Attendance and Absence

Attendance and Absence

At Whitkirk Primary School, we recognise the important role that good attendance plays in helping children achieve their full potential. We celebrate good attendance through weekly assemblies, class recognition and half-termly attendance awards. Whole-school and class attendance figures are shared regularly around school and celebrated with pupils.

Your Child's Success: Working Together

We believe that every day in school matters. Regular attendance helps children make the most of their learning, develop confidence and build positive friendships.

Parents and carers play a vital role in supporting good attendance. By working together, we can help ensure that children attend school regularly, arrive on time and are able to benefit from every learning opportunity.

We monitor attendance carefully and will contact you if your child is absent and we have not received a reason for their absence. If attendance begins to cause concern, we will work with you to understand any barriers and identify ways we can provide support. Our aim is always to work in partnership with families to help every child attend school successfully and thrive.

Punctuality and Registration

At Whitkirk Primary School, the register is taken twice each day in line with statutory requirements. Morning registration takes place at 8:45am and afternoon registration takes place at 1:15pm.

To ensure a calm and positive start to the day, we ask that all children arrive at school by 8:40am, giving them time to settle and prepare for learning.

The morning register closes at 8:55am. Children arriving after this time will be recorded as late. If a child arrives after 9:15am and we have not received a valid reason for their absence, the session will be recorded as an unauthorised absence in line with Department for Education (DfE) guidance.

The afternoon register closes at 1:20pm.

Attendance is recorded using the DfE's national attendance and absence codes, and the school follows current statutory guidance and regulations relating to pupil attendance.

If a child has an appointment

We understand that sometimes absences are unavoidable due to ill health or other circumstances. While we appreciate you providing documentation for these absences, it's important to remember that all absences, even those with medical notes, will still have an impact on your child's overall attendance. Our goal is to work with you to maximise your child's time in the school.

We carefully monitor each child's attendance, and if an absence is unexplained, we'll reach out to you. If your child's attendance dips to a concerning level, please know that we're here to support you. We'll contact you directly to discuss how we can work together to improve attendance and ensure your child gets the most out of their education.

Whitkirk's response to absence

To ensure your child's safety and well-being, and to support their learning journey, our school has a clear daily absence procedure. If your child is not in school and we have not been notified of the reason for their absence, we will make contact to offer support and understand the reason for absence.

This procedure may include a phone call, a text message, an email or, in some cases, a home visit. We will make this contact daily for every absence, even if your child was ill the previous day. This is a crucial part of our safeguarding responsibility, as we cannot assume a child is still unwell without an update from you. Our goal is to ensure that every student is safe and well, and that they get the support they need to maintain their learning journey.

Reporting Absence

If your child is absent from school, it is important that the child's parents or carers contact us before 8am by telephone on 0113 260 6203

We ask you to contact us each day that your child is absent.

Additional Information

Attendance Champion - Miss Quarmby, Headteacher

Gemma Quarmby