At St Wilfrid's CE Primary School, we believe that good attendance and punctuality are essential for every child’s educational success. Children need to attend school regularly to benefit fully from the learning opportunities available to them. We are committed to ensuring that pupils are in school and on time, giving them access to learning for the maximum number of days and hours.

Our attendance target is 97%.

We recognise our responsibility to promote regular attendance and punctuality, and we expect all members of our school community — pupils, parents, staff, and governors — to work together to achieve this.

Our Attendance Aims

At St Wilfrid's, we aim to:

• Improve pupils’ achievement by ensuring high levels of attendance and punctuality.
• Achieve a minimum attendance rate of 97% for all pupils, apart from those with chronic health issues.
• Create a school ethos where good attendance and punctuality are recognised and valued.
• Raise awareness among parents, carers, and pupils of the importance of consistent attendance and punctuality at every stage of education.
• Work in partnership with pupils, parents, and staff to remove barriers to regular attendance and ensure all pupils achieve their potential.
• Provide a positive and welcoming atmosphere where pupils feel safe, secure, and valued.
• Establish effective procedures to monitor attendance and punctuality and to recognise good attendance while addressing concerns consistently.

Maintaining and Promoting Good Attendance and Punctuality

We maintain and promote good attendance and punctuality by:

• Raising awareness among staff, parents, and pupils of the importance of attendance and punctuality.
• Ensuring parents understand their responsibility to ensure their child attends regularly and on time.
• Equipping pupils with the skills and understanding to take responsibility for their own attendance and punctuality as they grow older.
• Developing procedures to identify, report, and address patterns of poor attendance or persistent lateness.
• Supporting pupils and families experiencing difficulties that impact attendance.
• Following up on all unexplained absences promptly and consistently.

Parental Expectations

We expect parents and carers to:

• Ensure their child arrives at school on time, and provide a reason for any lateness.
• Contact the school on the first day of any absence.
• Arrange medical appointments outside of school hours whenever possible.
• Take family holidays during school holiday periods. Requests for holidays during term time will only be approved in exceptional circumstances.
• Keep emergency contact details up to date.
• Limit requests for absence to essential reasons only.
• Provide medical proof for any prolonged or recurring absence.
• Work closely with the school to address any barriers to attendance.
• Be mindful of key academic times, such as SATs, when attendance is particularly critical.
• Support and encourage their child to maintain good attendance and punctuality.

Punctuality

Good punctuality is essential for pupils to achieve their full potential. It also helps them develop good habits for life beyond school.

• Doors open at 8:40 am for Years 3,4,5 and 6 to go straight to their classrooms.
• For all other pupils, 'gates open' from 8:40am for children to line up with their class.
• The school day starts promptly at 8:45am for KS2 and 8:50am for EYFS/KS1.

If a pupil arrives after registration, without prior arrangements, they are marked as late.

The register closes at 9:15am (KS2) 9:20am (EYFS/KS1). Pupils arriving after this time, without a valid reason, will be marked as unauthorised absent for the morning session.

Late arrivals must report to the school office to be signed in by an adult.

If a pupil needs to leave during the school day for any reason, they must be signed out at the office to ensure they are appropriately supervised.

Absences

We understand that absences due to illness are sometimes unavoidable. We also follow the 48-hour rule for sickness and upset stomachs to prevent the spread of illness.

However, frequent or prolonged absences can significantly impact a child’s learning. A pupil with 90% attendance will have missed almost two terms of education over their primary school years.

We monitor attendance carefully and will contact parents if attendance falls below 96%.

Communicating with Parents About Attendance

• If your child’s attendance falls below 96%, we will contact you by email, letter, or phone to raise our concerns. We may ask for medical evidence for future absences to ensure they are authorised.
• Attendance below 90% is classed as persistent absenteeism by the Government. In this case, we will send a letter and arrange a meeting to discuss the reasons for absence and agree on ways to improve attendance.
• If attendance does not improve after this, we may escalate the matter and seek advice from the Local Authority.

Term-Time Absences

In line with Department for Education (DfE) and Nottinghamshire Local Authority policies, term-time holidays are generally not authorised.

We understand that exceptional circumstances may arise. In these cases, please contact us as early as possible to discuss your request. We will consider each request on an individual basis and in line with Government guidelines.

Impact of Absences

Regular absences affect children’s learning and progress.

• Missing just 10% of the school year (equivalent to one day off every two weeks) adds up to one full year of missed education by the end of Year 9.

Learning is structured progressively. Missing the early stages of a topic means a child misses essential knowledge, making it harder to catch up. Teachers and Teaching Assistants often need to provide additional support to help these children catch up, impacting other pupils’ learning.

Lateness

According to DfE guidelines, if a pupil arrives after 9:15 am, they are marked as absent for the whole morning session, unless a valid reason (such as a medical appointment) is provided.

Supporting Good Attendance and Punctuality

We support good attendance by:

• Awarding the class with the highest weekly attendance a certificate.

Parents’ Role in Supporting Good Punctuality

We ask parents to:

• Ensure their child gets up in plenty of time to arrive at school on time.
• Encourage their child to prepare their belongings the night before to avoid delays in the morning.
• Monitor their child’s attendance and address any patterns of lateness or absence.

Leave of Absence Procedures

If you need to request leave during term time, please contact the school office. Absences without prior discussion may be recorded as unauthorised, which could lead to further action by the Local Authority.

For more information on attendance requirements, please refer to the DfE guidance.