Statement of Intent

Brinsworth Whitehill Primary School is committed to the continuous raising of achievement of all our pupils. Regular attendance is critical if our pupils are to be successful and benefit from the opportunities presented to them.

One of our basic principles is to celebrate success. Good, punctual attendance is fundamental to a successful and fulfilling school experience. We actively promote 100% attendance for all our pupils and we use a variety of termly and annual awards to promote good attendance and punctuality.

The Governors, Headteacher and Staff in partnership with parents have a duty to promote full attendance at Brinsworth Whitehill Primary School.

Parental Responsibility

Parents have a legal duty to ensure that their child(ren) attend school regularly and arrive on time. Full attendance is essential to the all round development of the child and they should be allowed to take full advantage of educational opportunities available to them by law. Poor attendance undermines their education and can put pupils at risk of educational under-achievement and encourage anti-social behaviour. It is the parents’ responsibility to contact the school on the first day their child is absent and to send a letter confirming the reason on a child’s return to school. This is a safeguarding issue so that all parties know that a child is safe. Pupils are expected to arrive by 8:45am. All pupils that arrive late must report to the school office where the reason for lateness is recorded.

The Role of the School Staff

School Leadership has overall responsibility for attendance. Class teachers complete a register at the beginning of each morning and afternoon session. Marking the attendance registers twice daily is a legal requirement. Teachers mark pupils present, absent or late. The class teacher notifies attendance Officers of children whose attendance is causing concern. They will ensure that:

• Attendance and lateness records are up to date.
• If no reason for absence has been provided, parents are contacted on the first day of absence.
• The appropriate attendance code is entered into the register (National Attendance Codes).

Parents are informed termly of a child’s attendance figure. Appropriate strategies are put into place to support pupils and families whose attendance is causing concern.

Children Missing Education

No child may be removed from the school roll without consultation between the Headteacher and the Education Welfare Service. Where a child is missing from education, Local Authority guidance will be followed.

School Attendance Information 

You can access the latest Ofsted Data Dashboard HERE.  This includes comparisons of our attendance with similar schools nationally.

In the event of a pupil’s absence from school, parents are requested to telephone the school prior to the start of school, or at least by 9.30 am, in order to provide a reason for the absence.

In line with our policy of safeguarding children, the school office may ring you after that time if you have not been able to contact us.

In view of the requirements National Curriculum timetable and National Curriculum testing procedures and time-tables, parents are asked not to arrange holidays during term-time as this can affect a child’s progress significantly.