Attendance And Term Dates
Attendance is very important
Every day, children learn new things and develop many skills. There is a direct link between the best possible attendance and positive childhood development, the building of positive relationships, developing essential life skills such as resilience, compassion, understanding of the world, and making a positive difference to our community.
Children should establish good habits and routines during the primary years and it is up to us as adults to give them the opportunities to do this. We set the example and standards they follow. Children miss more than just lessons when they miss school – they miss their friends and social skills development too.
Every day counts
Days off school add up to lost experiences and opportunities to grow.
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There are 365 days per year.
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There are 190 school days per year.
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That leaves 175 days to spend on family time, visits, holidays, shopping, household jobs and appointments.
A pupil who has 80% attendance misses an average of one day a week; this is nearly 40 days in a year – approx 8 weeks of every year – that’s over 200 hours of learning and experiences missed. That is the same as a year off by the time a child is in Year 5. Our attendance target for this year - We aim for all of our children to have attendance of 96% or above which is very realistic and based on our whole school attendance over previous years.
Punctuality is important
The school gates open at 8.40am and our school day starts at starts at 8.55am- all children should be ready to start their day in class by 8.55am at the latest. Children who miss the start of the day miss out on a crucial ‘settling down’ period – a chance to catch up on news with friends, share stories with their teacher, find their belongings, hang up their coats,and prepare for a day of learning – that is a lots of things. No-one likes being the last person to arrive or to get organised when everything has already started. If a child is just 5 minutes late every day – that adds up to over 3 days lost each year.
If a child is late by 15 minutes each day, that is the same as being absent for 2 weeks per year.
How to help your child get the most from school
1) Make sure your child has enough sleep.
2) Make sure your child has an alarm clock or is woken in plenty of time.
3) Make sure your child has clothes ready the night before including swimming kit, PE kit, outdoor learning clothes, cycling kit if necessary
4) Arrange dental and medical appointments outside of school hours wherever possible.
5) Do not book holidays in term time - they are very unlikely to be authorised.
Below are the term dates for the current academic year and information about what to do if your child is unwell in our Infections Control Policy. If you have any questions about attendance or punctuality please get in touch with us at school. If you need support with attendance or punctuality please let us know and we will work together to make things better for your child and you.