Attendance
Newton Primary School recognises the importance of good attendance and the impact it has on children’s progress, attainment, enjoyment of learning and relationships within school. Good attendance helps a child to realise their potential and ensure they are motivated, confident and enjoy a diverse range of curricular opportunities and experiences.
Our school policy and prospectus promote good attendance, which is recognised and rewarded as an achievement. The school monitors attendance and ensures quick and early intervention if a problem is identified. We recognise that whole school preventative and proactive approaches are key to promoting child wellbeing and attendance.
A child must attend school every day that they are required to do so unless an exceptional circumstance applies.
Our policy is accessible to leaders, staff, pupils, and parents, and is published on our school website. It will be made accessible to parents with any initial information when pupils join the school and parents will be reminded of it at the beginning of each school year and when it is updated via the newsletter. As the barriers to attendance evolve quickly, the policy should be reviewed and updated as necessary. In doing so, we will seek the views of pupils and parents. The Attendance & Punctuality Policy is based on the premise of equal opportunities for all.
Registration & Punctuality
Children are expected in the playground for 8.45am when a member of staff, usually the Headteacher, will open the door at the playground entrance so that children can enter the building.
This gives them plenty of time to sort their belongings and be ready for the register.
Registers will be taken as follows throughout the school day:
- The morning register will be marked between 8:55am and 9.00am.
- Pupils attending after 9.00am but before 9.25am will receive a mark to show that they were on site, but this will count as a ‘late before registration has closed’ mark. Code ‘L’
- The morning register will close at 9:25am. Pupils arriving to school after 9.25am will receive a mark to show ‘late after registration has closed’ mark – Code ‘U’
- Any child who arrives after the gates are closed must enter the school by the main entrance and report to the school office to sign in.
- Afternoon registers are taken as soon as children return to the classroom following the end of the lunchtime period.
- KS1 afternoon register will be marked by 12.50pm & KS2 afternoon register will be marked by 1.00pm.
Medical/hopsital will be marked under a different attendance code.
Absence & Leave of absence
It is important to ring the school as soon as possible each day to report an absence with an explanation and where possible an indication as to when the child is expected to return.
If the school has not been informed of any absence by 9.10am, the administration staff will try to contact the family, keeping a record of steps taken.
Parents and carers requesting leave of absence for anything other than medical reasons must make a request in writing in advance. Leave of absence for holidays can no longer be authorised due to changes in government legislation. All leave of absence is at the Headteacher’s discretion and will be granted only for exceptional circumstances. When leave of absence is unauthorised, it may be necessary to impose a fine. Parents must complete a Leave of Absence request which can be obtained from the school office or within the documents below. These must be handed to school with atleast two notice of the intended absence.
For more information see the Attendance Policy.
The average attendance rate is consistently above 97% - an achievement of which we are very proud.