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Gretton Primary School

Attendance

At Gretton we are pleased that our children want to attend their school and know that good attendance matters. We recognise that attending school daily and on time has a positive impact on learning.  Pupils who have good attendance get better jobs in the future, achieve better results, make better friendships and have good self-esteem and confidence. We must therefore ensure that attendance and punctuality are the highest they possibly can be in order to prepare our children for their future adult life.

Our school day starts at 8:50am and the expectation we have for all children attending Gretton Primary Academy is 97% attendance and to arrive at school on time.

It is the responsibility of everyone in our school community - parents, staff, governors and children - to ensure that they achieve this. Therefore, we constantly monitor and review the attendance and punctuality of all of our children. 

We promote and encourage excellent attendance and punctuality by working collaboratively with parents and carers and acting early to address patterns of absence.

There is clear evidence that any absence from school can and will have an impact on a child's attainment. At Gretton we have robust Attendance and Punctuality Strategies in place (attached documents below) to ensure that your child’s attendance and punctuality are the best they possibly can be.

Celebrating Attendance

Children who have achieved 97% attendance or above, along with no late marks, will receive a small token prize at the end of each full term. This will be calculated accumulatively, taking their attendance and punctuality from the beginning of the school year.  

These are valued by the children and they appreciate their parents' support in qualifying for them. Please see our Attendance Strategy below for more details.

Parents can help their child reach the attendance awards through:

  • Ensuring their child attends every day and is on time, in line with their legal obligations
  • Only booking holidays in academy holiday times and avoiding any fines
  • Making dental appointments outside of academy hours

Notifying the academy by 8.30am on the first day of any illness absence (the academy will follow up any uninformed absence and take safeguarding action).

Absence

The process of education is life long, and we build on what we already know. Therefore, if children are absent without an authorised reason they are affecting their future. 

Each year there are 190 school days which leaves 175 days for all other events including birthday treats, non-urgent medical appointments and holidays. 

Reporting an Absence

Should your child be absent from school, it is a parent’s responsibility to notify the school office by 8.30am on 01536 770366. School must be notified on each day of your child’s absence. 

Home Visits

Parents and carers should be aware that home visits are completed by all Brooke Weston Trust schools as a standard procedure when children are absent from school. Should we have any safeguarding concerns for a particular child, home visits will be completed to these families in the first instance. Home visits allow school staff to see the child and discuss the absence with parents and carers, as well as being able to offer support if required. 

Punctuality

Parents have a legal responsibility to ensure that their child is not late for school. This can be extremely disruptive to a child’s daily routine and also mean that they miss a considerable amount of valuable learning time. 

Minutes late per day Equivalent of missing
5 Minutes 3.4 school days a year
10 Minutes 6.9 school days a year
15 Minutes 10.3 school days a year
20 Minutes 13.8 school days a year
30 Minutes 20.7 school days a year

Should your child be arriving late to school, it is imperative that they enter school via our Main Reception in order to be signed in. If your child is late due to attending an appointment, we ask that medical evidence is provided to support this. 

We regularly monitor children’s punctuality and if a child is identified as being persistently late, parents will be invited to a meeting to discuss this and a target will be set to reduce lateness.

 

Leave During Term Time

Should parents or carers be taking their child out of school during term time, they are required to complete a leave during term time form prior to the absence commencing, notifying of the duration of leave and reason for absence. Forms can be collected from our Main Reception. 

Parents are legally obliged to ensure that their child attends school regularly and may be fined or prosecuted if they take their child on holiday during term time, or fail to ensure regular attendance. The academy is not legally allowed to authorise holidays. Absence is only permitted and authorised for genuine illness (medical evidence may be required) or days of religious observance verified by the religious organisation.

The Brooke Weston Trust Academies and the Local Authority have been working together to reduce the amount of leave taken in term time by requesting Penalty Notices are issued under Section 444(1) of the Education Act 1996 (amended regulations 2013)

Parents need to be aware that, in line with the NNC Code of Conduct (please see copy in our attendance section), a Penalty Notice will be issued for 5 days of absence (10 sessions).

There is clear evidence that any absence can and will have an impact on attainment. It is therefore important that schools maintain good attendance levels and that parents support this by ensuring their children attend school regularly. Whilst parents/carers/guardians can provide explanations for absences, it is at the Academy’s discretion as to whether this absence will be authorised or unauthorised.

Further Support

Should you wish to discuss your child's attendance further, please contact Paula Crawford either via email (paula.crawford@grettonprimary.org) or via telephone on 01536 770366.

The Public Health Agency have put together a useful guide on Infection Control in schools. Please click here to view the guide.

Core Values

  • Kindness

    We are kind

  • Good Choices

    We make good choices

  • Best

    We try our best

  • Dream Big

    We dream big