Attendance
Attendance and absence from school
The benefits of good attendance at school include better social skills, more confidence, higher self esteem, stronger friendships and a stronger feeling of inclusion in addition to the academic benefits and outcomes.
There are 190 days in the school year, giving you 175 days of family time, so please support your child's future by ensuring they are in school and on time every day. If your child is late by only 10 minutes each day that adds up to 33 hours lost each year and causes your child to walk into a settled class on their own rather than starting the day with their friends.
Children should attend school when they have a minor illness such as a cough, cold, headache, toothache or sore throat as many of these symptoms will lessen during the day with some pain relief and plenty to drink. Being around their friends also helps children to be distracted from their symptoms so they do not feel as bad as they might on their own. It also helps if you reassure them that they will feel better soon and that their education is more important.
Clearly if your child has a more serious illness they should be kept at home for as long as necessary until they are better. Please contact the school first thing in the morning to let us know when your child is absent as we have a safeguarding duty to check that children are safe even if they are not in school. You can leave a message on 778796 for the admin team to pick up at the beginning of the school day.
It is helpful if you support your child's attendance by putting routines into place which include:
- making sure phones, TV and consoles are switched off at bedtime to aid better sleep
- encourage your child to pack their school bag and gt their uniform out ready the night before
- support your child to do their reading and complete any other set homework each night
- give your child plenty of healthy food and exercise to improve their immune system so they do not succumb to so many minor illnesses.