Attendance

Attendance Strategy for Parents - 

At Nightingale Primary School, regular attendance is critical to our students' success. When children attend school consistently, they have a better chance to engage fully with the curriculum, build social connections, and develop essential skills for their future. This page outlines our approach to attendance, the benefits of regular school attendance, and how we support families in ensuring that children can make the most of their time at school.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Why Attendance Matters

We aim to create an environment where every child is excited to attend school, and families feel supported in maintaining excellent attendance. Here's why we prioritise attendance at Nightingale:

• Enhanced Learning: Children learn best when they are in the classroom regularly, building on knowledge day by day.
• Social Connections: Regular attendance helps children develop friendships, improve social skills, and feel part of the school community.
• Skill Development: Attending school regularly helps children acquire a wide range of skills, from problem-solving in math to teamwork in sports.

Our Goals for Attendance

To support our students in thriving academically and socially, we set the following goals:

• High Attendance Standards: We expect every child to attend school every day unless there is a valid reason for their absence.
• Reducing Absences: We work closely with families to address any issues that might prevent regular attendance.
• Timely Support: By tracking attendance patterns, we aim to support families early if attendance challenges arise.
• Positive Relationships with Families: We encourage open communication with families to support children in getting to school consistently and on time.

For Parents

Definition of a Parent
When we refer to "parents" in our policy, this includes any adult who:

• Is a natural parent, whether married or not
• Holds legal parental responsibility for the child
• Has daily responsibility for the child (e.g., the adult with whom the child lives)

We encourage all parents to work with us to promote good attendance. Parents are expected to:

• Ensure daily attendance: Ensure your child attends school every day and arrives on time.
• Notify of absence: Use the Studybugs app or call the school by 8:30 a.m. on the day of absence, providing an expected return date.
• Emergency contacts: Provide more than one emergency contact number.
• Schedule appointments outside school hours where possible to minimise missed learning time.

If parents need support maintaining their child's attendance, please get in touch with Lisa Risby, our Child Welfare Officer, at 0208 854 6838 or info@npsmat.org.

Is Your Child Too Ill for School?
Please refer to the NHS guidance on whether your child is too ill for school before deciding to keep them home.

For Pupils

We encourage all our pupils to:

• Come to school every day on time to maximise their learning and enjoyment of school life.

Attendance Procedures

Daily Attendance Register
We attend twice daily—at the start of the morning and afternoon sessions. Each session is marked with:

• Present
• Attending an approved off-site educational activity
• Absent
• I am unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances

Our school day begins as follows:

• Nursery: 8:30 a.m. (morning) and 12:30 p.m. (afternoon)
• Reception to Year 4: 8:20 a.m.
• Years 5 and 6: 8:00 a.m.

Recording Absences

• Unplanned Absence: Parents should notify the school of unplanned absences by 9:00 a.m. on the first day of absence.
• Extended Absences: If a child is absent for more than 5 days, we may request medical evidence to confirm illness.

Planned Absences
We understand that sometimes students need to attend appointments. While we prefer that these appointments be scheduled outside school hours, we will authorise them if notified beforehand.

Punctuality

• Late arrivals: Students arriving after their designated start time will be marked late.
• Significant lateness: Students arriving after the register closes will be marked absent for that session. We closely monitor punctuality and may contact parents if regular lateness is a concern.

Follow-up on Unexplained Absences
If a pupil is absent without explanation, we will:

• Call the parent on the first day of unexplained absence.
• Continue to contact daily if no explanation is provided.
• If a student is absent for 10 consecutive school days without contact, we may involve external agencies to ensure student safety and well-being.

Term-Time Absences

Requests for Leave
The Headteacher may approve term-time absences for specific, exceptional circumstances. Examples include:

• Family bereavement or terminal illness
• Parent's weddings or other unique family events
• Health or rehabilitation needs as advised by a health professional
• Deployment of a parent in the military service

Family holidays are generally considered unauthorised absences during term time. Unauthorised absences reaching a threshold (10 sessions within 10 weeks) may result in a penalty notice from the local authority.

Being late adds up to the loss of learning:

• 5 minutes late every day adds up to 3 days lost each year
• 10 minutes adds up to 6 days lost each year
• 15 minutes adds up to 10 days lost each year
• 20 minutes adds up to 13 days lost each year
• 30 minutes adds up to 19 days lost each year

Being on time means not missing out!

• The simple fact is that children who do not attend school regularly make poor academic progress.

Sanctions for Tackling Poor Attendance

Our school is committed to addressing attendance issues through a structured approach, utilising a range of sanctions where necessary. The application of these sanctions will be tailored to each individual case, ensuring fairness and appropriateness. The sanctions we may employ include, but are not limited to, the following measures:

Penalty Notices

The Headteacher, authorised staff, local authority, or police can issue penalty notices to parents when a child of compulsory school age has unauthorised absences. This measure is considered on a case-by-case basis when a pupil's absences meet or exceed the national threshold for penalty consideration:

• Threshold: 10 sessions (5 days) of unauthorised absence within a rolling 10-week period.

Before issuing a penalty notice, the school will review each case, taking into account:

• Whether a penalty notice is the best option to improve attendance for the specific student.
• If further support or an alternative legal intervention might be more effective.
• Obligations under the Equality Act 2010 may make a penalty notice inappropriate.

Each liable parent may receive a penalty notice, generally directed to those responsible for the unauthorised absence. The fines must be paid directly to the local authority. Should the fine remain unpaid after 28 days, the local authority can either prosecute or withdraw the notice.

• First Penalty Notice: £80 per parent, per child, if paid within 21 days; £160 within 28 days.
• Second Penalty Notice (within 3 years): £160 per parent, per child, if paid within 28 days.
• Third Offence (within 3 years): No further penalty notice will be issued; instead, the case may proceed directly to Magistrates' Court, where fines can reach up to £2,500 per parent per child. A conviction could also affect future DBS checks due to "failure to safeguard a child's education."

Specific Circumstances for Penalty Notices

A penalty notice may also be issued if a parent permits their child to be in a public place during school hours within the first five days of suspension or exclusion, provided the parent has been informed of this restriction.

Summary of Penalty Notice Fines

Notices to Improve Attendance

If a student's attendance meets the threshold for penalty action, yet the parents fail to engage with the support provided, the school may issue a formal Notice to Improve. This notice acts as a final prompt for parents to take steps to improve attendance and provides precise details about:

• The pupil's attendance record and related obligations under the Education Act.
• Previous support was offered, and future support opportunities are available.
• A warning and penalty notice may follow if attendance does not improve within the specified timeframe.
• An improvement period lasting 3 to 6 weeks, during which sufficient improvement in attendance is expected.

This structured approach ensures that each family receives appropriate support while emphasising the importance of regular attendance and the consequences of unauthorised absences.