Attendance Matters

Attendance Matters

Is Your Child Missing Out?

Focus on Attendance and Punctuality

At Stockham Primary School we wish to work in partnership with parents and carers and so are seeking your full support in ensuring that your child attends school every day and on time. We are always pleased to work together with parents/carers in resolving any difficulties but we are also committed to improving attendance levels at school. Research has shown that regular attendance and good punctuality are crucial factors in students achieving their full potential in education.

The target attendance figure for all pupils is a minimum of 97% attendance.

Good attendance at school is the single most important factor to ensure that young people have the maximum life chances – attendance is strongly linked to educational achievement. Promoting positive school attendance is everyone’s responsibility.

Good attendance is important in order for children to:

Achieve their potential.
Develop a positive attitude towards school and maintain good habits of punctuality and attendance.
See themselves as an important part of the school community and to value and respect school life.
Schools recognise that this can only be achieved through a close partnership with parents.

It is a legal obligation of all parents/carers to ensure their child attends school regularly. By law all children of compulsory school age (5-17) must get a proper full-time education. Parents are responsible for ensuring children attend school regularly in a condition to learn.

Children should be in school by 8.40am and in class to register by 8.50am. Parents should contact the school as soon as possible if a child is going to be absent or late for any reason e.g. doctor or dentist. You must report your child’s absence by calling the school office on 01235 764407, before 9.10am when the registers close.

Parents may be required to provide medical evidence to substantiate that their child’s illness required them to be absent from school. i.e. some form of medical verification.

Attendance Matters — Aberdare Community School - Strive ...

Attendance below 90% is considered to be poor and your child will be classified as being persistently absent.

The minimum percentage we expect is 97% attendance

This means missing no more than 5 days in a year

What does 90% mean?

90% attendance = ½ day missed every week. Over one school year this is 4 weeks of learning lost.

Punctuality Matters Too.

Missed minutes = missed learning = missed opportunities.
Being frequently late for school adds up to lost learning:
Arriving 5 minutes late every day adds up to 3 days lost each year
Arriving 15 minutes late every day is the same as being absent for 2 weeks a year
Arriving 30 minutes late every day is the same as being absent 19 days a year

Some strategies to improve punctuality:

Bedtime routines – Packing school bag ready for the next day, getting to bed earlier, setting a time for the television, IPad/computer and other devices to be turned off.
Morning Routines – Setting the alarm earlier, no television until ready for school, having breakfast before leaving home.

Key Messages

Your child’s attendance and punctuality is being monitored all the time. Pupils with low attendance and punctuality will be highlighted and given extra support to improve this.

At Stockham Primary School 97% or above is considered to be good attendance. Appointments should be booked for out of school hours.

Holidays are NOT permitted in the school term and will not be authorised.

Thank you for working in partnership with us to achieve the highest possible levels of attendance and punctuality at Stockham Primary School.