Attendance and Punctuality

Punctuality at the beginning of the school day

The school gates open at 8.40 a.m. with registers closing at 8.50 a.m. If your child arrives after the register has been taken, this will be classed as a late mark and if they arrive later than 9.30 am, they will be marked as absent.

There are two registers taken each day which means there are two session marks per day your child can achieve; one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

There are things which can happen to cause us to run late such as buses being late or cars breaking down, if this happens please call the school on 0161 205 1700 to let the office know you are running late.

If your child is persistently late and the reasons provided are not seen as plausible you may be called in for a meeting to see what is causing you to be late for school and if we can support you to be at school on time.

We do have Breakfast Club which starts at 8.00 a.m. everyday and here your child would receive their breakfast for £10.00 per week.

Punctuality at the end of the day

School finishes promptly at 3.15 p.m. and staff have a number of after school activities to attend and therefore we appreciate parents picking up their children promptly from the school playground.

If you are running late to pick up your child, a courtesy call to the office to let the classteacher know is also appreciated.

It is important to make sure the school office has up to date contact numbers for you so that in case of emergency we are able to contact you.

Attendance Panel Meetings

As a school we have a duty of care for all our pupils and this includes ensuring that they attend school every day. This also includes investigating why pupils are not in school and follow this up with parents.

If your child's attendance falls below 93%, you will be asked to attend and attendance panel with the Headteacher and Assistant Headteacher.

This meeting is a chance for us to discuss with you the reasons for your child's attendance being so low and see what appropriate support we can offer you to ensure your child's attendance improves.

We as a school must report back to the Local Authority about our attendance figures for the year and the council will ask why certain children have such poor attendance. They have the power to initiate a penalty notice and this is something we hope will not happen through our early intervention of the attendance panel.

What the Law Says

Parents have a legal responsibility for ensuring that children of compulsory school age receive a full-time education 'suitable to their age, ability, aptitude and any special educational need that they may have either by regular attendance at school or otherwise - Section 7 Education Act 1996.

Parents whose children are on a school register and fail to ensure the regular school attendance of their children, may be guilty of an offence under Section 444 or 444(1A) of the Education Act 1996.

A penalty notice is used as an early intervention and is an alternative to prosecution under Section 444 of the Education Act for irregular school attendance which is not authorised by the school.

The school may request a penalty notice and one will be issued by the council if the request meets the criteria in the Code of Conduct. There is no right of appeal against the issuing of a penalty notice.

Parents may discharge their potential liability for this absence period by paying the penalty notice. Failure to pay the penalty notice may result in prosecution in the magistrate’s court under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996.