Attendance

We have high expectations for all of our pupils and that starts with attendance. Designated Lead for attendance is Mrs Gaskell and we work as an Attendance Team to monitor, support and improve attendance for all of our children and families.

OUR TARGET IS 100% ATTENDANCE.

Attendance should be at least 97%. 97% is the same as 6 days off school during the whole school year.

If your child cannot come to school you must:

Phone the school, before 9.15am, to let us know that your child will be off and why.
If your child has an appointment and will be off for part of the day you can show us the letter or appointment card.
If you do not contact school on the first day of absence we will try to contact you, this may include coming out to your house.

If you do not provide school with a reason for absence we have no choice but to mark it as unauthorised.

WHAT SCHOOL DO IF YOUR CHILD IS ABSENT

Everyday staff check who is absent and follow routine procedures. If you have not informed school about your child’s absence we will try to contact you. We will phone and may make a home visit to try and find out why your child is absent. If you have told the school why your child is absent but they are off school for longer than a week, school may phone to check on how they are. School record all reasons for absence. If you do not provide a reason for why your child was off school we have to record that absence as unauthorised.

HOLIDAYS IN SCHOOL TIME

Government rule about taking holidays in school time are increasingly strict. In line with this, school cannot allow any holidays unless there are really exceptional circumstances. This includes trips to country of origin, which can be made during school holiday times.

It is likely that parents/carers will receive a fine (Fixed Penalty Notice) from the council if they take their children on holiday during term time.

If you need time off during school time please speak to the office for more details.

HOW ABSENCES ARE COUNTED

Attendance is counted in sessions. The school day is made up of two sessions, the morning and the afternoon. If a child is absent in the morning but comes into school in the afternoon they have missed one session, if they are absent for the whole day they have missed two sessions.

AUTHORISED ABSENCES

This is when the school authorises an absence because they agree that the reason is acceptable, for example:

Illness severe enough to prevent the child coming to school
Exceptional family circumstances
Part of the day being missed for an essential medical appointment – routine check-ups should not be done in school time.

UNAUTHORISED ABSENCES

This is when the school has not allowed the absences because the reason is not acceptable, for example:

Taking a whole day off school for a medical appointment
Minor illnesses or very frequent absence due to Minor illness unless backed up with a medical note
Holidays
Birthdays or day trips
Being tired
Shopping

ABSENCES DUE TO EXTREME LATENESS

If a child comes to school after registration period closes, they are considered so late that they will lose their morning mark. This type of absence is automatically an unauthorised absence.

PERSISTENT ABSENTEES

This is the group of children that schools and the council must particularly concentrate on because their attendance is poor. The Department for Education refers to a Persistent Absentee as pupils who have an attendance below a certain level. Previous that level have been 85%, but from September 2015 that has changed to 90%. 90% attendance means a child has been absent for 19 days in the school year.

Persistent absenteeism is monitored every half term and children who have missed a certain number of sessions (half days) will be considered at risk of becoming persistent absentees by the end of the school year.

Persistent absence is monitored throughout the year and the names of children missing a high level of school time (regardless of the reason for absence) are collected by the Department for Education each half term.

Even if an absence is authorised it is still an absence and will count towards a final figure at the end of the year.

Persistent Absenteeism can result in Fixed Penalty Notice warnings and fines or legal action.

MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS

We know that sometimes children need urgent appointments, or parents/carers are given very little choice about the times for hospital appointments. however, most appointments are routine, e.g. dental check-ups, non-urgent GP appointments. A lot of school time is missed due to routine medical appointments that could be arranged for a different time. While we understand that it can be hard to get appointments, we encourage parents/carers to make appointments outside of school time, or at least at the very beginning or end of the school day so children miss the least amount of time. You must bring your child to school before and after medical appointments.

WHY GOOD ATTENDANCE IS SO IMPORTANT

At St Matthew’s we believe that a good education gives children opportunities for life. A good education starts with good attendance. Being away from school regularly gives children the best chance to learn and to get the most out of all that school has to offer, such as the chance to socialize and have friends and to be involved in a huge range of activities from sports to music.

Attendance is important in every year group; in early years children learn the foundations for all of their future learning, and every year children learn more, building their knowledge and understanding.

St Matthew’s is a happy, successful school and your child is part of that. We aim to give them the best opportunities for a great future.

TIPS FOR GOOD ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY

Children should go to bed early enough.

Tired children are hard to wake up and find it difficult to learn. Going to bed at a reasonable time makes things easier for them and you.

Be in school regularly an on time.

It is settling for children and helps them get into a routine. The more regularly they are in school and on time the more they get used to it.

Get up early enough.

Avoid rushing and feeling stressed. Get up early enough and give yourself enough time to get ready.

Limit TV or game time in the morning.

Avoid arguments and lateness by limiting how long they are allowed to watch TV or play games in the morning. If it regularly causes problems think about banning it completely in the mornings.

