Attendance and Absences

ATTENDANCE

We are very proud of our excellent attendance records at Stanley Park Junior School. 

Regular attendance and good punctuality at school are legal requirements which have a significant impact on your child’s learning and are essential for children to access a broad, balanced curriculum and to exceed their potential.

At Stanley Park Junior School we expect excellent attendance. Ideally, children should be in school, on time, 100% of the time. This is essential if pupils are to take full advantage of the range of opportunities that school offers and gain the skills that will equip them for their next stage of education and for adult life. Good attendance is classed as 97% or above. 

We closely monitor each child's attendance.

If a child’s attendance and / or punctuality presents a concern, school staff will investigate and provide support, ultimately we may also seek support from the Local Authority Educational Attendance Welfare Officer .  Sometimes a child can be reluctant to come to school. If this is the case, the child’s class teacher should be informed as soon as possible. We will always help support families with strategies to improve their child's attendance.    

LOCAL AUTHORITY MONITORING

Our Local Authority Attendance Officer monitors our levels of absence and lateness very closely. Parents may be called in for a formal meeting if their children are persistently late for school, if they have a particularly poor level of attendance, or if a child’s absence has not been authorised by the Headteacher.

Under current legislation, a penalty notice may be issued to any parent who fails to ensure  their children’s regular attendance at school. Parents must pay £60 (if the penalty is paid within 21 days); or £120 (if it is paid within 28 days).

PUNCTUALITY

Being late adds up to a loss of learning.

In the interests of your child’s education the school monitors lateness.  Please ensure that your child arrives at school with plenty of time.  

• Y3/4 should be in school for 8.40am
• Y5/6 should be in school for 8.45am

Punctuality is very important as it can be distressing for your child if they miss important information which is given at the beginning of the school day. They may also miss early morning revision and information about their homework. 

All children arriving 10 mins after the times above must sign in at the school office.   This is extremely important as your child’s class teacher must know they have been registered for safeguarding purposes.

ABSENCE DUE TO ILLNESS

If your child is not well enough to attend school, you should inform the school by telephone or  e-mail office@spjs.org on each day of their absence before 9.00am and confirm the reason for absence in order for attendance records to be updated.  If your child has been sick or has had diarrhoea, then they should not return to school until 48 hours after the last bout of sickness or diarrhoea.  

If a child is likely to be absent for longer periods of time (greater than 3 days),  then the school may request that the parent provide medical evidence from a doctor/GP. Medical evidence may also be requested if your child’s overall attendance is less than 90% and further periods of illness occur.

ABSENCE FOR OTHER REASONS

HOLIDAYS

Parents/carers must not arrange family holidays during term time. If a holiday has been arranged it is essential that you inform the Headteacher at your earliest opportunity so that your child’s attendance record can be coded correctly. This should be done via email/letter  for the attention of the Headteacher  with the subject title "Holiday leave of absence during term time".  

APPOINTMENTS 

We do not encourage children to be taken out of school for appointments during the day. However, if you have no alternative, please email the school office office@spjs.org or write a note in your child’s Home-school book. Proof of your appointment will be required. This can be in the form of a letter/email/screenshot of a text confirmation etc.  Your child will need to be collected from the school office where they will be signed in/out 

OTHER REASONS

If you would like to request leave of absence for your child for any other speciall circumstances (e.g: family funeral, religious observance,  or an interview at another school),  you should write to the Headteacher, or send an email to office@spjs.org  detailing the situation. Absences will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances.