Grange Farm Primary School
Attendance and Punctuality
Our approach to maintaining good attendance
We are committed to meeting our obligation with regards to school attendance through our whole-school culture and ethos that values good attendance, including:
- Promoting and celebrating good attendance.
- Reducing absence, including persistent and severe absence.
- Ensuring every pupil has access to the full-time education to which they are entitled.
- Acting early to address patterns of absence.
- Building strong relationships with families to ensure pupils have the support in place to attend school.
Regular attendance at school is one of the keys to any child achieving their full potential and we try to encourage this at all times at Grange Farm Primary School.
Our official school day starts at 9:00am.
Children arriving late, but within 30 minutes of this time will receive a late mark (L).
Children arriving 30 or minutes after this time will receive a U code*.
*Please note the U code is an unauthorised absence for the session, as per DfE legal requirements.
Registration
The gates at the front and back of school will open at 8.40am so please make sure your children are ready to come into school and start their learning promptly.
Codes
There are a series of codes which are used to denote authorised and authorised absence (see ‘Advice on School Attendance’ DFE January 2012).
It is the school’s responsibility to ensure the correct codes are recorded and that patterns and trends in children’s absence are analysed.
Late Pupils
Pupils who arrive before registration closes at 9:00 are marked using the normal ‘/’ code. Pupils arriving after 9:00 but before 9:30 will be marked using the ‘L’ code. Pupils arriving after 9:30 will be marked with the U code which indicates that a child arrived after 9:30 and that this was unauthorised by the school.
Medical appointments
Children will be marked as M for a medical appointment but appointment proof must be seen.
Our official afternoon session starts at:
- Reception: 12:30
- Year 1 & 2: 12:45
- Year 3 & 4: 13:00
- Year 5 & 6: 13:15
Reporting Absences
What if my child is off?
We expect your child to attend school every day, however, if your child is ill and unable to attend, please inform the school office before 8.40am. As a school we have a duty of care and therefore if we do not hear from you we will contact you via a phone call or carry out a home visit.
School telephone number: 0113 293 0120
The school office is open from 8.00am- 4:00 pm Monday to Friday.
• If your child has a medical appointment, please bring your appointment card/ letter to the office where we can authorise the absence.
• Children whose attendance falls below 90% will be classed as persistent absentees and be invited in to meet with the attendance team to discuss what support can be offered to improve attendance.
Term-time Holidays
Planned Absence/Holiday forms are available at the school office. THE SCHOOL WILL NOT AUTHORISE ANY HOLIDAYS.
In exceptional circumstances it may be possible to review this.
Where children miss 10 consecutive sessions (5 School Days) a referral will be made to Leeds City Council which may result in a penalty notice and fine.
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.
https://www.leeds.gov.uk/schools-and-education/school-absence-fines
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.
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.