Parents

At St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, we believe that attendance is far more than simply being present in school. It is about every child feeling connected, valued, supported and able to flourish. We know that when children attend regularly, they are more likely to achieve academically, develop positive relationships, build confidence and enjoy a greater sense of belonging within our school community.

Our attendance culture is built on child-centred values, positive relationships and evidence-informed practice. We recognise that every child’s circumstances are unique, and whilst many children attend school every day without additional support, others may face barriers that require understanding, compassion and collaborative intervention.

Your responsibilities as a parent

The law entitles every child of compulsory school age to an efficient, full-time education suitable to their age, aptitude, and any special educational need they may have. It is the legal responsibility of every parent to make sure their child receives that education either by attendance at a school or by education otherwise than at a school.

Where parents decide to have their child registered at school, they have an additional legal duty to ensure their child attends that school regularly. This means their child must attend every day that the school is open, except in a small number of allowable circumstances such as being too ill to attend or being given permission for an absence in advance from the school.

How to prevent your child from missing school

You can help prevent your child missing school by:

Making sure they understand the importance of good attendance and punctuality.
Taking an interest in their education, ask about schoolwork and encourage them to get involved in school activities.
Discussing any problems they may have at school and letting their teacher or principal know about anything serious.
Not letting children take time off school for minor ailments, particularly those which would not prevent you from going to work.

To avoid disrupting your child’s education, you should arrange appointments and outings:

After school hours.
At weekends.
During school holidays.

Evidence shows that attendance can affect a child’s learning and attainment. Having an attendance record of 90% is the equivalent to missing a half day’s teaching every week. A record nearer to 80% is the equivalent of missing one full day every week. All children should aspire to have an attendance as near to 100% as is possible.

Attendance during one school year	Equals this number of days absent	Which is approximately this many weeks absent	Which means this number of lessons missed
95%	9 days	2 weeks	50 lessons
90%	19 days	4 weeks	100 lessons
85%	29 days	6 weeks	150 lessons
80%	38 days	8 weeks (a full ½ Term)	200 lessons

Punctuality

Having good attendance also means being on time and not being late to school. Children who arrive late can feel embarrassed, left out and miss out on important introductions to lessons.

Punctuality is an essential life skill that needs to be taught from the very beginning. Our school entrances open up at 8.35am and we expect pupils to be ready to begin their learning at 8.45am.