Attendance & Punctuality

It is important that we teach the importance of punctuality and attendance to children from a very young age. It is important to arrive for work on time, for doctors’, dentists’ or opticians’ appointments; we expect shops, the Post Office, restaurants etc to open on time. It is equally important to begin school on time.

Children missing a “few minutes every now and again” quickly become disadvantaged.

Minutes late per day:                 Learning Time lost over the year

 5 minutes                                           3.4 days

10 minutes                                          6.9 days

15 minutes                                          10.3 days

20 minutes                                         13.8 days

30 minutes                                         20.7 days

The first few minutes of the day are really important minutes as:

• The Attendance register is taken
• The dinner register is taken
• The plan for the day is shared
• Lesson objectives are shared
• Phonics takes place in KS1 and Spelling and grammar activities usually take place in KS2

Data indicates that children who persistently arrive late are not making the same degree of progress as those who arrive on time, ready to work.  If you arrive 25 minutes after the school start time, this will be classed as an authorised absence (please see the information below regarding the new penalty notice fines for unauthorised absence)

Please continue to do all you can to ensure your children arrive at school on time each day.

Thank you for your support.

Sam and Sammie

Sam and Sammie are our attendance champions. They promote the importance of school attendance to children, parents and schools. The Sam and Sammie resources promote the 6 building blocks in the wall of success – Attendance, Punctuality, Good Habits, talk to the school, talk to each other and ask for help.

Visit the website below and you’ll see that there are a range of resources and a range of practical ways in which the messages are promoted.