Attendance

At Larkfield, we want all our children to enjoy successful learning in a safe and happy environment. We can only achieve this by supporting and promoting excellent attendance and punctuality. It is a simple fact that only by attending school regularly and on time will pupils be able to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available to them.

Poor attendance or punctuality can also be signs of safeguarding or neglect issues and will be dealt with through support if needed but there is also the expectation that it is the parents' responsibility to give their child the best life chance and teach them that good attendance and punctuality are valuable life and work skills.

Parents and carers play a key role in ensuring primary-aged pupils attend school regularly and arrive on time, ready to learn. Many of our pupils achieve 100% attendance but there are some whose patterns of attendance cause concern.

Our target for each pupil’s attendance is 96% or above.

Teamwork

Teachers and parents share a common goal when it comes to children. We all want the very best educational opportunities for them, and we want every single child to get the most they can out of the 190 days a year our school is open for learning.  Each pupil’s attendance and punctuality is tracked daily. Where attendance or punctuality causes concern, parents are informed of this by letter. 

We know there are times when children are unable to attend school. We all become poorly from time to time [see the UKHSA poster below for when to keep your child off through illness]; there are also some medical appointments that can’t be arranged outside school hours and occasional family situations such as funerals that happen during the school day which cannot be avoided.

Holidays in term time

The headteacher will not authorise any absence in term-time unless the school is convinced that the circumstances are unavoidable and exceptional. Any absence taken without the headteacher’s prior approval is, by definition, unauthorised and subject to a fine. Any requests are considered on an individual basis by the governors’ attendance panel.

Punctuality

Attending is only half of the story. It is equally as important to ensure that your child is on time to school. Being punctual allows for a great, calm start to the day, putting your child in a positive frame of mind to make the most of the day’s learning and activities. It also teaches the importance of time management, which can be carried through their life.

Being late leads to stressed children and potential disruption to the learning of others.

The government has determined that children who arrive after the register has closed will receive their mark for safety purposes [fire drills etc] but that session is recorded as an unauthorised absence.