^{In order for our pupils to achieve their very best, it is important that their attendance is good. Every lesson really does count for your child and catching up on lost time from school can be really difficult. Good attendance is linked to increased achievement, positive relationships with other children, and improved learning behaviours.}

Be on time!

^{It is important that children arrive at school on time, ready and willing to learn. The gates open at 8:40am and all children are expected to be in their classrooms by 8:55am for registration, with the gates being closed at 9:00am. Any child who arrives after the gates are locked needs to be signed in at the main school reception.}

^{Being late for school reduces learning time and can be highly disruptive and harmful to a child’s self-esteem. Children can often feel embarrassed and/or upset at entering a busy classroom after everyone else; missing the initial morning instructions can mean that individuals are playing ‘catch-up’ for the rest of the morning.}

^{If your child is 5 minutes late every day, they will miss 3 days of learning a year.}

^{If they are 15 minutes late every day, they will miss 2 weeks of learning each year.}

Strategies to Improve Punctuality

^{Bedtime routines – packing school bag ready for the next day, getting to bed earlier, setting a time for a television, IPad, computer, mobile phone and other devices to be turned off.}

^{Morning routines – setting the alarm earlier, no television until ready for school (and maybe not even then), having breakfast before leaving home, so no need to call in at the shop, meeting a reliable friend to walk to school with.}

If your child is unwell...

^{We recognise and understand that children do become ill and this may result in them being unable to attend school for a period of time. We ask that parents make the school office aware of any absences by 9am for every day that your child is absent. You can, if you wish, leave a message stating your child’s name, class and the reason for their absence.}

Is my child too ill for school?

^{It can be tricky deciding whether to keep your child off school when they're unwell. There are government guidelines for schools and nurseries about managing specific infectious diseases at GOV.UK. These say when children should be kept off school and when they shouldn't.}

^{NHS Advice}

^{UK Health}

Holiday in term time

^{In order to ensure that the pupils at Grange Farm Primary School receive a high-quality education, holidays during term time will not be authorised.  Any exceptional circumstances should be put into writing to the Headteacher and an individual decision will be made. Unauthorised absences can result in the parents being fined (further information can be found in the Attendance Policy on the website here). The Local Authority may also decide to take parents to court if they take their child out of school without authorisation.}

What communication can parents expect from school?

^{School will contact parents throughout the year regarding attendance. As we have a duty of care to inform parents about attendance, we will write to parents if and when attendance falls below a certain point. For most parents, this will be to share information about current attendance so that they are informed and get support to maintain positive attendance. Some parents may be invited into school to discuss their child’s attendance and how the school can support to help attendance improve and move forward as a school-parent partnership.}