The Importance of Attendance 

At Hillborough Infant and Nursery School we believe that regular and punctual attendance at school are key elements in promoting children’s learning, attainment and wellbeing.  Research has proven that there is a high correlation between school attendance and academic performance and success.  Only by regular attendance can children access the quality education that is offered at our school. 

We are, therefore, committed to the following principles: –

• To encourage all pupils to attend school and achieve their maximum potential.
• To promote good attendance throughout school.
• To monitor attendance and use attendance data to work towards agreed targets.
• To work in partnership with parents and carers in promoting excellent attendance and punctuality, as well as the LA and other agencies

It is important that children are always at school on time, attendance is very good and that few school days are missed. Lost time breaks routines and children can miss important aspects of their learning.

Why is it so important to attend every day?

Learning is a progressive activity; each day’s lessons build upon those of the previous day(s), building on children's knowledge and skills. 

Many classes use discussions, demonstrations, experiments and participation as part of the daily learning activities, and these cannot be made up by those who are absent.

Pupils learn through actively taking part. 

Are there other benefits for my child? 

Pupils with good attendance records generally achieve better outcomes over time and enjoy school more.

Having a good education will help to give your child the best possible start in life and help prepare them for the next stage in their education.

Regular school attendance patterns encourage the development of other responsible patterns of behaviour, including independence and life skills. 

What are the risks of frequent absences?

A child who does not attend school regularly will be unlikely to keep up with the work, and will miss essential learning which helps build their knowledge and skills.  

The more pupils miss school, the lower their academic outcomes.

They may then want to be in school less. 

What can parents do to help?

Parents must model the value of education, including the importance of regular attendance.

Make sure that your child goes to school regularly and arrives on time; you will establish a good habit that they will carry through life.

If your child starts missing school, work with the school to put things right. Make sure your child understands that you do not approve of him/her missing school.

If your child is ill or must miss school for some other reason, contact school immediately. 

Do not expect school to approve of shopping trips, birthday treats etc. during school hours. Arrange family holidays/events so that your child will not miss any learning.

Take an interest in your child’s school work and be involved in the school as much as possible; your child will value school more if you do.

Punctuality

When your child arrives at school, they will be met by their class teacher. If parents/carers need to speak to the teacher, this is a good time to arrange a time/day to meet with them.  The teacher will take the children into the class and the door at which they enter will be closed at 9.00am.  All children should arrive on time, but should they be late, they can enter the school via the main office.  Any child who enters through this door will then be taken to their classroom.  Punctuality is important for children’s attendance.  If a child arrives late each day, this can have a negative effect on their attitude to the learning which will have already started in the classroom. 

If a child arrives 15 minutes late to school each day, they lose almost 2 weeks of education a year.  If your child is regularly late, a letter will be sent home requesting an improvement.  If none is seen, parents/carers may be asked to attend a meeting in the school to discuss the seriousness of the impact such lateness is having on your child. Should there be no further improvement, the Education Welfare Officer may wish to meet to discuss the amount of late marks your child has.

If your child is late due to a medical appointment, we ask that evidence of this is brought to the school office where a copy will be made and kept in the pupils' file.

REMEMBER – Regular attendance is necessary for success in school. Help ensure that your child has the best opportunity for success by making sure he/she is in school every day.

Our attendance of pupil's policy is attached below.

Further Information for Parents and Guardians

Attendance at school is, in most cases, one of the most important factors that affects the chances of success at school. We continue to work hard to support our learners and their families in having good attendance at school.

We hope that you find the following helpful in supporting us in improving attendance even further.

Frequently asked questions

Q. What do I do if my child is not well enough to come to school?
A. If your child is ill or absent for any reason, contact the school on the attendance line on the first day of absence 01582 725764. You may be asked to provide evidence of absence in most cases. 