Get things ready the night before.

If uniforms, packed lunches, etc. are ready the night before it saves a lot of time in the mornings.

Make time for breakfast – or come to Breakfast Club at school.

Making time for breakfast can help to keep things calm in the morning and saves time rather than having to stop at the shops on the way to school. Or come to our school Breakfast Club where children have time to eat, play and get ready for the school day. The club opens at 8.00am.

DFE Attendance: The government have a new campaign aimed at improving school attendance for all please see the link below for further information.

From the first day of term to the last, the small moments in a school day make a real difference to your child. #AttendanceCounts

It’s Cool to be in School!

Be in, be on time,
Love, learn, and shine!
It’s cool to be in school each day,
At St Matthew’s, we lead the way!

Show up strong, do your best,
Try your hardest, beat the rest.
Every day, in every way,
We learn and grow — hip hip hooray!

Up you get, don’t snooze or wait,
Being on time is really great!
In school today, we’ll laugh and play,
Learn new things in every way.

Be in, be bright, be ready to go,
At St Matthew’s, we love to grow.
We are proud of all you do,
When you’re in school — we shine with you!

Why Attendance Matters

St Matthew’s Catholic Primary School recognises the strong link between regular attendance, punctuality, and pupils’ achievement. Our aim is to encourage the highest possible levels of attendance and punctuality in order to support each child’s learning, development, and wellbeing.

The importance of good attendance is also closely linked to safeguarding. Seeing our children every day helps us to ensure they are safe, well, and supported in a secure and nurturing learning environment.

To gain the greatest benefit from their education, it is vital that all pupils attend school regularly and arrive on time. Pupils are expected to attend every day that the school is open, unless they are unwell or have an authorised absence.

We encourage all pupils to aim for 100% attendance and expect a minimum of 97%. At St Matthew’s, regular attendance is defined as 97% or above, and we work closely with families to support children in achieving this target.

Download: Attendance Campaign Commuications Toolkit for Schools [PDF]

View our Attendance Policy on our Policies page

Download: Child Friendly Attendance Policy [PDF]

Download: Attendance Reminders for Parents & Carers [PDF]

St Matthew’s Catholic Primary School believes Teachers, Parents, Carers, Pupils and all members of the school community have an important contribution in improving attendance and punctuality ensuring pupils attend to achieve.

Any absence affects education and regular absence will seriously affect pupils’ learning. Pupils who have time off often:

Find it difficult to catch up and do well
Find it harder to make and maintain friendships
Tend to be less happy whilst in school

90% attendance is equivalent to a pupil missing one half day per week or approximately 118 lessons per year.

Ensure your child arrives for school on time.

Telephone school if your child is to be late.
For routine non-emergency medical and dental appointments please ensure they are made outside of school hours.
Contact school preferably by 9.30 am on the first day of absence if your child is unable to attend through illness, giving an indication of the expected duration and return date to school.
If a text message/phone call is received as a result of your child’s absence it is important that you respond to this text to ensure your child is appropriately safeguarded.
Contact the School Office and request to speak to a member of staff privately if the reason for absence requires a more personal contact.
In case of emergency we need up to date contact numbers at all times so please ensure you inform us of any changes especially to mobile telephone numbers. (As a school we request a minimum of two emergency contact details be provided)
Requests for exceptional circumstances leave of absence must be in writing to the Headteacher and can only be authorised by the Headteacher. Reasons such as a close family bereavement or taking part in a significant religious event would be acceptable for short absences. Unacceptable reasons for missing school, include general holidays, weddings, shopping, concerts and birthdays.

If a pupil is absent we will:

Telephone and text the parent/carer on the first day of absence if we have not heard from them by 10 am.
If no response is received and the absence is unauthorised a member of school staff will conduct a home visit as directed by head teacher. If there are safeguarding concerns contact will be made with the family as soon as possible.
If a pupil’s absences are increasing and we are not aware of a good reason the parent/carer will be invited to meet the Head Teacher, Deputy Head Teacher or Pastoral Care Lead.
If absences persist the attendance team will discuss actions with the Education Welfare Officer.

Be on Time

The gate will close, don’t be late,
Step in early and start the day great.
Join your friends and lessons too,
Being on time is good for you!

Poor punctuality is not acceptable. If a pupil misses the start of the day they can miss work and late arriving pupils disrupt lessons, it can be embarrassing for the pupil arriving late and can encourage future absence.

The school day starts and registers are taken at 8.50am by the class teacher and pupils receive a late mark if they are not in their class by that time. School recommends that pupils arrive by 8.45am.

If a pupil arrives late to school parents/carers will receive a text message/telephone call to inform them of their child’s late arrival.
Late arrival to school following the close of registers is classified as an absence. If a pupil is persistently late after the official close of the register, the school may request the local authority issue a Penalty Notice.

If a Parent/Carer has any problem getting their child to attend school on time they should contact the School Office who will offer support to resolve the problem.