St Hugh's CofE Primary School

Parents and carers have a legal duty to ensure that their children of compulsory school age receive a suitable full-time education. It is vital that they ensure their child's regular and punctual attendance at school. If a child is registered at a school then they must attend on a regular basis.  The current school target for attendance is 96.%  You will be breaking the law if you do not ensure your child attends school regularly if there are no good reasons for missing school.

Research shows that there is a direct link between school attendance and attainment and progress. Poor attendance and missing lessons has a direct negative impact upon a child’s success in learning. Missing out on lessons leaves children vulnerable to falling behind. Children with poor attendance tend to achieve less in both primary and secondary school. At St Hugh's we aim to support and enable our pupils to fulfil their potential and provide them with every opportunity for a positive and successful future. Parents must ensure that their child is in school. In order to achieve, parents have a responsibility for ensuring the attendance and punctuality of their child. Children deserve the best start in life and a regular education will provide this. No future employer will employ an individual if they cannot arrive to work on time or take a lot of days off.

At St Hugh's we expect all pupils to attend school at least 96.%.

Your child's absence will be marked as unauthorised if:

1. You fail to contact school to let us know the reason that your child is not in school.
2. Your child arrives in school after 9.00am in the morning.
3. You take a holiday during school time without permission, or a holiday extends over the time granted.

You should only keep your child off school if they have a contagious illness such as Chicken Pox or if they are vomiting or have diarrhoea.

If your child is complaining any of any other illness and you are unsure if you should send them to school, then please contact the school office and we will advise you.

Every day that your child is absent from school an opportunity missed and learning is lost.

Punctuality is equally important as a child who is late is also missing out on learning opportunities and lost learning.  The St Hugh's day commences at 8:45am every morning and lessons begin.  Being punctual is also a good discipline as it supports organisation and good timekeeping both of which are vital skills for the future. A pupil arrive late for a lesson not only misses learning but also causes disruption for the other pupils in class.

Being 5 minutes late each day is the same as missing 3 whole days of school.

Being 15 minutes late each day is the same as missing two whole weeks at school?

We start our learning promptly at 8.45am — being 15 minutes late each day means missing two whole solid weeks of learning.

Parent and carer support is crucial in ensuring that children achieve in education.  At St Hugh's we work closely with families to support them to achieve the best possible outcomes for their children and this includes help in improving pupil attendance and punctuality.  Come in and talk to us if this is an area that you would welcome some support with.

What can parents / carers do?

• Ensure your child attends school every day and on time.
• If your child is not well enough to attend contact the school by 9.00am on the first day of absence.
• Have everything ready the night before to avoid delays in the morning.
• Have good bedtime and morning routines with set times for going to bed and waking up.
• Try to make dental and medical appointments outside of school time or at weekends.
• Take family holidays during the school holiday.  We are unable to authorise term time holidays.
• Contact us immediately if you need help or support with your child’s attendance or punctuality.

You must have the school’s permission to take your child out of school only in exceptional  circumstances.  

Taking your child on holiday is not an exceptional circumstance.

The Supreme Court has confirmed that schools not parents should authorise absence from school and the final decision lies with the Head Teacher.

Let’s work together to achieve consistently high attendance and punctuality. There are only 190 school days in a year and we want to see every child at school every day because every school day counts!