Attendance and Punctuality at Westwood

Rationale

Effective schools convey their positive regard for regular attendance to parents, pupils and teachers. Children quickly pick up the message that their presence is important. The twice daily requirement to register pupils can and should be perceived as an opportunity for the school to receive children formally from home and at the start of the afternoon session and serve as an introduction to the day.

Children are expected to attend school from the start of the first term following their fifth birthday for the full 190 days of the academic year, unless there is a good reason for absence. There are two types of absence:

• Authorised (where the school approves pupil absence)
• Unauthorised (where the school will not approve absence)

At Westwood Community Primary School, if a child is absent, parents should call the school on the first day of the absence stating a reason. A note of the call will be taken by the school office, via either the F.E.O (Family Engagement Officer) or School Administrator and then teachers will be notified. After the absence has been notified, the parents should follow this up with a verbal or written note/email which should be sent on the day the child returns to school explaining the absence. The school will then decide whether to authorise the absence. If authorisation were to be refused, for instance if a child was kept off school for a birthday, then the parents would be informed.

**Please read the attached PDF, which contains further information regarding attendance and punctuality.

For any further enquiries regarding attendance, please contact either the Headteacher (Mrs Sarah Jones) or the Family Engagement Officer (Mrs Gemma Thomas) on the following email - [email protected]

Many thanks,

Mrs. Sarah Jones.

Headteacher.