Attendance and Punctuality at Haslam Park Primary School

Every Day Matters. Every Child Matters.

At Haslam Park Primary School, we believe that every child deserves to be in school, learning, achieving, building friendships and experiencing everything that school life has to offer.

Our ambition is for every child to attend school every day that they are well enough to do so.

Attendance is one of our highest priorities because we know that regular attendance is essential for educational achievement, emotional wellbeing, positive relationships and future opportunities.

Every lesson matters. Every experience matters. Every school day is an opportunity that cannot be fully replaced.

We have high expectations for attendance and punctuality because we have high aspirations for every child.

Our Context Strengthens Our Commitment

Haslam Park serves a diverse community with significant levels of socio-economic disadvantage, a high proportion of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), children who speak English as an additional language (EAL), and considerable pupil mobility.

We understand that some families face complex circumstances which can create barriers to regular school attendance. These may include medical needs, emotional difficulties, family circumstances, housing challenges or other pressures.

We do not ignore these challenges, but neither do we accept that they should automatically lead to poor attendance or reduced educational opportunities.

Our context means we must work even harder to understand the barriers children face, provide appropriate support and work in genuine partnership with families.

We recognise that pupils experiencing disadvantage or additional needs can be particularly affected by missed learning, disrupted routines and reduced access to the curriculum.

For this reason, we are relentless in our determination to ensure that every child has the best possible opportunity to attend regularly and achieve.

Our context does not lower our expectations. It increases our responsibility to help children meet them.

High Expectations, Early Support and Strong Partnerships

At Haslam Park, improving attendance is a shared responsibility between school, pupils, parents and carers.

We take a proactive, supportive and consistent approach to attendance.

We monitor attendance carefully, identify emerging patterns and act early when concerns arise. Our approach is informed by our knowledge of individual pupils and families, rather than relying on attendance percentages alone.

Where attendance becomes a concern, we work with families to understand the reasons, identify barriers and agree appropriate actions.

This may include pastoral support, individual attendance plans, help with morning routines, support for emotional wellbeing, reasonable adjustments, or involvement from external agencies.

We are particularly mindful of the needs of disadvantaged pupils, children with SEND, children who are looked after or known to children's social care, and pupils experiencing significant family challenges.

Support and high expectations go hand in hand.

We believe that effective attendance work is not simply about challenging absence. It is about understanding its causes, intervening early and making a measurable difference.

Attendance, SEND and Medical Needs

We are proud of our inclusive school community and recognise that some children have complex medical conditions, disabilities or additional needs which affect their ability to attend school consistently.

We understand that, for some pupils, achieving 100% attendance may not be possible or appropriate because of essential medical treatment, illness or other significant needs.

We approach these circumstances individually, sensitively and in partnership with families and relevant professionals.

Where appropriate, we consider reasonable adjustments, personalised support and strategies that enable children to access as much education as possible.

We do not believe that children should be disadvantaged or made to feel unsuccessful because of genuine medical needs or circumstances beyond their control.

Our ambition is not identical attendance figures for every child, but the highest possible attendance that is appropriate, achievable and supportive of each child's needs.

We celebrate improvements, perseverance and the efforts of children and families who overcome significant barriers to attend school.

Why Punctuality Matters

Being on time is an important part of successful school attendance.

The beginning of the school day provides valuable opportunities for children to settle, reconnect with their classmates, establish routines and begin learning positively.

Arriving late can mean missing important teaching and can make the start of the day more difficult for children.

Our school day begins at 8:45am.

Registers close at 9:15am. Children arriving after the register has closed, without an acceptable reason, will receive an unauthorised absence mark for that session in accordance with attendance regulations.

Where lateness becomes persistent, we will contact families to understand the reasons and provide appropriate support.

Continued concerns may be referred to Miss Clarke and, where necessary, the Early Intervention Service or other relevant attendance professionals.

We expect families to make every reasonable effort to ensure that children arrive at school on time and ready to learn.

Reporting Your Child's Absence

If your child is unable to attend school, parents and carers must contact the school as soon as possible on the first day of absence, explaining the reason.

Families should continue to keep the school informed during any ongoing absence in accordance with our attendance procedures.

Every morning and afternoon session must be recorded using the appropriate attendance code. The school is responsible for deciding whether an absence is authorised or unauthorised in accordance with statutory guidance.

Where an absence is unexplained, we will follow up promptly. This is an important part of our safeguarding responsibility, ensuring that we know where children are and that they are safe.

An absence may be unauthorised where there is no acceptable reason, including avoidable absence, unexplained absence or unauthorised holidays during term time.

Holidays and Leave During Term Time

We strongly discourage holidays and unnecessary absence during term time.

Children are expected to attend school regularly throughout the academic year, and leave of absence during term time can only be authorised in exceptional circumstances, in accordance with statutory requirements.

Requests must be made in advance and will be considered individually by the Headteacher.

Unauthorised absence may result in further action, including referral to the local authority and consideration of a penalty notice.

Under the national penalty notice framework, a first penalty notice is £160 per parent, per child, reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days. A second penalty notice within a three-year period is £160, with further offences potentially resulting in other legal action.

Our priority remains working with families to secure regular attendance and avoid unnecessary disruption to children's education.

Celebrating Excellent and Improving Attendance

At Haslam Park, we believe that positive recognition is an important part of building a culture in which attendance is valued and celebrated.

We love celebrating our children, recognising their commitment and encouraging a little healthy competition!

Our attendance rewards include:

• Weekly Class Attendance Trophy: The class with the highest attendance celebrates its achievement with our special trophy filled with treats.

• 100% Attendance Spinning Wheel: Children who achieve full attendance during the week are entered into our spinning-wheel draw, with three lucky pupils choosing a prize.

• Half-Termly Attendance Recognition: We celebrate pupils achieving 97% attendance or above, alongside children who have made significant improvements or demonstrated exceptional effort in overcoming attendance barriers.

We recognise that attendance success looks different for different children.

For pupils with complex medical conditions, disabilities or other significant barriers, we celebrate their individual achievements and improvements rather than judging success solely against a percentage.

We want every child to feel motivated, included and proud of their efforts.

Our rewards are designed to promote positive attendance habits, never to penalise children for genuine illness, disability or circumstances outside their control.

How We Know Our Approach Is Making a Difference

At Haslam Park, attendance is a key priority for school leaders and governors.

We regularly review attendance information to understand patterns, identify pupils at risk of persistent or severe absence, and evaluate the effectiveness of the support we provide.

We pay particular attention to attendance among disadvantaged pupils, children with SEND and other groups who may experience additional barriers.

We recognise that successful attendance strategies must lead to improvements in children's actual attendance, engagement and access to education.

Where our approaches are not having the desired impact, we review them and consider what further support or action is needed.

We are proud of the commitment shown by our children, families and staff, and of the strong attendance achieved across our school.

However, we are never complacent. We know that every child missing education represents an opportunity to make a difference.

Our Shared Commitment

At Haslam Park, we want children to be in school because they feel safe, valued, happy and excited to learn.

We want families to understand why attendance matters and to know that we will work alongside them when difficulties arise.

We will always combine high expectations, clear accountability, early intervention and genuine compassion.

We are unapologetically ambitious for our children and determined that avoidable absence should never become a barrier to their success.

Because children's starting points should never define their end points, and being in school gives every child the greatest opportunity to learn, grow and achieve.

Together we explore, learn and grow.