Good attendance and punctuality is of the highest importance to us at St Gregory’s.  It is only through good attendance that children will achieve all they are capable of achieving.

We really value the support of parents in ensuring that their child/ren are at school every day….EVERY DAY COUNTS

We monitor attendance regularly and conversations are had if a child’s attendance dips.

Parents will be contacted termly via a letter should their child’s attendance fall below the school’s target for attendance (95%).  A request for a meeting will be sent out, should a child’s attendance figures fail to improve with no explanation

The Department for Education offers guidance on school attendance, read more by clicking on the link:

Understanding Types of Absence

Every half-day absence from school has to be classified by the school (not by the parents), as either Authorised or Unauthorised. This is why information about the cause of any absence is always required.

Authorised absences are morning or afternoons away from school for a good reason like illness, medical / dental appointments which unavoidably fall in school time (these should be booked outside of school hours), emergencies or other unavoidable causes.
Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider reasonable and for which no “leave” has been given. This type of absence can lead to sanctions and/or legal proceedings.  This includes:

Parents keeping children off school unnecessarily             Absences which have never been properly explained
Children who arrive at school too late to get a mark         Holidays in term time which have not been agreed
Shopping, looking after other children or birthdays           Truancy before or during the school day

Whilst any child may be off school because they are ill, sometimes they can be reluctant to attend school.  Any problems with regular attendance are best sorted out between the school, the parents and the child.  If a parent thinks their child is reluctant to attend school then we will work with that family to understand the root problem.

After 1 school year:
10 days absence = 95% attendance
19 days absence = 90% attendance 
29 days absence = 85% attendance
38 days absence = 80% attendance
47 days absence = 75% attendance

Attendance is expected to be 95% or above  A Persistent Absentee is one with an attendance of 90% or below – for any reason

Persistent Absenteeism (PA)

A pupil becomes a ‘persistent absentee’ when they miss a significant amount of schooling across the school year for whatever reason. Absence at this level causes considerable damage to a child’s education and we need parent’s fullest support and co-operation to tackle this.

We monitor all absence and the reasons given thoroughly.  Any pupil who is seen as a PA or is at risk of becoming so, parents will be informed immediately.  PA pupils are tracked and monitored carefully.  We also combine this with academic tracking where absence affects attainment.

Absence Procedures

If a child is absent the parent must contact us as soon as possible on the first day of absence.  If not, we will:
Telephone or ping parents on the first day of absence if we have not heard from them;
Invite parents to discuss the situation with the Head if absences persist;

Parents are expected to contact school at any early stage and to work with staff in resolving any problems together. This is nearly always successful. If difficulties cannot be resolved in this way, the school may refer the child to the Local Authority Early Intervention team.

Lateness

Poor punctuality is not acceptable. If a child misses the start of the day they can miss work and do not spend time with their class teacher getting vital information and news for the day.

Being frequently late for school also adds up to lost learning:
Arriving 5 minutes late every day adds up to over 3 days lost each year
Arriving 15 minutes late every day is the same as being absent for 2 weeks a year
Arriving 30 minutes late is the same as being absent for 19 days a year
19 days lost a year through being late = 90% attendance.
Late arriving pupils disrupt lessons, can be embarrassed or anxious and this can also encourage absenteeism.

Good time keeping is a vital life skill which will help our children as they progress through their school life and out into the wider world.

How We Manage Lateness

The school day starts at 8.40am.
Registers are marked and closed by 8.45am and children will receive a late mark if they are not in by that time.

In accordance with the Regulations, if a child arrives after that they will receive a mark that shows them to be on site, but this will not count as a present mark and it will mean they have an unauthorised absence.
If a child has a persistent late record, parents will be asked to meet with the Head to resolve the problem, but we would encourage parents to approach us at any time if they are having problems getting their children to school on time.
It is a legal requirement to ensure a child attends school and this means to arrive on time.

Holidays Or Time Off For Events In Term Time

Please be aware that in line with the latest Government guidance, holidays and time off during term time will not normally be authorised, unless the Headteacher feels that there are exceptional and mitigating circumstances. Requests for time off need to be written.

Current Covid guidance

To ensure that you have the most up-to-date guidance, please follow this link. 

COVID-19 symptoms and what to do – NHS (www.nhs.uk) 

What to do if you have symptoms of COVID-19 

Try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you or your child have symptoms and either: 

have a high temperature 
do not feel well enough to go to work, school, childcare, or do your normal activities 
You can go back to your normal activities when you feel better or do not have a high temperature. 

If your child has mild symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat or mild cough, and they feel well enough, they can go to school. 

In Summary

The school has a legal duty to publish its absence figures to parents and to promote attendance. Equally, parents have a duty to make sure that their children attend.   All school staff are committed to working with parents and pupils as the best way to ensure as high a level of attendance as possible.

The school appreciate all parents working with staff to ensure your child(ren) attend school daily and are getting the maximum amount of learning possible.