Attendance

 Attendance and Absence at Godinton Primary School

At Godinton Primary we aim for every child to reach their full potential and to have a happy and successful time at school.  Research shows that children achieve better if they are punctual for school and have good attendance.  In order to provide children with the best education, we aim for every child to achieve at least 96% attendance, with a goal of achieving 100%.

Children who attend school regularly:

• Make better progress, both socially and academically
• Find school routines and school work easier to cope with
• Find learning more satisfying and enjoyable
• Have an easier transfer to secondary school

Statistics show a direct link between higher achievement and good attendance.

At Godinton Primary School, the school gates open at 8.35 a.m. with learning provided for the children from this time. The gates close at 8.50 and all children are expected in school by this time.

Attendance and punctuality is monitored regularly at Godinton Primary School, with our main objective being to support children and their families in raising attendance.  If attendance falls below 95%, your child’s attendance will be monitored by the school.  Letters may be sent home and you may be invited into school for a meeting with the Family Liaison Officer or a member of the Senior Management Team to discuss together ways of improving attendance or punctuality.

At Godinton Primary School:

Green 0% absence (good attendance)

Yellow 1-4% absence (adequate attendance)

Amber 5-9% absence (low attendance)

Red 10% absence or more (poor attendance)

3 times a year, parents will receive information regarding their child’s attendance and the percentage of learning which has been lost due to absence. Information is also available upon request. This will help you to monitor your child’s absence too.

If your child does fall ill or cannot attend school due to exceptional circumstances then please ensure you contact the school on the first day of absence, by 9:15 am stating the reason.  If the school does not receive an explanation for absence or if the explanation is unacceptable, then the absence will be marked as unauthorised. If pupils are absent frequently for medical reasons then a medical note may be requested.

Holidays during term time are not usually authorised unless there are very exceptional circumstances as there are a total of 175 non-school days in one year in which holiday can be taken.  Permission for holiday absence must be sought from the Head teacher but will usually be declined.  Unauthorised absences can lead to legal action resulting in a Fixed Penalty Notice.

A Fixed Penalty Notice can be issued where a pupil has accrued 10 unauthorised absences in term time (AM and PM count as separate absences so this is equivalent to 5 full days) or for late registrations (more than 10 occasions in one term).

Absence and lateness disrupts the education of the individual child and the whole class and can be highly distressing for the child.

During a school year, a child is expected to attend school on 190 days.

By the end of the year, an absence of 5 days, means a whole week of lost learning (97.3% attendance). A child who misses school just twice per month will lose out on 18 days’ education across the school year – that’s nearly four weeks. And taking a two week holiday during term time means that the highest attendance your child can achieve in a school year is just 94.7%. Every day counts.

At Godinton Primary School we encourage good attendance by:

• Publicising year group attendance within the school newsletter
• Praising attendance which shows improvement.
• Attendance certificates
• Support from FLO

We encourage all parents to help their children to become an attendance hero (here, everyday, ready and on time).

Please contact the school, if we can help in any way with your child’s attendance.

The documents below provide important information about attendance and punctuality at Godinton Primary School.

Click here to be taken to the Kent County Council school attendance website. Here you will find further information to support your child's attendance at school.