Why attendance matters
Did you know that the statutory expectation is that a child attends school 96% of the year?
Regular school attendance allows a pupil to make positive relationships with staff and other pupils.
The more time children are in school, the quicker they make progress in their learning, and you can see that persistent absence can add up to a lot of missed days!
Absences
Of course, there will be times when your child is unable to attend school due to illness, and if that is the case, then call our Office to inform us of your child’s absence.
Sometimes though, you’re just not sure. Please send your child in to school and see how they do. We keep a close eye on all our children and if they are not able to manage the rest of the school day we will get in touch and look after them until you can get here.
Punctuality
Poor punctuality only applies to a minority of our children but it is noted on a daily basis. The start of the school day is a crucial time for children to develop their social skills with their peers, as well as preparing them for their learning. Children who arrive late miss very important introductions to learning activities and new ideas. Please make every effort to ensure that your children arrive on time. Missing just 10 minutes of the school a day is the same as missing two weeks over the year.
You can help us by:
Ringing on the first morning of all absences with the reason and saying when the child will return
Arranging dental and doctor’s appointments out of school hours or during school breaks
Keeping us updated if your child has an extended period of absence due to illness
We shall:
Follow up unexplained absences by phone calls
Remind parents of the importance of regular attendance and punctuality
Let you know if we have concerns regarding your child’s attendance
If we continue to have concerns we will make a referral to the Education Welfare Officer, who will visit the school to review the situation and advise on the action to be taken.
