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Bolton Primary School

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Attendance and absence procedures

Absence Procedures and Arriving Late

 

Please inform the school office before 9am on the day of your child's absence and each proceeding day. 

Otherwise, the school office will contact you after morning register to check that your child is safe. 

 

School Attendance

The staff at Bolton Primary School are committed, in partnership with the parents/carers, children, governors and the Local Authority, to building a school which serves the community and of which the community is proud. Bolton Primary School firmly believes that all children benefit from regular school attendance. Full and regular attendance at school is crucial for a child’s future life chances and establishes a positive work ethic early in life. To this end, we will do all we can to encourage parents/carers to ensure their children achieve maximum possible attendance and that any problems that prevent full attendance are identified and acted on promptly. Pupils will be expected to achieve 100% attendance, but when absence is unavoidable, parents/carers will be required to inform the school at the earliest opportunity.

Bolton Primary School believes that in order to facilitate teaching and learning, good attendance is essential. Pupils cannot achieve their full potential if they do not regularly attend school. 

We understand that parents may have questions around term-time holidays and exceptional circumstances.

Starting in September 2024, the Local Authority are working hard to promote and improve attendance by working much more closely with schools. Our Attendance Officer is Victoria Stewardson contact email: Victoria.stewardson@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk 

Please see documents below that explain the approach to attendance and clarify term time holidays and penalties. 

Every day counts 

Pupils cannot achieve their full potential if they do not regularly attend school. We want every child to achieve their full potential and we know that parents share this goal. There is a clear link between good attendance and educational achievement. If your child is not in school, on time, as often as possible they will be missing out on many important parts of their education.

 

Why is regular attendance at school important?

Regular school attendance will mean that your child has a better chance in life. Your child will achieve better when they go to school all day, every school day as:

  • they learn better
  • they make friends
  • they are happier
  • they have a brighter future.

The Government regard 95% as the minimum satisfactory attendance for a school pupil.

Days off school add up to lost learning. Please don’t let your children miss out on the education they deserve.

 

How does your child compare?

Attendance during one school year

equals this number of days absent

which is approximately this many weeks absent

which means this number of lessons missed

95%

9 days

2 weeks

50 lessons

90%

19 days

4 weeks

100 lessons

85%

29 days

6 weeks

150 lessons

80%

38 days

8 weeks

200 lessons

 

 

We monitor attendance closely and contact parents to inform them and offer support where attendance has dropped and causes concern.

Good attendance is promoted in school through assemblies and rewards. We are always happy to work with families to support and improve attendance.

 

Absence reporting procedures

If your child is absent from school due to illness, please telephone school and inform the office staff or leave a message ideally before 9am. If your child’s illness lasts for more than one day, you must phone school daily and inform us why your child is still absent. If your child’s illness lasts longer than 48hrs and you have not already done so, we advise you to seek medical attention.

Parental illness is NOT an excuse for children not attending school. Children must attend school every day unless they are ill.

 

Medical Appointments

Try and make medical appointments outside of school hours. If your child has a medical appointment in school time, before the appointment takes place, please let the school office know. 

 

It is a parent/carer’s legal responsibility to ensure their children receive appropriate education. Failing to send your child to school regularly without good reason is a criminal offence. If your child's level of absence is a concern, school will offer advice and support to improve attendance. After this and if there is no improvement, any unauthorised absence may result in the school and the Local Authority taking legal action.

 

 

Leave in Term Time Leave of Absence from School

Head teachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Unauthorised absence of this nature will be subject to a fine. The local authority will determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if the leave is granted. Please observe these new regulations. They have been re-written with the education of your child at their heart. Should there be any exceptional circumstances, please make an appointment to discuss them with the Head Teacher before making any bookings or contact the attendance officer directly.  All requests for term time absence should be made using the form at the bottom of this page (also available from the school office).

 

 

 

Lateness

As you may be aware, the law treats some persistent lateness in the same way as irregular attendance and parents may be prosecuted by the local authority if late arrival is not resolved.

 

Minutes late

per day during

the school year

Equals days worth of

teaching lost in a year

 

5 mins

3.4 days

10 mins

6.9 days

15 mins

10.3 days

20 mins

13.8 days

30 mins

20.7 days

 

Poor punctuality can lead to your child…

  • Feeling embarrassed in front of their friends
  • Missing the beginning of vital lessons
  • Missing important instructions for the rest of the school day
  • Learning bad habits which could affect their employability in the future

 

If your child arrives at school after 8.55am when the gates/doors are closed, your child will be admitted by staff in the front office. 

 

Late Collection Policy

Please inform school if you will be late collecting your child after 3.30pm. Children will be supervised in school. 

Remember to let school know if your child is allowed to walk home alone after school. 

Let school know if someone different is collecting your child e.g. grandparent. 

Please ensure that you contact both Bolton School and Bolton Nursery regarding After School Club arrangements for wrap around care. 

 

Documentation relating to Attendance and Term-time Holidays from the Local Authority Commencing autumn 2024

See link below to our attendance policy.

Notification of a pupil’s leave of absence

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