Attendance

"Good attendance at school is the single most important factor in ensuring that children and young people have the maximum life chances - attendance is strongly linked to educational achievement. Promoting positive school attendance is therefore everyone's responsibility".

Maidenhall Primary School believes regular and punctual attendance is important. It is vital for effective learning. 

Research shows that excellent attendance is at the heart of doing well in school. It prepares children for success as adults. Regular attendance also increases the chance of children making good friendships. Children who regularly attend school are also less likely to become involved in, commit or become victims of crime or abuse when they are older.

 Poor attendance disrupts the education of all pupils. It reduces social cohesion and disturbs their understanding of subjects like maths and English. Children who do not attend regularly also miss out on key events such as school trips and visitors

In case of Absence:

·The Attendance Officer will check all the registers each day,. They will make sure that all reported absences are marked appropriately. They will telephone parent/carers to establish the reason for any unreported absences. Any concerns will be reported immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Officer or, in their absence, a member of SLT.

Parents/carers should contact the school early on the first day of absence.  If no contact is received from the parent/carer, the school will contact the parent/carer by telephone. We will leave a message if the parent/carer is unavailable. If there is no contact after this action (including further phone calls), the matter will be referred to the Designated Safeguarding Officer which may lead to a referral to child services - this is to ensure the safety of the child.

Unexplained absences will be marked as unauthorised.

Registers will be inspected for absences and lates. Absences will be monitored and analysed for data collection purposes. 

Parents will receive a letter from the Attendance team should the pupil’s attendance or punctuality fall below accepted levels. This may be followed with meetings with parents to discuss how to reduce absences and improve attendance.

If a child is absent for 5 days the Attendance Officer and Family Worker or Designated Safeguarding Officer will visit the home. 

However, if we have no contact from parents or reason for absence the Attendance Officer and Family Worker or Designated Safeguarding Officer will visit the home after 3 days.