Attendance expectations for all children - information for parents/ carers
Dear parents/ carers,
Please find information below about attendance and punctuality procedures at Minet Infant and Nursery School.
Attendance
Securing excellent attendance for all children at Minet Infant and Nursery School is an important focus for us at the Minet as it is vital to children achieving successful learning and progress. As part of our aim of ‘Raising Aspirations,’ we believe all children in the school are capable of achieving great things but this is only possible if they attend school every day. This is why to aim for all children to have 100% attendance or at least 95% attendance. Poor attendance is considered to be anything that falls below 95% as children begin to miss a significant amount of time from school (as shown in the table below) negatively impacting on their learning and progress.
If children’s attendance falls below 95%, the school will begin monitoring their attendance and parents/ carers will be issued with a monitoring letter from the school informing them that their child’s attendance must improve. If their child’s attendance does not improve or falls below 90%, parents/ carers may be referred to the Hillingdon’s Participation Team. A child is defined by the government as a ‘persistent absence’ when they miss 10% or more of school across the school year for whatever reason. A referral to the Participation Team may result in penalty notices being issued to parents/ carers or a prosecution in the Magistrates Court. Penalty notices are currently £60.00 for each parent/ carer rising to £120.00 each if unpaid after 21 days. If unpaid after 28 days, a summons to Court will be issued.
Term time holidays
The school does not authorise any term time holiday leave unless reasons for such leave are considered exceptional by the Headteacher. Parents/ carers must avoid taking their children out of school for term time holidays even if their child has good attendance. Where leave is taken that is not considered exceptional, the school will issue each parent/ carer with a penalty notice.
Reporting absences
The school understands that there may be genuine incidents when children are not able to attend school usually because of illness. This NHS website provides a useful guide of when to keep children off school when they are ill. These absences will be authorised although the school may request medical evidence in order to authorise these absences in certain circumstances. It is vital parents/ carers report their child’s absence to the school before 9am. If absences are not reported, the school will follow its procedures for following up unreported absences (which is outlined in the school’s Pupil Attendance Policy) which may involve contacting the police in order to ascertain a child’s whereabouts. Children should return to school as soon as possible after being ill.
Punctuality
It is essential children are in class on time every morning. Children are able to go into class from 8.30am and must be in class by 8.40am at the latest. If they arrive at school after 8.40am, they must be taken to the school office and will be recorded as ‘Late’ on the school register. Regular lateness can impact on children’s learning and progress as it can amount to a significant amount of lost school time. It can also be an unsettling start to the school day for children and can be disruptive to others in the class. Children who are regularly late to school will be monitored by the school and parents/ carers may be requested to meet with the Headteacher.
Further information about attendance and punctuality can be found on the school’s website by clicking the links below:
The school’s Pupil Attendance Policy can be accessed using this link.
Excellent attendance is vital for every child achieving success and parents/ carers play a key part in this. Please do you hesitate to contact the school if you have any questions about attendance or require any support to help improve your child’s attendance. The school will always support parents/ carers in order to secure the very best for all of our children.