Q. What should I do if my child has a medical appointment during school time?
A. If you know the date and time for a hospital appointment, please inform the school in advance. However, you should try to make routine appointments such as dental check-ups during the school holidays or after school. You will be asked to sign your child in and out of the school and this information will be recorded on our attendance system. You may be asked to provide evidence of absence in most cases. 

Q. Can I take my child on holiday during term time?
A. At Hillborough Infant and Nursery School we do not authorise holidays for pupils during term time. The Headteacher and Governing Body will only consider cases for leave during term time, if there is an exceptional circumstance. Pupil leave of absence in special circumstances request form, provides further information regarding such circumstances. This can be found by following the link at the bottom of this page.

Parents and guardians should note that the 'Leave of Absence Form' must be returned to the Headteacher. The Headteacher will consider all requests, however there is no guarantee that requests will be authorised.

Q. What is an authorised absence?
A. Authorised absence means the school is satisfied with the explanation provided. You may be asked to provide medical evidence of future absences. 

 Q. What is an unauthorised absence?
A. Unauthorised absence means the school does not accept the reason provided, or the reason does not comply with government guidelines. Unauthorised absences can result in parents being prosecuted - see the school's policy for further information. Parents and carers are asked to contact the school regarding an absence following the procedures outlined above. 

Q. What is a persistent absence (PA)?
A. A persistent absentee (PA) is any pupil who has accumulated higher levels of authorised or unauthorised absence. 

Q. What happens if my child does not attend school regularly?
A. As a parent/guardian, you are committing an offence if you fail to make sure that your child attends school regularly.

Q. What can I do as a parent to help?
A. If your child misses school regularly or is unhappy at school, you should contact school as soon as possible so that we can work with you to resolve difficulties. We understand that many of our children and young people require additional support from social care, health services and/or other extended teams. Therefore, we ensure we coordinate and facilitate support to benefit pupil outcomes. 

Q. What we have been doing to improve and sustain the best outcomes for our learners?

A. Staff continue to work closely with parents / guardians and extended services to ensure that we are promoting and communicating the importance of good attendance at school.

Actions include;

• We promote good attendance throughout the year with a number of incentives. Attendance is shared weekly in Celebration Assemblies, a weekly 100% attendance sticker, and attendance bears – Ruby and Markus. These are the bears which the class with the best attendance gets to cherish for a week. Individual attendance is highly valued and monitored through a half termly 97%+ certificate and a 100% yearly trophy.
• Providing individualised meetings to ensure the relevant services support families. This year, the school has been assigned an EWO designated contact by Luton Borough Council to work alongside our attendance team to support our families.
• Each half-term we will promote a 97%+ attendance with a certificate in the celebration assembly and at the end of the year we will celebrate 100% individual with a trophy.
• Continuing to promote our Pupil Attendance Policy.
• Providing letters to parents and carers to fully explain the importance of good attendance and the impact of poor attendance on pupils' learning and social interaction skills.
• Updating our school website to ensure we consistently communicate the importance of this attendance.
• Providing individualised meetings to ensure the relevant services support families.
• Holding parents/carers discussions (i.e. as part of parents mornings and school events) to raise the profile of attendance and to provide ongoing opportunities for discussing the issue.
• Putting action plans in place with parents/carers, pupils and relevant services where attendance is a concern, where it decreases or when it does not improve.
• Reporting ongoing developments and outcomes to the schools Governing Body and the Local Authority.
• Holding multi-agency meetings with services such as health/social care/ Education Welfare to explore how all services can support pupils with additional needs e.g. health concerns.  

Educational Welfare Service

Hillborough Infant and Nursery School works closely with Luton Borough Council Welfare Services. The Educational Welfare Service works to raise achievement levels by working with pupils, parents and schools, other agencies and the community, to improve the attendance of our pupils. Also, they work to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

Attendance Data

Academic Year	2020 / 2021	2021 / 2022	2022 / 2023
Overall Attendance	94% *	91.9% *	92.32% (to end of spring half-term)

 

Attendance & Lateness Policy