Attendance & Punctuality

We all know that good attendance at school is vital for children to make progress. I am asking parents to ensure that children are in school every day on time unless they are ill. I am aware that the vast majority of parents ensure that their children attend school regularly but, as it is the beginning of a new academic year, I would like to remind everyone of the following points:

Attendance

If your child is unable to attend school or nursery for any reason it is vital that you telephone school on the first morning of his/her absence. We need to know the whereabouts of your child for their own safety. Children who are in school receive two marks for attendance each day, one for the morning and one for the afternoon. If your child is feeling unwell in the morning but recovers by lunchtime please bring him/her to school for the afternoon session.

Holidays during term-time are not permitted.Taking your child out of school for a holiday may lead to a fine from the Local Authority. If you need to take your child out of school for any reason, a term-time absence form must be completed and returned to the Headteacher. Holiday lists are sent out to parents and further copies are available from the school office. Dates are also published on the school website.

If your child’s attendance falls below 90% during a half term, you will receive a letter advising you of the percentage attendance. Attendance is monitored by the school in conjunction with the Educational Welfare Officer. A trophy is awarded each week to the class with the best attendance.

Punctuality

Children in Reception – Y6 must be in school by 8.55am at the latest. Early Bird activities take place from 8.45am when the doors to the classrooms are opened. If children arrive after the bell has been rung at 8.55am they must come to the main entrance so that their attendance is noted, in case they have missed registration.

The morning Nursery session starts at 8.45am and the afternoon session begins at 12.15pm. Parents should take children round to the Nursery at these times.

Children who arrive late miss introductions and explanations for lessons, which affect their ability to make progress. Lateness is monitored and persistent late arrival is reported to the Educational Welfare Officer. 

It has come to my attention that some of the older children are arriving at school very early and are waiting on the playground, sometimes on their own, for a very long time. Please make sure that your child does not come to school before 8.30am or register them in our breakfast club.

Parking

We are very lucky to have the use of the George Carnall Centre car park. Please make sure that you park there when bringing and collecting your child. For the safety of children crossing Kingsway Park, parents must not drop children off on the yellow lines outside school and must not park in the school car park, which is for staff cars and deliveries only. The double gates to the car park are closed immediately before the beginning of school and remain closed throughout the day. Please use the gate leading to the pedestrian walkway.

Thank you for your cooperation.