Late/Absence Procedures

Attendance expectations

 Walesby C of E Primary School is a happy school. We believe that children learn best when they are happy and relaxed. All of our staff show concern and care about each child’s welfare. At Walesby C of E Primary School we believe that good attendance is essential if our children are to take full advantage of school life and gain the educational and social skills which will equip them for their futures.

It is important too, that children arrive at and leave school on time. Here at Walesby C of E Primary School we are dedicated to ensuring that each and every child receives the best education possible, this means that we have to abide by laws set by the Government in regards to ensuring attendance is at its best for each individual child. There is a clear link between good attendance and a child’s achievement; the more time a child spends in school, the more likely they are to improve their opportunity to fulfil their full potential.

Whilst school starts officially at 8:45 am, we open our doors at 8:30 am. Children benefit from this, as teachers start teaching as soon as children arrive in school, often using this time to boost, to address misconceptions from the previous day and to allow children to reflect on marking during ‘Reflection Registration’ time. 

Children are registered at 8:45 am. If your child arrives at school between 8:45 am and 9:15 am, they will need to enter school by the front office and sign in, giving reason for lateness. They will be marked on the register with a late mark (L),. If your child arrives after 9:15 am, they will receive an unauthorised late mark (U), which will impact on their attendance.

Reporting a child’s absence

 If your child is poorly and unable to attend school please ring on the morning of absence before 8:45 am. If your child has been absent for more than 3 days, as a school we will endeavour to phone to check in with how your child is doing and to see if any support is needed. If we do not receive any contact regarding why a child is absent from school we will attempt to contact you with all known phone numbers as well as possibly home visiting as we have a duty of care to carry out a safe and well check.

Medical conditions 

We understand that unfortunately some children have different concerns that will have an on-going impact on their attendance, as a school we will try to ensure that we facilitate any needs for each child. Please ensure that you share all medical conditions and appointments with us so that we can support in the best way we can.

Medical evidence – If your child’s attendance is below 92% then you will be expected to provide medical evidence when your child is absent, this is in line with recommendations from the local authority. A form of evidence can be a written letter from a doctor/consultant at a GPs or hospital, proof of medication (in the case of a short term absence)

Low attendance

Laws set by the Government mean that extra intervention will be put into place to support children with attendance close to or below 90%, this means that as a school we will contact you to make sure you and your child are supported to improve their attendance. If attendance does not improve Fixed Penalty Notice action may be taken.

Lateness

Here at Walesby C of E Primary School our school day starts at 8:45 am for all children; this means that we expect everyone to be sat in their classrooms ready for their lesson to start. If however, something unavoidable has happened leading to a late start to your day please go to the school's main office. From there we will sign your child/children into school and take them to their teachers. At Walesby C of E Primary we monitor lateness on a regular basis. As you can expect we completely understand that at times lateness does happen, however if this becomes a reoccurring issue then you will receive a letter of concern regarding lateness. This is monitored through each child arriving late being given a late mark on their attendance record. Receiving a late mark, (L) does not bring down your child’s attendance, however it can be detrimental to the progress of their day and often children struggle with going into the classroom after their peers are settled. Due to lateness having a detrimental effect on a child’s attendance, a ‘U’ code is added to a child’s register if they arrive past 9:15 am. A ‘U’ code affects a child’s attendance by decreasing it by half a day; this impacts on their attendance, their class’ attendance and the whole school attendance. Again if this becomes a re-occurring issue, the matter could be taken further leading to Fixed Penalty Notices.

Being frequently late for school adds up to lost learning:

• Arriving 5 minutes late every day adds up to over 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 for 19 days a year.

If your child attends school they are more likely to succeed, therefore, please ensure that your child is in school ready to learn on time.

Leave of absence

As a school we cannot authorise time off during term time for holidays or visits to relatives living abroad. It is an expectation set by the Government that time off for reasons other than medical issues/illnesses are not taken due to children only attending school.  Unauthorised absences can lead to Fixed Penalty Notice action. The school will instruct the Local Authority to issue a Fixed-Penalty notice for unauthorised travel during term-time. The penalty is £120 per child, per parent/carer and should be paid to the local authority within 28 days of the date on which the notice starts. If the penalty is paid within 21 days, the sum is reduced to £60. Failure to pay within 28 days will result in a summons to appear before a Magistrates Court on the grounds that the parent/carer has failed to secure their child’s regular attendance at school.

If you wish for your child/children to be absent from school due to exceptional circumstances then please fill out a leave of absence form found in the school office.

A copy of the school's attendance policy can be found in key information, policies on this website.