Attendance

Good attendance and punctuality are a priority for us at St Philip’s Catholic Primary School. We share parents and carers views in wanting the best for your child and are passionate about working in partnership with you to ensure this.

At St Philip’s Catholic Primary School, we strive to ensure your child has the best opportunities to be the best they can be, to feel safe and supported in school, and to develop a sense of belonging both with their peers and as a wider part of our school community. To support that, regular attendance is key.

At St Philip’s Catholic Primary School, schools starts at 8.35am and finishes at 3.15pm.

We expect all pupils at St Philip’s Catholic Primary School to attend school as regularly as possible. Our ambition for every child is 100% attendance.

We recognise that on occasion some children may experience illness or have exceptional reasons preventing regular attendance. We will work with you as partners to ensure in such circumstances any identified barriers are discussed so we can best support your child’s wellbeing and education.

Giving your child the best start

90% attendance may seem like an acceptable level of attendance, however the reality is that 90% attendance means that your child misses half a day of school every week, the equivalent of 19 school days (almost one whole month), during the year. Children who miss this amount of school do not achieve as well as their peers who attend more regularly.

We know being a parent/carer can be challenging at times. We are here to help if there are any problems affecting your child. Do please speak with your child’s class teacher in the first instance or a member of the senior leadship team.

To assist parents deciding whether their child is too ill to attend school or otherwise, the NHS have produced a weblink you may also find useful:

Is my child too ill for school? - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

As parents/carers you can best support your child to secure regular attendance and punctuality by:

·         Ensuring a good bedtime routine to enable your child to get enough sleep.

·         Establishing a good routine each evening and each morning so your child is prepared for the school day ahead.

·         Making sure your child attends school every day it is open, unless there is an exceptional reason preventing this.

·         Ensuring your child arrives at school on time every day by 8.40am.

·         Arranging dental and medical appointments outside school hours wherever possible.

·         Informing the school if your child is ill and too unwell to attend.

·         Taking absence seriously – if your child is not wanting to attend, or has not attended as you expected why is this?

·         Taking any holidays during school holiday periods, and not during term time.

·         Talking positively to your child about school and taking an interest in their school day.

·         Attending parents evenings and school events.

·         Praising and rewarding your child’s efforts and achievements at school.

·         Supporting school staff by working in partnership to best manage and support your child with any difficult or challenging behaviour or circumstances.

·         Discussing any problems or difficulties with the school as soon as they arise – staff are here to help.

At St Philip's we classify attendance as: