Attendance

We keep you regularly informed of your child’s attendance data. Our school target is 97.3 % and as you know we have attendance rewards for both classes and individual pupils to encourage good attendance.

If your child arrives after the 8.50am (8.45am trial in Spring/Summer term) bell but before 9.15am, they will receive a late mark. If they arrive after 9.15am, they will be marked as an unauthorised absence for the morning session.

Please notify us as soon as possible if your child is unwell (by 9am) and we can record this as an authorised absence. A message can be left on the attendance answerphone of by calling the office. If we do not receive a reason (we will try to contact ALL contacts for your child), the absence will be unauthorised.

We will only authorise absences for medical reasons/appointments or family events listed in the exceptional circumstances - for example, an immediate family wedding/funeral. We cannot authorise any other holiday, eg., for birthdays, family visits, get-togethers. Any requests for absences in relation to exceptional circumstances will need to be put in writing via email (windmill@andaras.org) or letter to the Head of School (Mrs Abby Bassett).

We are happy to give medication, e.g. Calpol if your child has a cold but is well enough to come to school, in line with our ‘Managing Medicines in School’ policy. Please bring medication to reception and complete a form.

Please try and keep medical/dental appointments outside school hours. Where this is not feasible, please take your child out of school for as little time as possible.

The reason we try to achieve good attendance is not about the school target – it is for your child’s future.

•Attendance of 90% equates to one day off a fortnight, 80% is one day a week.

•The higher the overall absence rate, the lower the likely level of attainment at the end of KS2.

•Pupils with no absence are 1.3 times more likely to achieve Age-Related Expectations (ARE) or above, and 3.1 times more likely to achieve Greater Depth Standard (GDS) or above, than pupils that missed 10-15% of all sessions.

•73% of pupils who have over 95% attendance achieve 5 or more GCSEs at grades 9-4

•Being fifteen minutes late every day is one and a quarter hours a week missed, often phonics in KS1.

Letters will be sent home if your child's attendance is causing a concern. We also work closely with the Education Welfare Officer (EWO) to monitor termly attendance and he will contact families where attendance is a persistent problem.

Please remember, if you have any problems getting your child to school regularly – come and talk to us, we are happy to help.

ADMAT Attendance Policy 05-2021 [Review 05-2024]

Summary table of responsibilities for school attendance

EYFS leaflet

KS1 and KS2 leaflet