Attendance
Hartsfield Attendance Statement
Dear Parents,
At Hartsfield School we believe good attendance is essential if your child is going to receive the best education possible whilst at school. Children with good attendance come to school even when they are slightly under the weather. They also arrive at school on time and line up with their classmates, so that they enter school every day in a calm and systematic way.
Obviously children who are extremely ill, for example, with a very high temperature, sickness or diarrhoea would not be expected to attend school. However, if your child has, for example a cold, they can still attend school. If we feel that a child is struggling and appears too ill to be at school we will always telephone and let you know.
Evidence suggests that:
• Overall, children with the highest attendance will make the most academic progress • Socially, children find it very difficult to settle at school if they are often late or absent.
For these reasons we work very closely with parents to ensure that children are on time and attend well. On the rare occasion that a pupil’s attendance drops below 95%, the School’s Attendance Officer may intervene. The Attendance Office works closely with the school and parents to ensure that attendance improves. This is because attendance at school is a legal requirement.
The school will:
• Send children home if they are too ill to stay at school. • Support parents if they are having difficulties at home and children’s school attendance suffers because of this.
Parents will
• Ensure that their children are ready for school and in their class ready for an 8.50am start. • Telephone the school before 9.00am each day that their child is absent from school • Send their children into school if they are feeling tired or under the weather, but well enough to attend. • Book family holidays out of term time only.
Mrs Philippa Smith
Headteacher
Resources:
Is my child too ill for school? - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Why is school attendance important and what support is available? - The Education Hub (blog.gov.uk)