Attendance Policy
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At Crofton Infants School we believe that every day counts and recognise that lost learning through absence impacts on pupils’ progress. We ask parents and carers to work with us to ensure that children attend school regularly and punctually.
The school day begins at 8:30am
The school doors open at 8:30am every morning. Between 8:40am and 8.45am activities take place in classrooms, the register is taken.
The register closes at 8.45am and all external doors are locked to secure the school. Lessons begin at 8.45am.
Children arriving after the close of registers at 8.45am are required to enter school through the main door. Accompanying adults are required to record the time of arrival and reason for lateness.
Children arriving between 8.45am – 8:55am will be recorded as L (late) in the register.
Children arriving after 8:55am will be recorded as U (unauthorised absence) in the register.
At the point of 5 U coded sessions (within a half term) a warning letter will be issued from the school. This is notification that a Fixed Penalty Notice may be issued if persistent lateness after close of the register continues. Persistent lateness is 10 coded U sessions within a term.
Notification of absence due to illness
Parents are required to notify school by telephone before 9:00am if their child is not attending school that day due to illness. Parents are then required to contact school before 9:00am each day of the absence thereafter.
It can sometimes be difficult to decide if your child can come to school or not. We recommend this link to the NHS site which gives guidance on when your child can come to school with an illness.
Medical appointments
Wherever possible we ask that dental and medical appointments are made out of school hours.
Where this is not possible, parents are required to verify the appointments at the school office with an appointment card. Children should return to school as soon as possible after the appointment time.
Term Time Holidays
In line with the Government’s amendments to the Education Regulations 2006, the Headteacher is not permitted grant leave of absence for family holidays unless there are exceptional circumstances. In such cases, parents are asked to put their request in writing to the Headteacher clearly stating the exceptional circumstances.
Children who are absent from school during term time because of a holiday will be marked as a G (family holiday not authorised) in the register.
Penalty Notices
The Governing Body agreed to the issuing of penalty notices by the Local Authority from the 1st September 2017. This is in line with other local schools and schools nationally. Advance notice of this was given via the school newsletter.
A Penalty Notice may be issued at the point whereby a child has 10 sessions of unauthorised absence. This could be because of:
- Failure to ensure a child’s attendance and punctuality
- An unauthorised term-time holiday
- Persistent lateness for school after the close of the register
The cost of the penalty notice is £60 per child, per parent, if paid within 21 days of receipt of the notice. This rises to £120 per child per parent if paid between 22 and 28 days.
Mrs Sherrard, the school’s Education welfare officer, will continue to monitor attendance and punctuality in school. If you have any concerns or questions regarding your child’s attendance, please do not hesitate to get in touch and she will be happy to discuss these with you.
Keeping track of your child’s attendance
Each term you will be issued with an attendance summary for your child(ren). This will give you a detailed breakdown from the register to help you keep track of your child’s attendance level.
The attendance summary will be colour coded according to the following levels:
| Outstanding Blue: 98% – 100% | The best chance of success Children get off to a flying start! |
| Good Green: 96% – 97% | The best chance of success Children get off to a flying start! |
| Worrying Amber: 91% – 95% | Less chance of success because of periods of lost learning time. |
| Serious Concerns Red: below 90% | Significant lost learning time |
As a parent/carer you are expected to
• Ensure your child attends school everyday
• Bring your child to school on time (8:30am) each day
• Contact school on the first day of absence (and each day thereafter)
• Make all appointments outside of school time
• Not take leave of absence (term time holidays). All holidays will be unauthorised and penalty notices will be issued
As a school we will
• Celebrate good attendance
• Reward good or improved attendance through class competitions and certificates
• Monitor attendance regularly
• Monitor pupils arriving late
• Contact parents when a pupil fails to attend school without a good reason
• Contact parents when there is a pattern of absences or an excessive number of absences
• Work with parents so that together we can work on raising attendance across the school
• Refer the matter to the schools Education Welfare Officer if attendance is a concern
10 Tips for Parents and Children
1. Help your child to get their book bag ready the night before school
2. Make sure their uniform is ready for the following day
3. Make sure your child goes to bed at a reasonable time
4. Set the alarm clock early enough to allow plenty of time to get ready
5. Make sure your child has some breakfast
6. Leave for school with plenty of time to spare so your child is not late
7. Check to make sure they have everything they need – book bag, P.E. etc
8. If your child is having any problems with their work, speak to the class teacher
9. Talk to your child about what they do at school each day
10. If your child is unhappy at school contact the school straight away
Thank you for your continued support.
The Academy Standards Committee (ASC) of Crofton Infants School