St Swithun Wells' Attendance & Punctuality Target is 97%

St Swithun Wells’ Catholic Primary school seeks to ensure that all its pupils receive a full time education which maximises opportunities for each pupil to realise his/her true potential. We encourage all members of the community to reach out for excellence. The school will strive to provide a welcoming, caring environment, whereby each member of the school community feels wanted and secure. Good attendance is essential if students are to take full advantage of school and gain the appropriate skills they will need and reach their full potential.

Attendance expectations (COVID-19)

(from Government Guidance for full opening of schools)

In March, when the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was increasing, we made clear no parent would be penalised or sanctioned for their child’s non-attendance at school.

Now the circumstances have changed, it is vital for all children to return to school to minimise, as far as possible, the longer-term impact of the pandemic on children’s education, wellbeing and wider development.

Missing out on more time in the classroom risks pupils falling further behind. Those with higher overall absence tend to achieve less well in both primary and secondary school. School attendance will therefore be mandatory again from the beginning of the autumn term. This means from that point, the usual rules on school attendance will apply, including:

• parents’ duty to secure that their child attends regularly at school where the child is a registered pupil at school and they are of compulsory school age
• schools’ responsibilities to record attendance and follow up absence
• the availability to issue sanctions, including fixed penalty notices in line with local authorities’ codes of conduct

The school will continue to follow the government guidance on attendance for pupils who are shielding or self-isolating.

Parents should follow the government guidance if their child or any household members develop COVID-19 symptoms whilst at home.

The school will monitor attendance and ensure quick and early intervention if a problem is identified. Holiday requests during term time will not be authorised. All staff will encourage punctuality and good attendance and work closely with families to encourage good attendance. The school will encourage good attendance among children through a system of rewards. The school Governors will monitor attendance closely and work with the Headteacher on attendance issues. The school is also expected to provide monthly attendance returns to the LA for statutory monitoring.

Registration and Monitoring Attendance

All registers are marked at the beginning of the morning and afternoon session in school. This should be the first task teachers do in the morning and afternoon.

If a child is late and misses registration, a late mark will be recorded. Obviously the school will be sympathetic if this is for a good reason. A pupil who arrives late, after the children have entered into their classrooms, must come to the office with their parents and the parents must sign a late register stating the time they arrived and the reason the child is late.

The attendance register will close at twenty past nine in the morning and one twenty in the afternoon. If a child arrives after this time it is deemed as unauthorised late unless there are exceptional circumstances and these circumstances need to be agreed by the Head teacher.

If a pattern of lateness starts to emerge, parents will be invited to discuss the matter with the Head teacher.

Collection at the End of the School Day

If a parent is going to be late they should phone the school and inform them of when they will be arriving and why they are late. When a parent is late collecting their child the child will wait in the school welfare office or go to Afterschool club to be supervised.

In the unlikely event that at the end of the school day a child has not been collected and their usual contact numbers for emergency contacts are not current, the school may have to involve Social Services and the attached protocol will be followed.

Reporting Absence

If a child is ill and unable to attend school the parent should ring and inform the school and this should then be followed up in writing by email or letter. If the school has not been contacted concerning a child’s absence the school will contact the parents by telephone after half past nine. 

If the parents do not inform the school about their child’s absence, the absence will be marked as unauthorised.

1. Illness, Medical and Dental Appointments - If the school is satisfied that a pupil of compulsory school age is prevented from attending school by reason of illness then the absence will be treated as authorised. Leave for medical or dental appointments may be given (i.e. the absence may be authorised) where confirmation has been received from the parents or on production of an appointments card. The school would ask parents to try and make dental appointments outside school hours.
2. Exceptional Leave – Any request for exceptional leave must be made by completing an Exceptional Leave request form that may be obtained from the school office. The request should be made prior to the absence and as much notice as possible given. The Headteacher may not grant any leave of absence unless there are exceptional circumstances. There is no automatic entitlement in law to time off in school time to go on holiday.