We are proud of our high attendance and the commitment our children and families show to school life. Being in school regularly helps children build friendships, grow in confidence and make the most of every opportunity to learn.
We have high expectations for attendance and punctuality. We expect children to attend every day that school is open, unless they are unwell or their absence has been authorised. Arriving on time helps every child enjoy a calm, positive start and be ready to learn alongside their classmates.
Good attendance is a shared commitment between school and home. Parents and carers are responsible for ensuring their children attend regularly and arrive on time. Our role is to provide a welcoming, supportive environment, monitor attendance carefully and respond promptly to concerns.
We recognise that some children and families face challenges that can affect attendance. We encourage parents and carers to speak to us early so that we can understand any difficulties and work together to provide appropriate support. Where attendance causes concern, we will agree clear steps for improvement and review progress together.
Our aims
- To help every child thrive academically, socially and emotionally through regular attendance.
- To sustain our high attendance and support improvement wherever it is needed.
- To develop positive routines for attendance and punctuality from the earliest years.
- To work closely with families to identify and address barriers to attendance.
- To ensure attendance remains a shared priority for children, parents, carers, staff and governors.
Our school day
The school day begins at 8.45am for Reception to Year 6 and 9am for Nursery and 2s.Â
Reception to Year 6 classroom doors open between 8.30am and 8.35am, offering a gentle start to the day and helping families with more than one child. Children begin with a ‘morning mission’ activity to help them settle in and get ready for learning.
Children must be in their classrooms by the start of the school day, ready for registration. Reception to Year 6 children arriving after 8.45am will be recorded as late. Registers close at 9am; arrivals after this time will be recorded as ‘late after registers close’, unless another attendance code is appropriate.
The school day finishes at 3.15pm for Reception to Year 6 and 3pm for Nursery. Please collect your child promptly. If you are delayed, contact the school office as soon as possible so that we can reassure your child and make appropriate arrangements.
Monitoring attendance
We work closely with families to help every child attend regularly and make the most of school life. Attendance and punctuality are monitored by Mrs Gibson in the school office, with oversight from the Headteacher.
If we identify a concern, we will contact you to understand the reasons and discuss how we can help. This may involve a telephone conversation, a letter or a meeting to agree practical steps and review progress. Where appropriate, we also work with the Education Welfare Officer and other services to provide additional support.
Please speak to us as soon as you have concerns about your child’s attendance. Early conversations help us work together to prevent difficulties from becoming more established.
Appointments
Where possible, please arrange medical and dental appointments outside school hours.
If an appointment during the school day is unavoidable, please let the school office know in writing as far in advance as possible. Children should attend school before and after the appointment wherever practical, so that they miss as little learning as possible.
We are required to record the reasons for absence accurately and may ask to see confirmation of the appointment.
Reporting Absence
If your child is unable to attend school, please contact the school office promptly on the first day of absence to explain the reason. Keep us informed if the absence continues.
If your child is finding it difficult to attend, please let us know. We will listen to your concerns, consider your child’s individual needs and work with you to identify appropriate support.
Leave of absence during term time
Regular attendance helps children maintain friendships, build confidence and keep up with their learning. We therefore ask families to arrange holidays during school holidays.
Leave of absence during term time can only be granted in exceptional circumstances. Requests must be made to the Headteacher in advance, explaining the circumstances. Each request will be considered individually, and the Headteacher will determine the length of any leave granted. Holidays are generally not considered exceptional circumstances.
You can find further information in the government’s guidance on school attendance and absence.
Fixed Penalty Notices
Our priority is to work with families to support good attendance. Alongside this, we are required to follow the national attendance framework and Northumberland County Council’s procedures for unauthorised absence.
For children of compulsory school age, the national threshold for considering a penalty notice is 10 sessions of unauthorised absence within a rolling period of 10 school weeks. A session is half a school day, so 10 sessions normally equals five days. These absences do not need to be consecutive.
When this threshold is reached, Northumberland’s procedures provide for a referral to the Council’s Education Welfare Team. The team considers the circumstances and decides whether a penalty notice is appropriate; a fine is not automatic.
Where support is appropriate, it should be offered and reviewed. A penalty notice may be considered where support has not improved attendance, has not been taken up, or is not appropriate—for example, for an unauthorised term-time holiday.
Further details are available in Northumberland County Council’s penalty notice code of conduct.
More information about our arrangements can be found in our Attendance Policy on our Policies page.