Attendance
Facts for Parents
At St Augustine’s, we know that good attendance is the key to being successful at school. Attending school every day will help give your child the best possible start in life.
School Day
Going to school every day means:
- Learning new skills
- Making friends
- Having fun
- Building lasting relationships
- Taking part in exciting activities
Research shows that pupils who attend school regularly are more likely to do well in the future.
You can help us to help your child by making good attendance at school your top priority too.
Illness
If your child is too ill to attend school, parents must contact the school office as soon as possible and notify the school of the reason for absence. Do use common sense when deciding whether or not your child is too ill to attend school. Only keep your child away from school if they are truly not well enough to take part in school activities or if they have a condition that can be passed on to other children or school staff.
Medical Appointments
Try to make all medical appointments, where possible, after the school day finishes at 3:10pm so that your child’s learning is not disrupted.
Punctuality
Poor punctuality is not acceptable and has negative consequences. Missing just 10 minutes of a school day is the same as missing two weeks of learning over the year.
Pupils who arrive late disrupt learning, which can be embarrassing for the child and can be very disruptive for the rest of the class.
School starts at 8:45am and ends at 3:15pm. Doors open at 8:40am
Holidays
There are 190 statutory school days in one year.
That means there are 175 other days available to use for holidays!
There is no automatic entitlement in law to time off in school time to go on holiday.
Headteachers cannot authorise any leave in term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Any period taken without agreement of the school, or in excess of that agreed, or if attendance falls below reasonable percentages, will be classed as unauthorised and may attract a Penalty Notice.
Parents have a responsibility to ensure their children attend school regularly and on time. We appreciate your help to ensure your child does not miss out on the education to which they are entitled.
By working in partnership, we can make a difference to the children’s lives and their life chances.
School Closures
In the unlikely event that school has to be closed due to adverse weather or events you will be directly informed via a text message.
