Attendance and Punctuation

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Attendance at Kingsway Primary & Nursery School

Every Day Counts – For Learning, Relationships and Belonging

At Kingsway Primary & Nursery School, we believe that attendance is not just about being registered on a roll. It is about belonging, relationships, learning and wellbeing.

Children attend school regularly when they feel:

safe
known and valued
confident in their learning
connected to their friends and trusted adults

Attendance is therefore a shared responsibility, with parents and school working together as a team around each child.

Attendance is a legal responsibility

Under the Education Act 1996, parents and carers have a legal duty to ensure that their child:

attends school every day
arrives on time
attends for the full school session

This is not optional. School attendance is a statutory requirement, and schools are required to monitor, support and—where necessary—challenge attendance concerns in line with national guidance.

Why every day in school matters

When a child misses school, they miss far more than lessons.

They miss:

direct teaching and explanation
opportunities to practise and secure learning
shared discussions, group work and feedback
continuity and confidence in the curriculum

They also miss:

time with friends
chances to build and maintain relationships
shared play, routines and experiences
the sense of belonging that comes from being part of the school community

Over time, missed days can lead to children:

feeling “out of the loop”
losing confidence
struggling socially
finding it harder to reconnect with peers

Attendance in real terms: days missed matter

We talk about attendance in days and sessions missed, not percentages, because this helps families really see the impact.

For example:

Missing 1 day every two weeks = 19 days of learning lost in one year
Missing 1 day per week = 38 days of learning lost – almost 8 full school weeks
Missing 2 days per week = 75 days missed – nearly half the school year

For a child, this can mean:

repeated gaps in learning
disrupted friendships
reduced confidence
feeling less connected to school

Attendance and safeguarding

National guidance is clear: attendance is a safeguarding issue.

If a child is not in school, school staff must know:

where they are
that they are safe
that there are no unmet needs or risks

For this reason:

registers are taken promptly
unexplained absence is followed up the same day
absence patterns are monitored closely

This is always done with a supportive and curious approach, not blame.

Our relational, stepped approach to attendance

At Kingsway, we use a relational attendance approach, grounded in research and Trust-wide best practice. The focus is support before sanction, but with clear expectations at every stage.

Stage 1 – Universal Monitoring

All pupils

Attendance is monitored daily
Same‑day contact for absence
Friendly, routine communication

Stage 2 – Early Concern

A small number of days missed

Supportive phone call from school
Check‑in with parents and pupil
Early offer of help

Stage 3 – Emerging Risk

Attendance patterns forming

Meeting with parents
Identification of barriers
Short‑term support plan
Pastoral involvement where needed

Stage 4 – Targeted Support

More frequent absence

Individual Attendance Support Plan
Regular monitoring and review
Adjustments or referrals if appropriate

Stage 5 – Persistent Absence

Significant days missed

Formal attendance meetings
Multi‑agency involvement
Continued focus on support, not punishment

Stage 6 – Safeguarding Escalation

At any stage, if needed

Home visits
Safeguarding referrals
Local Authority involvement

Legal action is always a last resort, used only when substantial support has not improved attendance and when required by law.

Asking for help early really matters

We know that attendance issues are not always simple.

We actively encourage parents to:

talk to us early
ask for help before patterns become entrenched
work with us honestly and openly

Support is most effective when it begins early.

Who to speak to

Our attendance work is led by a small, consistent team who know families well:

Miss Morgan – Attendance Lead (School Office)
Miss Dunstan – Pastoral Lead

They work closely together to provide:

early support
practical solutions
pastoral care
clear guidance

You can contact the school office to arrange a conversation at any point.

Attendance, relationships and belonging

Children thrive when school is a place where they:

feel expected and welcomed
are missed when they are not there
belong to a community

Being in school every day, on time:

strengthens friendships
builds trust with adults
supports confidence
helps children feel that they matter

Attendance is not just about rules—it is about relationships.

Our shared commitment

We are clear, kind and committed:

School will support children and families
Parents must prioritise attendance
Children deserve to be in school every day

When we work together, children thrive.

Attendance in real terms: days missed really matter

Good attendance is not about being perfect — it is about ensuring children are in school as much as they reasonably can be, so they can fully benefit from learning, friendships and belonging.

At Kingsway, we consider excellent attendance to be 98% or higher. This allows for the occasional genuine illness while still protecting children’s learning and wellbeing.

What does 98% attendance actually mean?

A full school year consists of 190 school days.

98% attendance = no more than 4 days missed across the entire year
That means being in school for at least 186 days

This small number of days makes a huge difference to children’s:

confidence in class
ability to keep up with learning
friendships and social connections
sense of belonging and routine

School and parents/carers are partners in making this a success. As parents or carers it is your legal responsibility to make sure that your child makes the most of this opportunity by aiming for at least 96% attendance.

Good Attendance

· 100% = 0 weeks learning missed

· 96% = 1 week 2 days learning missed

Poor Attendance

· 90% = 3 weeks 4 days of learning missed

· 85% = 5 weeks 3 days of learning missed

Very Poor Attendance

· 80% = 7 weeks 3 days of learning missed (a full half term of learning missed)

· 75% = 9 weeks 1 day of learning missed

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We understand children get ill

Children do sometimes become unwell, and we do not expect children to come to school if they are too ill to attend.

However, national guidance is clear that:

many mild illnesses do not require absence
being in school supports children’s health, wellbeing and confidence
prolonged or unnecessary absence can increase anxiety and make returning harder

To help parents make confident decisions, we strongly recommend using the NHS guidance below, which is supported by the Department for Education.

Is my child too ill for school? (NHS Guidance)

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

This guidance explains clearly when:

children should stay at home (for example, with a high temperature)
children are generally well enough to attend (such as with mild coughs or colds)

Not sure? Please talk to us

If you are ever unsure whether your child is well enough to attend school:

please ring the school office
ask to speak to Miss Morgan, our Attendance Lead

She will be more than happy to advise, offer reassurance and help you make the best decision for your child.

Early conversations help us work together and avoid patterns of absence developing.

School Absence

By law, schools must record absences and the reason given. You should contact school before 9:30am with a reason for absence. If no reason is given or the reason given is not deemed acceptable, your child will receive an unauthorised mark.

Attendance Procedures

We do not authorise absences without a good reason.
We will try to ring you if your child is absent and we have not heard from you. Please note that if you do not notify school of your child’s absence, we will follow our safeguarding procedures in school. Depending on the length of absence with no notification, this may involve a welfare check from the school and/or the police.
We monitor attendance carefully and we will write to you if your child's attendance drops below 96%.
If attendance challenges continue we will ask you to meet with us to discuss the way forward and possibly ask you to provide medical evidence before we will authorise anymore absences.
If all measures fail to lead to an improvement in attendance, we will refer your child to the Local Authority and this may lead to a Penalty Notice or further legal action being taken.

Leave of Absence

The current law does not give any entitlement to parents to take their child out of school during term time. The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 prohibits Head teachers granting leave of absence to a pupil except where an application has been made in advance and the Head teacher considers that there are exceptional circumstances relating to the application.

If the absence is not authorised and the leave of absence is taken, the case will be referred to the Local Authority who may issue a Penalty Notice for £160 (or £80 if paid within 21 days) to each parent for each child taken out of school.

Medical Appointments

Non-urgent medical appointments should not be made during the school day. If the appointment needs to be during school hours, please provide the school with appointment cards or hospital letters, so that a copy can be taken for the school records.

If you have a concern or there is an issue around attendance, please contact the school. There is advice and support for children and their families.

Punctuality

When your child arrives late at school, he/she misses the teacher’s instructions and the introduction to the lesson. Your child may also feel embarrassed at having to enter the classroom late. Punctuality is important for children to start the day off well.

How can you help?

Ensure your child arrives in time. Check with the school about opening times.
Prepare packed lunches, school bags and breakfast items the night before.
Make sure the alarm clock is set at a reasonable time for getting everyone up and ready.

If you need support and advice about punctuality issues, please contact the school.

Attendance supports learning and relationships

Being in school every day helps children to:

stay connected with friends
feel part of their class community
build trusting relationships with adults
feel confident and settled

Attendance is about learning, wellbeing and belonging — not just statistics.

Thank you for prioritising attendance and for continuing to work in partnership with us to ensure every child at Kingsway thrives.

Attendance Presentation

Attendance Policy