School Times

The school gates open everyday at 8.40am for pupils to enter school, with registration beginning at 8.50am. If your child arrives after this time please could they be brought into school through the main reception where they can be signed into school. The school day ends at 3.20pm. This totals 32 hours and 30 minutes per week. 

Attendance

The importance of School Attendance

School attendance is not merely a requirement but a fundamental pillar of education. It plays a pivotal role in shaping academic success, personal growth, and future prospects, making it an indispensable aspect of any educational system. 

• Academic Achievement: Regular attendance directly correlates with academic success. Children who attend school consistently are more likely to keep up with the curriculum, perform better in exams, and improve their life outcomes.
• Knowledge Acquisition: School is where children acquire knowledge and skills that are crucial for their personal and professional growth. Missing days means missing out on valuable learning opportunities.
• Social Development: School provides a vital social environment for children and adolescents to interact with peers, develop friendships, and learn essential social skills. Consistent attendance ensures children remain connected to their peer group.
• Building Routine: School attendance establishes a structured routine in children’s lives, teaching them time management and responsibility, which are valuable life skills.
• Teacher Interaction: Regular attendance allows for meaningful teacher-child interactions. Teachers can provide personalised support, address questions, and assess individual progress more effectively when children attend regularly.
• Preventing Knowledge Gaps: Frequent absences can lead to significant knowledge gaps, making it challenging for children to catch up with missed lessons, potentially resulting in long-term academic struggles.
• School Engagement: Children who attend school regularly are more likely to engage in extracurricular activities, sports, and other enriching experiences that contribute to their overall development.
• Legal and Parental Responsibility: Parents or guardians are legally responsible for ensuring their child's regular school attendance. Failing to do so can lead to legal consequences.

Attendance

We ask that parents make every effort to ensure that children arrive in school on time. We appreciate information as soon as possible when children are absent and for safety reasons include a telephone call to school on the first day of absence. Please send an explanatory note when your child returns. We like to have a contact number where you can be reached at any time should your child be taken ill or have an accident. We always notify parents in such events so that arrangements can be made to have the child collected.

Holiday absences are strongly discouraged and parents are asked to consider very carefully the effect that taking their child out of school for a holiday, during term time, may have on their education. These absences will always be classed as unauthorised unless deemed to be truly exceptional circumstances. This decision is at the discretion of the headteacher. 

Absence

Good attendance at school is the single most important factor to ensure that young people have the maximum life chances – attendance is strongly linked to educational achievement. Promoting positive school attendance is everyone’s responsibility.

The table below details how much time and learning is missed based on attendance percentages.