Attendance and Punctuality at St Aidan's

Attendance and Punctuality

At St Aidan's C of E Primary School, we expect all our children to achieve at least 96% attendance percentage each year.  However, we know that there can sometimes be exceptional reasons why children cannot attend school, such as illness.

At St Aidan's, we support our families to achieve this target of 96%.  We know that sometimes, absence is unavoidable however this should be minimal.  As a school we will support families, however, we will not tolerate poor attendance.  We aim to act at the earliest point to ensure that when attendance dips, we listen, support, understand and set targets, to get children back into school.

When children are absent from school they miss out on their education, they miss time to build and develop friendships, they miss fun, memorable, life changing experiences.

Our school strives for an excellent education for all.  To support this, we encourage the highest possible levels of attendance and punctuality.

By seeing our children every day and providing them with an educationally safe and secure environment, we can support their learning, and enable them to achieve their potential.

Through good attendance, we believe that we can promote the development of the whole child. We work with our families to encourage children to attend school every day, and on time, so that they can flourish and achieve highly. 

Being in school is important to every child’s achievement, wellbeing, and wider personal development. 

We believe that attendance is everybody's responsibility.  Staff, parents, carers, pupils and all members of each school’s community have an important contribution in improving attendance and punctuality, ensuring pupils attend so they can achieve the very best they can. 

Parents and Carers please ensure that your child arrives promptly in school and ready to start the school day. Classroom doors open at 8.50am ready to start school at 8.55am.

Authorised and Unauthorised Absences

It is very important that if your child is ill, school is contacted either via phone, text message or in person to tell us why they won't be in school. If your child is absent from school we may text, telephone, call at your home address or get in touch with the other people you have nominated as emergency contacts. We may also speak to other agencies.

Any evidence of illness should be provided once received. This evidence could be:

 - Prescriptive medicine

 - Doctor stamped appointment card

 - Care of the chemist evidence

Please read the document containing information from the NHS about common ailments/illnesses and how these may affect your child's attendance.

Holidays and Other Leave of Absence

Please support us and show your dedication to your child's learning by not taking holidays or other leave of absence during school time. Holidays and leave of absence during school time will not be authorised and this will adversely affect your child's attendance. You may also be issued with a fixed penalty notice. If you feel there are exceptional circumstances for a request for leave of absence, please send this in writing with any supporting evidence to the school office.

Medical Appointments

We recognise that on occasion hospital times will not be able to be changed. If this is the case, please provide us with the appointment card/letter so that we can authorise an absence. Where possible, make medical appointments such as optician appointments and doctor appointments outside of school time so that your child does not miss out on any learning.

In the case of an unavoidable morning appointment, please bring your child to school for the morning register and then pick up your child closer to the time of the appointment.