.

Punctuality

All children are expected to be in school between 8.45am - 8.55am.  Any children arriving at school after 8.55am must be report directly to the school office.   

How do we manage attendance and punctuality

We work closely with the Local authority's Attendance Officer assigned to our School.  The Attendance Officer makes visits frequently to monitor attendance and meet with parents.  If there are a significant number of absences, parents/carers are required to meet the Ms Hodgson and the Attendance Officer to discuss how we can help to improve and support your child's learning.