Regular attendance at school is crucial for children to make good progress and achieve everything they are capable of. All pupils are encouraged to have excellent attendance.
School is open from 08:45 – 3:30 Monday – Friday.
The school operates a Breakfast Club which opens at 08:00. There is no cost and the children are allowed to arrive anytime up until 08:30.
The table below outlines how much learning is missed when children don’t attend school.
Reporting an absence
It is the responsibility of the parents/carers to inform the school by 09:30 am on the first day of their child’s absence. Parents/carers are expected to contact the school everyday the pupil is absent. If the school has not been notified by this time the Family Support Worker will attempt to contact the child’s parent/carer. If there is no response the school will continue to try to get in touch. When there is still no response the school can carry out a home visit.
Lateness
When children are late at school they miss important learning, it is often at the start of the lesson when the teacher is explaining the learning. Research shows that children feet stressed and upset when they are late.
Classroom doors close at 08:55. Any child arriving after that must go to the office and sign in. They will be receive an L (late code) on the register. If a child arrives after half past nine, unless there are very exceptional circumstances they will be marked as U, which is recorded as unauthorised absence.
Persistent Absence (PA)
School is open to children for 190 days a year. If a child is off for 19 days in a year they are classed as persistently absent. (This is the same as 10%). When a child is getting close to this the Family Support Worker will get in touch with home and arrange a meeting to look at how school can support to improve attendance. If attendance does not improve then parents will be called for a more formal meeting with the Headteacher.
The school can impose fines. The school does not receive the money from these fines.
Requesting Absence Leave
Parents or carers must request leave of absence for their child in writing at least 5 school days in advance.
Leave of absence during term time will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances.
Holiday Request
Holidays during term time will not be authorised unless there are very exceptional circumstances.
The default position of the school is not to authorise these requests.
Holiday requests must be made in writing, and a decision will be communicated to the parents /carers.
Background
Kingsthorne Primary School is proudly recognised as an Inclusive Attendance school. Our commitment to attendance is focused on child-centred actions, evidence-informed practices, and a shared understanding of everyone’s roles and collective responsibilities to promote good attendance.
Our aim is that children have good attendance because school is a place they want to be, where they can learn, feel safe and valued and be with friends.
Our attendance philosophy is rooted in a recognition-based approach that acknowledges both personal and collective achievements. This approach serves to prevent victimisation, provide positive environments, foster inclusivity, and build intrinsic motivation among our children, families, and staff.