Attendance
Our aim is to bring the best out of every pupil that attends St Peter's
The Importance Of Attendance
Regular and punctual attendance is key to our pupils' success, and we regard this as being of the utmost importance, setting ourselves challenging attendance targets (in excess of 96.5%) in relation to the attaining of which we value the support of our parents. We do, of course, appreciate that there will be the odd occasion when a pupil is unable to be present due to illness, and that there will sometimes be other circumstances which necessitate a pupil's absence. What we would ask, however, is that parents keep us informed, and that they also monitor their children's ongoing attendance record. We are always happy to discuss any concerns, and to offer the support of our in-school Pastoral Support Worker in appropriate circumstances.
If your child's attendance percentage falls below 96% you can expect to receive a letter drawing to your attention the impact in terms of missed learning, and asking whether there is an underlying reason of which the school is not aware, and whether the school can help in any way. If your child's attendance percentage falls further, you may be invited into school for a discussion with a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
A letter will also be sent in the event that your child is repeatedly late for school, as this can be disruptive to both the individual pupil's learning, and to the learning of his/her class.
Interestingly, whilst an overall attendance percentage of 90% might, at first glance, appear reasonably good, over the course of a year this in fact equates to 4 whole weeks of missed lessons! Indeed, the Department for Education classifies pupils whose attendance is below 90% as persistent absentees. Friendships can also suffer.
Our School Day
8.30am - The playground is supervised.
Children are allowed to enter school.
8.40am - The school day starts. Children are in their classrooms and ready to learn.
8.40 - 8.45am - Registration
9.05 - 9.30am - Collective Worship
8.45 – 10.30am - 1st Teaching Session
10.30 – 10.45am - Morning playtime
10.45 - 12.00pm - 2nd Teaching session
12.00 - 1.00pm - Lunchtime
1.00 – 1.20pm - Registration/Book Time
1.20 – 2.20pm - 3rd Teaching Session
2.20 - 3.15pm - 4th Teaching session
3.15pm - End of school
List of services
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Attendance figures explainedList Item 1
Attendance is based on a child being at school in time for the morning register as well as the afternoon register so being marked present for 2 sessions a day.
Both these sessions count towards their overall attendance figure which is simply a percentage of how many sessions your child has been present throughout the current academic year.
The only reasons a child will be marked as present when they are not in school are if they are being educated at a different location, or at a school event such as residential or sporting.
There are a variety of different reasons that a child may be absent from school and the school will assign an appropriate code on the register to make staff aware of the reason.
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Authorised AbsenceList Item 2
Absence from school can be authorised for the following reasons:
Medical appointments
Illness where the school has been notified by phone or in writing
Religious observance
NOTE: An authorised absence is still recorded as the child not being in school and will have a negative effect on their attendance figure.
Absence from school will be unauthorised in all other circumstances unless deemed to be ‘exceptional’ by the Headteacher. This does not apply to term-time holidays, which will always be unauthorised.
Please see the information below, from the Local Authority, regarding unauthorised term time leave.
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UNAUTHORISED TERM TIME LEAVE (includes Holiday):List Item 3
Any parent who takes a child out of school for term time leave of more than 6 consecutive sessions over a 4 week period, not authorised by the school (under exceptional circumstances rule), may receive a Penalty Notice. Such cases will have to be supported by evidence of previous unauthorised term time leave (more than 6 consecutive sessions over a 4 week period) taken in the last 3 years and evidence of parents being warned about a potential Penalty Notice.
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Why we feel a child’s attendance is so importantList Item 4
Children’s learning in school is based on a build up of skills and knowledge.
This build up is continually planned by teachers on a day to day basis. Children that miss one session could miss out on a potentially important session and although every effort is made to catch children up when they return, this is usually not as effective and takes time away from the rest of the class.
If children miss out on a number of sessions this can significantly affect their overall progress.
Children that are away from school on a regular basis can miss out on opportunities to build strong friendships and can sometimes find it harder to build strong friendships within school
