Attendance
School Attendance
The staff at Jubilee Wood Primary School are committed, in partnership with the parents/carers, children, governors and the Local Authority, to building a school which serves the community and of which the community is proud. Jubilee Wood Primary School firmly believes that all children benefit from regular school attendance. Full and regular attendance at school is crucial for a child’s future life chances and establishes a positive work ethic early in life. To this end, we will do all we can to encourage parents/carers to ensure their children achieve maximum possible attendance and that any problems that prevent full attendance are identified and acted on promptly. Pupils will be expected to achieve 100% attendance, but when absence is unavoidable, parents/carers will be required to inform the school at the earliest opportunity.
Jubilee Wood Primary School believes that in order to facilitate teaching and learning, good attendance is essential. Pupils cannot achieve their full potential if they do not regularly attend school.
Every Day Counts
Pupils cannot achieve to their full potential if they do not regularly attend school. We want every child to achieve their full potential and we know that parents share this goal. There is a clear link between good attendance and educational achievement. If your child is not in school on time they will be missing out on many important parts of their education.
Why is regular attendance at school important?
Regular school attendance will mean that your child has a better chance in life. Your child will achieve better when they go to school all day, every school day as:
- they learn better
- they make friends
- they are happier
- they have a brighter future
The Government regards 95% as the minimum satisfactory attendance for a school pupil. Days off school add up to lost learning. Please don’t let your child(ren) miss out on the education they deserve.
How does your child compare?
|
Attendance during one school year |
Equals this number of days absent |
Which is approximately this many weeks absent |
Which means this number of lessons missed |
|
95% |
9 days |
2 weeks |
50 lessons |
|
90% |
19 days |
4 weeks |
100 lessons |
|
85% |
29 days |
6 weeks |
150 lessons |
|
80% |
38 days |
8 weeks |
200 lessons |
We monitor attendance closely and contact parents to inform them and offer support where attendance has dropped and causes concern.
Good attendance is promoted in school through assemblies and rewards. We are always happy to work with families to support and improve attendance.
Family emergencies need careful consideration. It is not always in the best interests of the pupil to miss school for family emergencies that are being dealt with by adult family members. School friendships and relationships can provide pupils with stability and care during difficult times. The routine of school can provide a safe and familiar background to life during times of upheaval.
Absence reporting procedures
If your child is absent from school due to illness, please telephone school on 01908 257810 and inform the office staff or leave a message, if before 8am. You can also notify absence using ParentMail, please provide as much detail as possible. If your child’s illness lasts for more than one day, you must phone school daily and inform us why your child is still absent. If your child’s illness lasts longer that 48 hours and you have not already done so, we advise you to seek medical attention.
Parental illness is NOT an excuse for children not attending school. Children must attend school every day unless they are ill.
Medical Appointments
If your child has a medical appointment, before the appointment takes place, please give a copy of the appointment letter/card/text message to the office staff who will notify the class teacher and a photocopy of the document will be taken. If the appointment letter or card is not submitted, your child’s absence will be recorded as unauthorised. (Please refer to the local authority guidance which explains the action which can be taken if your child has unauthorised absences).
Safe and Well Home Visits
If your child is absent from school and you do not inform school and we cannot make contact, our Family Support Worker will visit your home to ask why your child is absent from school. If you are not present, you will be left a letter asking you to contact the school. It is very important that you contact school and inform us why your child is absent. If we do not hear from you, we will be concerned and may refer you to Children’s Services.
It is a parent/carer’s legal responsibility to ensure their children receive appropriate education. Failing to send your child to school regularly without good reason is a criminal offence. If your child’s level of absence is a concern, school will offer advice and support to improve attendance. After this and if there is no improvement, any unauthorised absence may result in the school and local authority taking legal action.
Leave of Absence from School during Term time
Head teachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Unauthorised absence will be subject to a fine. The Head teacher will determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if the leave is granted. Please observe these requirements. They have been written with the education of your child at their heart. Should there be any exceptional circumstances, please make an appointment to discuss them with the Designated Safeguarding Lead before making any bookings.
Milton Keynes Council Attendance Guidelines
Department of Education Attendance Guidelines
Lateness
As you may be aware, the law treats some persistent lateness in the same way as irregular attendance and parents may be prosecuted by the local authority if late arrival is not resolved.
|
Minutes late per day during the school year |
Equals: days' worth of teaching lost in a year |
|
5 mins |
3.4 days |
|
10 mins |
6.9 days |
|
15 mins |
10.3 days |
|
20 mins |
13.8 days |
|
30 mins |
20.7 days |
Poor punctuality can lead to your child…
- feeling embarrassed in front of their friends
- missing the beginning of vital lessons
- missing important instructions for the rest of the school day
- learning bad habits which could affect their employability in the future
If your child arrives at school after 8.55am when the gates are closed, your child will be admitted by staff in the front office. You will be asked to sign your child in stating the reason for the lateness. This will be logged and monitored by the DSL, for improvement. If there is no improvement, you will be invited into school to meet the Deputy Head teacher.
If your child arrives at school after 9.30am, your child will be recorded with a U code which means Unauthorised Absence. Lateness and Unauthorised absences will be taken into consideration at the end of the term when the Attendance Awards are issued. Please be aware, children who are consistently late or have unauthorised absences will not receive their Attendance Award.
Jubilee Wood Primary School operates a ‘Soft Start’. This is an opportunity for your child to receive additional support with reading. We strongly encourage families to take advantage of this superb facility.
