screen-shot-2016-09-12-at-14-27-20Good attendance at school is vital for your child’s education and means they can make the most of all aspects of school life. Excellent attendance at school allows a child to have the best possible start in life.

There are lots of reasons why a child should attend school:

  • To learn
  • To build confidence and self-esteem
  • To understand responsibility
  • To develop new skills
  • To grow as individuals
  • To make new friends, have fun and develop life skills

Primary school children rely on their parents to make sure that they attend school. As a parent, you are legally responsible for making sure that your child gets a full-time education.

Make sure your child has good attendance:

  • From starting at nursery, teach your child the importance of good attendance and getting to school on time every day
  • Show an interest and ask about what they’re doing at school
  • Encourage them to take part in school activities
  • Encourage them to tell you about any problems they may have at school – let their teacher or headteacher know about anything serious
  • Don’t let them take time off school for minor ailments – particularly those which would not stop you from going to work
  • Where possible, make appointments after school, at weekends, or during school holidays
  • Take family holidays outside of term time

As a school we offer our children rewards and incentives to encourage good attendance, including our 20 Day Challenge Rewards, Bronze, Silver and Gold badges and a weekly class reward for the best attending class.

Our attendance target for West Meadows Primary School is 97%.

We understand that some parents may feel anxious when their child feels ill. However, some childhood illnesses, such as coughs and colds, are a normal part of growing up and children are better coming into school if they are able to with these. Your child’s wellbeing is the most important thing to us and we will always contact you if we have any concerns or your child becomes unwell at school. As a school, we may ask for proof of medical appointments if your child is absent for a period of time (for example for more than 3 days). You can find further information regarding infections and illnesses and whether your child can be in school by following the below link:

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

All holidays during term time are unauthorised and therefore, may result in a fixed penalty notice. Persistent absenteeism is classed as any child whose attendance falls below 90%. This is the same as 19 school days per year. Persistent absenteeism from school, in particular where a child has an attendance below 80%, may also result in the involvement of the Education Welfare Office and/or a fixed penalty notice. As a school, we will always strive to work with and support families to improve their child’s attendance, including through attendance meetings before these actions are taken.

If you have any concerns regarding your child’s attendance, please contact school and speak to either the headteacher or Mrs Maree.