Attendance and Punctuality
Good attendance is not only a good habit to get into for the future but good attendance at school results in better attainment for children. We aim to work with parents to support good attendance and punctuality and reduce any barriers.
Good attendance begins with school being somewhere pupils want to be and therefore the foundation of securing good attendance is that school is a calm, orderly, safe, and supportive environment where all pupils are keen and ready to learn (DfE 2024).
We aim for all pupils to meet our attendance target of 97% or above each term and by the end of each academic year.
We regularly monitor attendance across school. One of the triggers we use for attendance concerns is when a child falls below 95% attendance.
Please help your child to achieve the best they can by ensuring the best attendance you can. If you are in any doubt about sending your child in with a little cold or sniffle, send them in, we will always ring you if they deteriorate.
The law
It is the legal responsibility of every parent to make sure their child receives that education either by attendance at school or by education otherwise than at school. Where parents decide to have their child registered at school, they have a duty to ensure that their child attends school regularly. This means their child must attend every day that the school is open, except in a small number of allowable circumstances such as being too ill to attend or being given permission for an absence in advance from school. Section 444 of the 1996 Education Act states if a child of compulsory school age fails to attend regularly, the parent is guilty of an offence. Parents, therefore have a legal responsibility to ensure their child’s attendance at school.
Lateness / Absence procedures
Regular and prompt attendance allows every child access to the education to which they are entitled by law. Lindley CE Infant School values good attendance and punctuality because this equates to high standards.
All children should arrive at school by 8.55am. Anyone arriving after this time will be marked as late. Arrival after 9.25am, when registers have closed, can be marked as unauthorised absence.
If your child is going to be absent for any reason please contact school on 01484 646888 before 9.15am.
We have a dedicated absence line so messages can be left 24 hours a day, please press 1 to leave a message stating your child’s name, class and illness reason.
If no message has been received about an absence, for the safety of your child, good practice requires schools to try to contact parents to establish the reason for absence. If we are unable to contact parents we may contact other sources e.g. Lindley Junior School if we are aware of a sibling attending there, or other emergency contacts provided by you. If contact still isn't made, it may be necessary to do a home visit and/or contact the police. This is good safeguarding practice to ensure the safety of you and your child.
Please note that medical appointments are still absences and can affect your child's learning if taken during school hours. Every effort should be made to arrange appointments outside of school hours. If this is not possible, children should attend school before and after their appointment. Appointment letters / texts should be shown at the school office when informing school about an appointment.
Please remember that if a child has vomited or had diarrhoea they must not return to school until they have had two school days clear of symptoms. Thank you for your continued support.
We want children to be happy in school and have the best chances for their future. Being in school as much as possible gives them the biggest chance of success.
Persistent Absence
Persistent absence refers to children/young people who have 10% or more absence from school. This refers to all absence including, medical appointments, illness, religious observation and holidays in term time. Therefore any child who has more than 10% absence would be classified as a persistent absentee and questions will be asked as to the reasons for the absence. This does not mean that parents/carers will automatically be at risk of prosecution. However questions will be asked as to whether there are interventions that could be put into place that would result in the reduction of days lost to absence. Parents might be invited in to discuss any barriers to attendance and ways school can support improved attendance.
How is persistent absence calculated?
One day absence from school equals two sessions. Therefore every day lost counts as two absences.
Therefore, two weeks illness and a further two weeks absence for holiday could mean that your child will hit the 10% threshold or more absences and will be classified as a persistent absentee.
Punctuality
School begins at 8.55am. If children arrive after 8.55am, they will be marked as late. Late minues add up over the year and equate to lost learning time. Every minute counts!
Holidays in Term Time
Any absence from school disrupts a child's learning. In addition, children returning from a term-time absence generally require additional time from teachers to catch up on the teaching they have missed. This can have an impact on the education of other pupils in their class.
Therefore, the Department for Education only allows Headteacher's discretion to authorise an absence if they believe there are exceptional circumstances.
Exceptional circumstances: All schools can grant a leave of absence for other exceptional circumstances at their discretion. Schools are expected to consider each application individually taking into account the specific facts and circumstances and relevant background context behind the request. If a leave of absence is granted, it is for the school to determine the length of the time the pupil can be away from school. Generally, the DfE does not consider a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation to be an exceptional circumstance.
If a parent wants to request an absence (not including medical appointments) for their child during term-time, they should write to the Headteacher to ask for permission either by email or by letter handed in to the school office.
What can you do about it?
Ensure your child is in school as much as possible and on time. All children do get ill but if they are off on Monday but better by Wednesday they should return to school rather than have the whole week off. If your child is ill in school they will contact you.
Try to make medical and dental appointments at the end of the school day. This will not count as an absence.
Don't take holidays in term time. They should only be taken in exceptional circumstances.
To read our Attendance policy please click the link below:
Kirkless Leave of Absence Guidance
DFE guidance on Attendance & Absence
If you need to request an absence for your child you must complete an absence request form, available from the school office or by clicking the link below: