Attendance and Punctuality
At Gillas Lane, we are committed to every child reaching their full potential and therefore we follow all guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) with regard to school attendance.
We have a Trust Attendance Officer, Mrs Lewis, and also work closely with the Local Authority Attendance Officer to ensure we are doing all we can to help all children to benefit from their education as fully as possible. We also recognise that attendance is a key part of our commitment to safeguarding and child protection.
Attendance and punctuality data is shared with parents and carers at termly Parent Consultations and in the annual written report in July.
Reminders about attendance and updates on school and class attendance are shared on the whole school and individual class newsletters each half term.
Each week, we celebrate the class with the highest attendance in our Golden Book Assembly. Each week, the winning class receives an extra playtime, the attendance trophy and a photo on the attendance wall of fame in the main foyer!
Gillas Lane’s opening and closing times are 8:45am to 3:15pm. This is a total of 32 hours and 30 minutes per week.
Is my child too ill for school?
It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school or nursery when they are unwell. Please follow this link for advice from the NHS:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
Benefits of good attendance and punctuality
Regular attendance and punctuality are important if children are to take part fully in the life of the school and take advantage of the learning opportunities on offer. We recognise that attending school regularly and being here on time is vital to the educational process and encourages a good pattern of work.
Good attendance is important because:
- Statistics show a direct link between under-achievement and poor attendance
- Regular attenders make better progress, both socially and academically
- Regular attenders find school routines and work easier to adapt to and manage
- Regular attenders find learning more satisfying
- Regular attenders have an easier transfer to each new key stage and secondary school
We ask parents and carers to:
- Ensure their child/children attends school regularly and on time.
- Phone the school on the first day of non-attendance by 8:30am. If there is no answer, please leave a voicemail or send a message on Class Dojo to Miss Todd in the school office. It is important that you provide details of your child’s illness.
- Contact school on each subsequent day of non-attendance.
- Avoid making medical and dental appointments during school hours where possible.
- Not book holidays, trips or events during term time.
- Work with the school to meet any attendance targets that are set to help improve attendance.
Punctuality
Being late for school causes disruption to your child’s learning and the other children in the class. It is of extreme importance therefore that all children arrive at school on time.
We have adopted a soft start approach to the start of the day and children are able to come into the classroom anytime from 8:45am to 9am. We also have a Breakfast Club that can help support with attendance and punctuality. Breakfast Club opens at 8am and is 50p per day, payable online. Please book your child's place by sending a message on Class Dojo to Mrs Burnhope.
If a child arrives after 9am:
This will be recorded as a late arrival.
The child’s name, class and time of arrival including the number of minutes late will be recorded by the office.
Addressing punctuality concerns
If a child starts to develop a regular pattern of lateness, our Attendance Officer, Mrs Lewis, will speak with school leaders and families to offer support.
Term Time Leave
We would ask you to seriously consider taking your child out of school during term time. Term time leave may only be authorised at the discretion of the Headteacher in exceptional circumstances. Term time leave request forms are available from the school office and are filled in with a member of the Senior Leadership Team. In line with DfE guidelines, unauthorised term time leave will incur a fine from the Local Authority.
Attendance Incentives
Over the year, we run regular attendance incentives. If your child has been poorly and misses one of these incentives, don't worry - they run each half term so they have regular opportunities to take part. For a very small number of our children, medical issues may mean that they struggle to meet the threshold for these incentives; if this affects your child, please speak to Mrs Straughan and school can work with you to reach a solution.
Incentives include:
- Weekly attendance announced in Golden Book - the class with the best attendance gets a trophy, an extra breaktime and a photo on the wall of fame!
- Half termly certificates
- Sticky Bun Run - in the Summer Term, children with 98%+ attendance get a delicious treat from Greggs!
- Christmas Party Day is always the last day of the Autumn Term to encourage good attendance even in the run up to a holiday
- The last week of each half term is when we arrange all of our trips and treats to encourage good attendance as our data analysis shows that this is the time attendance can drop off
- Friday is our Golden Book Assembly and Team Time celebration day - this is scheduled for a Friday to encourage good attendance as our data analysis shows that attendance can dip on a Friday
School Avoidance
Statistics from the Children’s Commissioner found that in the 2024 / 2025 academic year, 18.7% of all pupils were persistently absent – a significant increase from 2018/19, when that figure was 10.9%. This lost time can have a notable impact on children’s development, learning and overall wellbeing.
The specific reasons for school avoidance are sometimes hard to pin down – and it can be even harder to know how best to help absent children return to education. Take a look at this school avoidance guide; it breaks down some of the causes and effects of school avoidance and provides advice on how parents and school can work together to help young people triumph over this potentially damaging cycle.
If you are struggling with your child's attendance, please get in touch with Mrs Lewis, our Trust Attendance Officer, for a chat to see how she can support you and your child.
☎️ 0191 500 5956
📩 katie.lewis@aimhigh.co.uk
