Attendance

EVERY DAY AND EVERY MINUTE COUNTS!

Our day starts at 8.45am and finishes at 3.15pm. We squeeze a lot of learning into each day, and missing even one day means that your child is missing out. 

What you need to know about your child's attendance at school - Guidance for parents, carers and pupils.

Rewards

At our school, all staff know how important good attendance is for children's well-being and progress.  To encourage good attendance we share each class's attendance in our whole school collective worship. This information also goes out fortnightly in our newsletter. We award a silver star to the class who has the best attendance each week.  When the class has earned 6 stars they will be awarded an own-clothes-day!

What to do when your child is absent from school

• Telephone the school office on 01929 552517 on the first day of absence to explain the reason why your child is away from school
• If your child is absent for more than one day, please keep the school informed during your child's absence
• When your child returns to school, please send in a letter to explain their absence which will be kept in their file
• If your child has a medical or dental appointment please try to make them out of school hours if possible.  If the appointment is during school hours, please bring in their appointment card or letter so we can place a copy in their file.

When will absences not be authorised?

The school will not authorise absence for any of the following reasons: holiday, shopping, looking after other members of the family, minding the house, birthdays or similar events.

Late arrivals

Arrival after 8.55am is recorded in our 'late book', if pupils arrive after 9.30am this will be recorded as an unauthorised absence.  Staff closely monitor pupils who arrive late for school and will work with parents and carers to improve punctuality.

Why good attendance is important

In recent years much research has been carried out on the effects that poor attendance can have on children's progress at school and how well they achieve in later life.  90% attendance equates to:

• missing half a day every week
• missing four weeks over the year
• missing half a school year over five years

Children who do not attend school regularly often experience the following problems

• They are not able to keep up with their work.
• Children who arrive late miss important parts of the lesson and disrupt the learning of other children in the class.
• Friendships can suffer if children and persistently absent. 

This is why the staff at Wareham St Mary Primary School are making good attendance a top priority.  By improving our attendance rates, we will improve the standards that our children achieve and provide them with better chances in life.  We can only do this with your full support.

How parents and carers can help

• Work together with us.
• Send your child to school every day, on time, unless they are genuinely ill.
• Avoid taking your child out of school for holidays.

Family holidays during term time

• The governors do not authorise absence for family holidays during the school term.
• Parents and carers who choose to take their child out of school for holidays should be aware that such absence will be recorded as unauthorised on the child's record.
• These are always reported to the local authority and appropriate legal action may follow. 

What will happen if my child is often absent from school?

• If your child's attendance falls below an acceptable level, we will contact you to discuss the situation.
• If the absence continues, you will be invited in to school to discuss the reasons for your child's absence.  
• If necessary, a referral will be made to the Education Social Worker and Attendance Service, so that the absence can be further investigated.

What happens when my child is ill?

There may be times when your child has to miss school because he or she is ill.  You should always contact the school on the first day of absence to let the school know that your child is unwell.  It is important to let the school know if your child has ongoing health problems so that the right support can be put in place.

If your child is feeling unwell, but their symptoms can be managed with paracetamol or ibuprofen, parents can bring these medicines into school, complete a form and the staff can administer these during the school day.