Kingfield Primary School

Attendance

In order for children to gain the full benefit from their education, it is important that they attend regularly. If your child is ill, it is very important that you inform us of your child’s absence as soon as possible on their first day of absence.

The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 Amendments have been made to the 2006 Regulations and make clear that head teachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Headteachers have the discretion to grant leave, but they should only do so in exceptional circumstances. If a headteacher grants a leave request, it will be for them to determine the length of time that the child can be away from school. This leave is unlikely, however, to be granted for the purposes of a family holiday. Parents can be fined for taking their child on holiday during term time without consent from the school.

The staff of Kingfield Primary School are committed, in partnership with the parents/carers, pupils, governors and the Local Authority, to building a school which serves the community and of which the community are proud.

Research clearly demonstrates the link between regular attendance and educational progress and attainment. We expect pupils to attend school 100% of the time and as a school, we will work with parents to ensure that their children achieve maximum possible attendance and that any problems that prevent this are identified and acted on promptly.

All pupils must:

attend school regularly,
attend school punctually
attend appropriately prepared for the day

All parents will:

encourage regular school attendance and be aware of their legal responsibilities
ensure that their child arrives at school punctually and prepared for the school day
ensure that they contact the school on the first day of absence or if known in advance, whenever their child is unable to attend school
contact school promptly whenever any problem occurs that may keep their child away from school
notify the school immediately of any changes to contact details
notify the school of any home circumstances that might affect the behaviour and learning of their child

The school will:

provide a welcoming atmosphere
provide a safe learning environment
provide a sympathetic response to any pupil’s or parent’s concerns
keep regular and accurate records of AM and PM attendance and punctuality
monitor individual pupil’s attendance and punctuality
contact parents when a pupil fails to attend and where no message has been received to explain the absence
follow up all unexplained absences to obtain explanations from parents. Although parents may offer a reason, only the school can authorise the absence. In the case of long term or frequent absence due to medical conditions, verifications from a GP or other relevant body may be requested
encourage good attendance and punctuality through a system of recognition and rewards
regularly inform parents of the % attendance of all pupils
make initial enquiries regarding pupils who are not attending regularly
meet regularly with the Education Welfare Officer to monitor and support school attendance and punctuality
refer irregular or unjustified patterns of attendance to Education Welfare. Failure by the family to comply with the planned support set by Education Welfare may result in further actions, e.g. a Penalty Notice, parental prosecution or an application for an Education Supervision Order