Nettlesworth Primary School seeks to ensure that all its pupils receive a full-time education which maximises opportunities for each pupil to realise his/her true potential. The school will strive to provide a welcoming, caring environment, whereby each member of the school community feels wanted and secure. All school staff will work with pupils and their families to ensure each pupil attends school regularly and punctually.
The school will establish an effective system of incentives and rewards that acknowledges the efforts of pupils to improve their attendance and timekeeping and will challenge the behaviour of those pupils and parents who give low priority to attendance and punctuality.
To meet these objectives Nettlesworth Primary School will establish an effective and efficient system of communication with pupils, parents and appropriate agencies to provide mutual information, advice and support.
UNCRC Article 28 – All children have the right to a good quality education.
Punctuality
Pupils can come into school from 8.30am and the school day starts promptly at 8.45 a.m. If a child arrives at school after 8.50 a.m. without prior arrangements having been agreed, he/she will be deemed late. Registers close at 9.15 a.m. and arrival at school after this time, without prior approval or extenuating circumstances, will be recorded as an unauthorised absence.
Pupils arriving at school after 8.50 a.m. must enter through the main gates and report to the school office to be signed in by an adult. Pupils leaving school for any reason must report to the office before they go so that we can ensure that they are appropriately chaperoned and signed out. Registers are also taken when the children return to classes after lunch. Unexplained absences will be investigated by the attendance officer.
As part of Durham Local Authority, we work closely with the School Attendance Support Service to ensure that all children are attending school regularly. Please see link below:
School attendance – Durham County Council
Attendance Matters!
School Attendance
By law, all children of compulsory school age must get a suitable, full-time education. As a parent/carer, you are responsible for making sure this happens. Once your child is registered at Nettlesworth Primary School, you are responsible for making sure your child has regular and punctual attendance at school.
The Local Authority (LA) is responsible for making sure that parents/carers fulfil their responsibilities, and the school must tell the LA if your child is regularly absent from school. As a parent/carer, you are committing an offence if you fail to make sure that your child attends school regularly. You run the risk of being prosecuted by the LA if your child’s attendance is poor.
Reporting School Absence
We appreciate there may be times your child is unwell or unable to attend school. As a parent you have a responsibility to:-
- Contact school on the first morning of absence, providing a reason for their absence.
- Keep school informed on a regular basis if your child is absent for a long period.
- Provide medical evidence if this has been requested by the school
If school are not informed and unable to contact you via telephone regarding your child’s absence a letter will be sent requesting details of the absence. If this is not returned and still no reason for the absence is provided the absence will be marked as unauthorised.
Only head teachers can authorise absence and it is at their discretion as to whether the reason provided is acceptable or not. Below is a guideline for your information
Attendance Procedures
The minimum acceptable level of school attendance is 96%. We believe as a school that identifying poor attendance and issues affecting attendance early as well as working in partnership with parents we can significantly improve attendance and prevent a child becoming a persistent absentee and involvement with the Local authority. Below outlines the procedure that we follow to support and improve attendance:
- Notice to Improve Letter – sent home to indicate to parents/cares that attendance is starting to decline. This will be sent to students below 96% attendance.
- Medical Evidence Request Letter – sent home to request medical evidence to be provided to support absence, without this future absence will be marked as unauthorised. This could be in the form of an appointment card or proof of medication given by the doctor
- Parents/carers to be invited to attend a school attendance meeting to discuss concerns and set targets to improve attendance.
- If your child’s attendance falls to 90% or below, this is considered, by the Government, to be persistent absence. Where attendance falls below 90% and there are unauthorised absences a referral will be made to the Local Authority School Improvement Officer for further intervention and enforcement action may be taken.
Punctuality Matters too!
Missed minutes = missed learning = missed opportunities!
Being frequently late for school means 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 every day is the same as being absent for 19 days a year.
Some Strategies to Improve Punctuality
Bedtime routines – packing school bag ready for the next day, getting to bed earlier, setting a time for a television, IPad, computer, mobile phone and other devices to be turned off.
Morning routines – setting the alarm earlier, no television until ready for school (and maybe not even then), having breakfast before leaving home, so no need to call in at the shop, meeting a reliable friend to walk to school with.
Leave of Absence Procedures
As detailed in our Attendance Policy, and in line with DfE guidance, we do not authorise leave of absence during term other than when exceptional circumstances permit. If you wish to take your child out of school, during term time, it is important to discuss this with us as much in advance as possible so we can guide you through the process.
However, where absence is unauthorised, it could lead to further action being taken including a penalty notice being issued. Department for Education information regarding this is available below:
School attendance and absence: Overview – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Leave of Absence During Term Time
Leave Of Absence request form 24-25
The Importance of School Attendance
We want our children at Nettlesworth Primary School to enjoy coming to school. Our attendance ‘floor target’ is 96%, but we hope for 100%. Research has proven that there is a high correlation between school attendance and academic performance and success. Absence from school is often the greatest single cause of poor performance and achievement.
Why is it so important to attend every day?
- Learning is a progressive activity; each day’s lessons build upon those of the previous day(s).
- Reading the material and completing work independently does not compensate for direct interaction with the teacher.
- Many classes use discussions, demonstrations, experiments and participation as part of the daily learning activities, and these cannot be made up by those who are absent.
Are there other benefits to my child?
- Pupils with good attendance records generally achieve higher grades and enjoy school more.
- Having a good education will help to give your child the best possible start in life.
- Regular school attendance patterns encourage the development of other responsible patterns of behaviour.
What are the risks of frequent absences?
- A child who does not attend school regularly will be unlikely to keep up with the work.
- The more pupils miss school, the lower their grades; the lower their grades, the less they want to stay in school.
What can parents do to help?
- Parents must model the value of education, including the importance of regular attendance.
- Make sure that your child goes to school regularly and arrives on time-you will establish a good habit that they will carry through life.
- If your child starts missing school, work with the school to put things right. Make sure your child understands that you do not approve of him/her missing school.
- If your child is ill or must miss school for some other reason, contact school immediately. If you ask for homelearning, make sure your child completes it.
- Do not expect school to approve of shopping trips, birthday treats etc. during school hours. Arrange family holidays so that your child will not miss any learning.
- Take an interest in your child’s school work and be involved in the school as much as possible-your child will value school more if you do.
Class Attendance Percentages
Please find below our class attendance percentages for period 20/09/2024 to 26/09/2024.
Congratulations to Class 4 for achieving the highest attendance for this period. Well done and keep up the good work! We will begin to look at weekly attendances after half term.
| Class | Attendance | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 85.3% | 5th Place |
| 2 | 97.3% | 2nd Place |
| 3 | 96% | 3rd Place |
| 4 | 100% | 1st Place |
| 5 | 90% | 4th Place |
REMEMBER – Regular attendance is necessary for success in school. Help ensure that your child has the best opportunity for success by making sure he/she is in school every day
Attendance Guidance & Information
working-together-to-improve-school-attendance-sept-24
working-together-to-improve-school-attendance-summary-of-responsibiltiies-sept-24
Is my Child too ill for school?
Is my child too ill for school? – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
should-i-keep-my-child-off-school
managing-illness-absence-information-for-parents
School Avoidance
If your child exhibits ‘school avoidance’, please do contact our Attendance Lead at school so that we can work with you and your child to support them in attending.
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