Attendance Newsletter January

Welcome to our first Attendance Newsletter

We would like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to all our families who consistently ensure their children’s attendance and punctuality is good. Getting these important habits established early on in your child’s life will make a difference to their future. We really appreciate your support.

Why Attendance Matters

Good attendance at school is not just valuable, it’s essential. Going to school is directly linked to improved attainment which should in turn lead to further learning opportunities and better job prospects in the future.

As well as this, going to school helps to develop:

• Friendships
• Social skills
• Team values
• Life skills

 Why Punctuality Matters

Arriving on time for school is important as late arrivals are disruptive for the class and can be embarrassing for the child who is late. Children can also miss important information during registration including the plan for the day and often their phonics or reading session.

• Doors open at 8.40am
• Late arrival is between 8.50am and 9.20am

Arrival after 9.20am is recorded as unauthorised. 20 unauthorised arrivals can trigger a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) especially if your child also has other unauthorised absences.

We understand that school mornings can be hectic, but …being 15 minutes late each day is the same as missing two weeks of school!

Providing Reasons for Absence

Please make sure you have contacted the school by 9.15am if your chid is going to be absent. If we do not hear from you, we will message / ring you to find out why your child is not in school.  Remember when phoning in for a child who is off school, we require an actual reason for the absence. Please also remember to provide your child’s full name and class.  

Medical Appointments

We request that, where possible, routine medical and dentist appointments are arranged outside school hours as these appointments will affect your child’s percentage attendance. We do understand that some appointments, such as hospital consultations, are not always possible to arrange outside of school hours. However, if your appointment time allows your child to come to school for registration and then leave, this will have a positive impact on their attendance figure. If they can be back in school for afternoon registration at 1pm this will also have a positive impact.

Holidays and Absence During Term Time

Absence will not be authorised during term time except in exceptional circumstances. It is very important that all parents and carers understand that children with unauthorised absences totalling more than 10 sessions or 5 days in a 10-week period, including holidays and unexplained absences, are at risk of receiving a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) from Lancashire County Council. The rules for this are explained below.

We hope this information is helpful and we will continue to update information regarding Attendance and Punctuality, please check; Attending School

Thank you for your on-going support