Attendance/Absence from School
It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school, nursery or playgroup when they’re unwell.
There are government guidelines for schools and nurseries about managing specific infectious diseases at GOV.UK. These say when children should be kept off school and when they shouldn’t.
If you do keep your child at home, it’s important to phone the school or nursery on the first day. Let them know that your child won’t be in and give them the reason.
If your child is well enough to go to school but has an infection that could be passed on, such as a cold sore or head lice, let their teacher know.
Please click on the link below for further information:
Is my child too ill for school?
Average attendance is considered to be around 96% and we aim to ensure that pupils and parents are aware of this and how good attendance impacts on achievement. Our attendance figure this year is 96.5%.
We have a range of certificates and rewards aimed at public acknowledgement of 100% attendance and improved attendance and punctuality.
The school has a responsibility to work with parents to make sure that each pupil achieves maximum attendance, individuals pupil’s attendance is monitored by both school and the local authority. To support this process we have employed Mrs. Anne-Marie Conroy. as our Home School Liaison Officer. Mrs Conroy divides her working week between two primary schools in Gateshead and she is able to support parents and pupils on the following:
- School attendance and punctuality
- Parenting advice
- Signpost parents to other supportive services within Gateshead
- Co-ordinate Common Assessments (CAF) & instigate Team Around the Family meetings
We adopt a supportive approach and work with parents who may be experiencing difficulties which prevent full pupil attendance or good punctuality and we actively encourage parents to work with us.
As a parent it is your responsibility to make us aware, at the earliest point, if your child is unable to attend school. If no information is received we will contact you by telephone/text message or in writing (it is important that you ensure we have the correct contact details). If your child is classed as a Persistent Absentee or there are historic attendance concerns an unannounced home visit may be carried out by Mrs Conroy.
Persistent Absence
This means that any pupil whose attendance falls to 90% or below will be classed as a Persistent Absentee and will run the risk of a referral being made to the Legal Intervention Team, which could ultimately mean each parent, may be issued with a Penalty Notice resulting in a fine or prosecution through the Magistrates Court or Family Proceeding’s Court.
It is important that we make you aware, the Legal Intervention Team do not offer support to improve school attendance and they are responsible for prosecuting non- school attendance.
There are two registration sessions in our school day, which children must legally attend. Our class registers are taken at the beginning of the school day and after lunch, if your child is not present when their class register is taken, they will receive an absent mark.
The chart below shows the impact of absence over the course of the academic year therefore, if your child misses 3.5 days during the first half term they will be recorded a persistent absentee.
Term dates | Number of missed registration sessions per term = 90% | Number of days absence per term = 90% |
Term 1 Sept – Oct | 7 missed sessions | 3.5 days absence |
Term 2 – Nov – Dec | 14 missed sessions | 7 days absence |
Term 3 Jan – Feb | 20 missed sessions | 10 days absence |
Term 4 Feb – April | 25 missed sessions | 12.5 days absence |
Term 5 May – June | 31 missed sessions | 15.5 days absence |
Term 6 June- July | 38 missed sessions | 19 days absence |
School commences at 8.50am and good punctuality ensures a smooth start to the day. A child who arrives late, through no fault of their own is often worried and therefore not in the best frame of mind to start the day. They may also miss the start of the first lesson. The names of children who arrive late will be entered into the “late book” and contact made by the school to ascertain support which could be given to individual families or pupils. Please see our “Top Tips” for getting to school on time!
Parents and carers are no longer permitted to take holiday leave during school term time. Any leave taken in this circumstance with not be authorised and a Fixed Penalty Notice may be issued.
10 Top Tips for getting to school on time!
Getting to school on time is part of learning to become a more responsible and reliable person. You can help your child by:
- Getting school clothes ready the night before
- Packing schoolbags and completing homework the night before
- Having a good bedtime routine and a set bedtime (No TV, IPads or phones in the bedroom)
- Set the alarm clock 10 minutes earlier on a morning
- Enjoy breakfast together
- Do not put the TV on in the morning
- Leave school shoes in the same place (So you can always find them!)
- Leave for school at the same time each day (Reward your child and yourself for being on time!)
- Find a friend to walk to school with
Result: Your child won’t feel worried about being late for school and they won’t be missing what the rest of their class are learning.

More Information
Please click on the link below to download a copy of the school attendance leaflet
10 Top Tips for getting to school on time
School Attendance Information for Parents Leaflet