St Matthew's CofE Primary SchoolAttendance
ATTENDANCE MATTERS
At St Matthew's CE Primary School we continually strive to provide an excellent education for all children. Our school is a safe environment in which we provide the knowledge, experiences and confidence the children need to excel at secondary school, so that they can make the choices, now and in the future, to have a happy, fulfilling life.
Excellent attendance is vital to ensure the children have the best possible education, ultimately, enabling them to have greater choice later in life. Therefore, we take attendance very seriously and do all we can to support excellent attendance from all our children. The Attendance Lead at St Matthew's is Mrs McDonald. She is supported by Mrs Henry and Mrs Taylor with regards to all attendance matters.
Here Everyday
We expect all children at St Matthew's CE Primary School to come to school every day, apart from in cases of contagious illness or serious medical conditions.
What do I do if my child can`t come to school?
You must contact the school before 8.30am by phoning the absence line on 0161 474 7110. Please state your child’s name, class and reason for absence.
Please note that you will need to contact us every morning of your child`s illness.
If a child is not in school and we do not know the reason why, the school is required to contact parents or carers to make sure the child is safe and establish the reason for absence. This is called first day calling.
The vast majority of children in our school achieve above 96% attendance, which is what we expect from all our children as a minimum. Illness usually comes in a block of time over a continuous period. Children should not have more than one or two episodes of broken weeks in an academic year.
Regular broken weeks are a cause for concern and will be followed up by the school and the Education Welfare Team which may result in formal monitoring and the likelihood of a support worker assigned to your family. Some families may also receive a fine if the absence does not improve.
Medical Appointments:
If your child has a medical appointment, please let us know in advance and bring in the appointment letter or card when you come to collect your child and complete our early collection from in the school office. For dental appointments, we would ask that these are booked outside of school hours or in the school holidays, where possible.
If your child has an appointment and will be returning to school before lunchtime, please indicate whether they are having a school meal or packed lunch from home.
Other reasons for absence:
If you wish your child to be absent for any other reason, please fill in a ‘Request for Exceptional Leave of Absence’ form, available from the school office.
Please note that we do not give permission for pre-planned absences for anything other than the most exceptional of circumstances. If you take your child on holiday during school time, you may be issued with a penalty notice and a fine by Stockport Council.
Is your child ready for school?
Please ensure that your child is ready for the school day. They should have had a good night`s sleep and an adequate breakfast. They should also have the right equipment with them (water bottle, book bag and weather appropriate clothing).
Being on time is so important!
At St Matthew's CE Primary School the gate is open from 8.35am so the children can come into school.
REGISTERS WILL BE TAKEN AT 9AM . IF YOUR CHILD ARRIVES AFTER 9AM THEY WILL BE MARKED AS LATE.
Children arriving after 8.55am when the gate is locked, must enter school through the main reception doors. You will be asked to sign your child in onto the inventory system. We will need to know the reason for lateness. Lateness is monitored on a regular basis and parents will be contacted when there is cause for concern.
Children arriving more than 30 minutes late are classed as `absent` for that whole session – this will affect their overall attendance score and be marked as unauthorised.
Persistent Absence
Parents/carers should be aware that attendance data is closely monitored by the office and senior leadership team at the school. Attendance data has to be submitted for scrutiny by the Local Authority and Ofsted. A series of official steps, therefore, will be followed relating to any child whose attendance is a cause for concern. If a child’s attendance falls below 96% we are required to monitor this and send a letter home. If there is a particular circumstance, that the school may not be aware of, which is having an influence on your child’s ability to attend school regularly, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Children with attendance below 90% are classed as ‘Persistently Absent’ and if this occurs, you will be asked to attend a meeting with a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
This will then be logged and reported. If the attendance does not improve, you will be asked to attend a meeting at school where a plan will be devised.
We know you will support the school with attendance and we are aware that the last two years of your child’s education had been disrupted therefore we are asking you to prioritise getting your child to school each day and on time to ensure no further disruption and lost learning.
Keep the lines of communication open and if there is a reason for your child being absent from school please share this with us. If your child is struggling to come into school again, please speak to our team.