Attendance

School Hours

Nursery

There are two separate sessions and children attend either a morning or an afternoon session. 8:45 – 11:45am or 12:30 – 3:30pm.

Reception

8:30 am – 12:00pm; lunch between 12:00pm and 1:00pm; and then 1:00pm – 3.10 pm for the afternoon session.

Key Stage 1 and 2 (Years 1 and 6) 8.45 am to 3.10pm
Doors are opened at 8:30am and families are encouraged to be punctual in order to ensure a good start to the day. Children can come into school and take part in our Wellbeing Welcome sessions from 8.30 – 8.45 am. At 8.50 am, the register is taken and this is closed at 9.00 am .

The Importance of Good Attendance and School Procedures

At Keys Meadow we take Attendance and Punctuality very seriously as we want to give all of our children the best possible start in life and there is a close correlation between the amount of time children spend in school and the progress they make.

Reporting Absence

If your child is unwell, please telephone the school office on the first day to inform us of the reason for your child’s absence.

A call will be made to you at home if we are not advised of the reason why your child is absent from school. Any unknown reason for not attending school will be recorded as an unauthorised absence.

If your child has been physically sick, it is advisable to keep your child at home for 48 hours just in case he/she has an infection that could spread to other children. If your child contracts an infectious disease, please let us know as soon as possible, in case we need to alert the Health Authorities.

If you should change your contact details, such as your address or telephone numbers, please inform the school immediately so that we are able to get in touch with you if there is an emergency. Similarly, if you start work or change your job please notify us of your up-to-date details, as we may need to contact you at any time.

If a child is collected from school during school hours, please see the Attendance Officer or Welfare Assistant and sign them out before collecting the child.

If you are unable to collect your child yourself, please telephone the office to give permission for someone else to collect your child on your behalf. It is essential that children attend school regularly. We work closely with the Education Welfare Service to ensure good attendance. When a child is absent we note a reason in the register and whether the absence is authorised or unauthorised.

Authorised Absence

This is defined as …

• When a child is prevented from attending by sickness.
• Religious observance as defined by the religious body to which a child belongs.
• Situations where a school would reasonably exercise discretion to grant leave, e.g. death of a close member of a child’s family.

Unauthorised Absences

Absences that do not fall into the above categories are deemed unauthorised and these absences are closely monitored. On receipt of evidence from parents, the school decides if the absence is authorised. If we do not receive a note or phone call, the absence is recorded as unauthorised. If a child’s absence gives cause for concern, we will in the first instance try to talk to you about this, however, a referral may be made to the Education Welfare Service.

Appointments and Holidays during Term Time

We understand that some hospital appointments require children to attend during school hours. However, we ask and encourage parents to re arrange / book medical appointments, where possible, outside of school hours.  We would also like to remind parents to avoid taking holidays during school time, and where this is unavoidable to seek permission in advance from the Headteacher. Permission may be authorised, in exceptional circumstances, at the Headteacher’s discretion.

Frequent absence has a proven detrimental effect on progress and therefore we work closely with parents and outside agencies to keep these absences to an absolute minimum. Our registers are regularly checked by the Education Welfare Officer, who will discuss any problems regarding attendance with those parents and carers concerned.

Punctuality

We want children to adopt good habits of attending punctually. It is disruptive to your child and to the rest of the class when children arrive late. Latecomers may miss important information and teaching. In addition, children are often upset about going into classes and assemblies when they are late as they feel embarrassed.

When children arrive late, this is recorded, and if the problem persists, parents are contacted and asked to meet to discuss the situation with the Attendance Officer, the Deputy Headteacher and the Education Welfare Officer.

Having said all of the above, if your child is late please do not keep them off from school!

Attendance and Punctuality Policy-Nov 2021