“Where children are at the heart of every decision to inspire brighter futures”
Attendance Officer: Mrs P Hughes
SLT Attendance Lead: Miss L Robinson
Trust Education Welfare Officer: Mrs E Johnson
At Girnhill Infant School we work closely with parents and carers to achieve and maintain high standards of attendance. For a child to reach their full educational achievement coming to school every day is essential. We are committed to providing an education of the highest quality for all our children in an environment where all pupils feel welcome and valued. Every child has a right to access the education to which he/she is entitled.
It is our duty to consistently strive to achieve a goal of 100% attendance for all children. We use every opportunity to convey to pupils and their parents or carers the importance of regular and punctual attendance. For our children to take full advantage of the educational opportunities offered it is vital a child is at school, on time, every day the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable. High attainment, confidence with peers and staff and future aspirations depend on good attendance.
As set down by the Department for Education, schools are only able to authorise absence from school in exceptional circumstances. When requesting an authorised absence from school you will need to explain why the circumstances are exceptional. Please note there is no general right to authorise absence for a family holiday and if you take your child out of school without permission the absence will be unauthorised and a Penalty Notice may be considered.
If your childās attendance is under 95%, they are missing at least two weeks of learning time a year. If their attendance is at 90%, they are missing four weeks. This will significantly affect their work and reduce their grades.
The responsibilities in relation to attendance are as follows:-
Children with poor attendance records and lateness will be monitored and followed up by the academy and/or Education Welfare Officer. In extreme cases absence could lead to official warnings or even prosecution and fines. This information can be transferred to the high schools.
The school does not authorise holidays during term time.
As a parent, you have a legal responsibility to ensure that your child:
Nursery doors open at 8:45am and 12:15pm The classroom door opens at 8.45am, morning registration closes at 9.00am, and children who are not registered in class by 9.00am will be marked as late in the register. The school allows for 10 late marks over the academic year. Any more will result in a penalty notice being issued. If a child arrives after 9.20am, the child will receive a U mark, this means your child arrived after the registers closed. This equates to a single session of unauthorised absence.
Any children who are dropped off by parents at school late must be brought into school by a parent so they can be signed in. This is to ensure that accurate reasons for lateness are recorded, and also to ensure that children arrive safely in school.
The Facts
