Parkside Primary School

School Attendance is ‘everyone’s business’

Attendance

Regular attendance at school is vital to help children achieve and get the best possible start in life. Parkside Primary School places huge importance on attendance and punctuality.  We recognise that children who frequently miss school often fall behind.  We believe there is a strong link between achieving well in school and achieving good results.

When is too ill for School?

It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school when they're unwell.  However, there are Public Health and Government Guidelines for schools and parents/carers that state when children should be kept off school and when they can still attend.

Is my child too ill for school? - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Should I keep my child off school checklist poster (publishing.service.gov.uk)

If you do keep your child at home, it's important to phone the school on the first day of illness to let us know that they will not be attending, together with the reason for their non-attendance.  As per our Parkside Primary School attendance policy (click here to view), it is requested that if your child is absent from school for 10 sessions (5 days) through illness or for all pupils whose attendance is below 92% then medical evidence is required to avoid the absence being marked as unauthorised and incurring a fine.

If your child is well enough to go to school but has an infection that could be passed on, such as a cold sore or head lice, please let their teacher know.

ERYC Public Health, who have access to school attendance data, monitor and analyse absences recorded by schools particularly for those pupils with 3 or more absences within a school year to ascertain if the absences are genuine or an indication of other unknown reasons for concern.

Below is the guidance leaflet provided by the Local Authority regarding medical appointments and illness. 

What an absence means for your child?

If a child is consistent at gaining 90% attendance it sounds pretty good but what does it mean?

90% attendance a year means they are missing the equivalent of:

• ½ day of school missed every week
• 4 weeks of school missed a year or
• 1 whole year over the child’s school life

Research by the DfE suggests that a child absent from school for 17 days each academic year equals a whole GCSE grade drop in achievement.

What is the impact?

At primary school level, where pupils missing up to 14 days of school in key stage two are a quarter less likely to achieve level five or above in reading, writing or maths tests than those with no absence.

So, 90% is not as good as it first seemed.

Punctuality

It is essential that pupils form good habits of punctual attendance at school from the earliest age.  The times of the start and close of the school day for all pupils at Parkside Primary School are:

Gates open at: 8.40am

Gates close at: 8.55am

Registration closes: 9.00am

Children who arrive late at school often:

• Miss vital parts of the lesson
• Disrupt the class when the lesson is underway
• Find it acutely embarrassing entering a class once the lesson has started

Absence from School for Exceptional Circumstances

There is a discretionary power held by Headteachers to authorise absence in exceptional circumstances only. Please note this is not an entitlement. The Headteacher will only authorise absence in line with the East Riding Behaviour & Attendance Partnership ‘Absence from School for Exceptional Circumstances’ Policy.

Click here for a copy of the form to request absence from school for exceptional circumstances, along with the related information for parents.

Please download the form and fill out in Word. Once completed email to parkside.primary@eastriding.gov.uk. Alternatively, print out the above to fill in by hand and bring the completed form to school.

If you do not have Word, click here to complete the online form. 

Click here for a copy of the Code of Conduct for Education Penalty Notices which has detailed information about the issuing of penalty notices.   

If you have any further questions please contact the school office.

Please help your child reach their maximum potential by ensuring they are at school on time every day.