Regular Attendance

Attendance is a whole school priority and requires the full support of everyone in the school community.  Good habits and high standards start here.

Regular attendance promotes pupils wellbeing, maximises progress in learning and helps people reach their potential.  As well as this, going to school help to develop:

• Friendships
• Social skills
• Team values
• Good mental health.
• Successful transitioning to Primary School, Secondary School, Higher Education
• Career pathways
• Life skills

When you register your child at Bounds Green School, you are legally responsible for making sure your child attends school regularly.  You should make every effort to get your child to school on time every day, unless the reason for absence is unavoidable.  If your child has any health issues, please make sure the school is aware so we can support you.

We monitor attendance patterns for all children on a daily basis, with the school seeking to work actively with the parents to ensure a regular pattern is maintained.  The school will contact families with attendance concerns via telephone or letter.

100% attendance is what we would like every child to aim for, if possible. There is no doubt that attendance and achievement go hand in hand.  Our School’s attendance target for 24/25 academic year is 95%.  Any child with less than our school target will be contacted.

What can YOU do to make sure your child is successful in school, all day, every day.

You can help your child be in school every day by:

• Having a routine at an early age (from Nursery age) and sticking to it
• Make sure your child understands the importance of attendance and punctuality
• Make sure your child understands the possible implications for themselves and you as a parent if they do not attend school
• Taking an interest in their education – ask about school work and encourage them to get involved in school activities
• Discuss any problems at school and let their teacher know about anything causing concern
• Not letting them time off school for minor ailments or holidays during term time.

The Start of the School Day

The school gates (on Bounds Green Road and Park Road), open at 8:45am and close at 9am.   Children in Years 3 – 6 can enter their classroom from 8:50am for a ‘soft start’. Children are expected to be in class and ready for the day for 8:55am.  Children arriving from 9:05am need to go to the office to sign in and obtain a late card to show their class teacher.  Children are recorded as late if they are not in class by 9:05am.  All lateness is recorded and monitored, so it is important that your child arrives in school on time. If your child arrives to school 9:30am, they will be marked as ‘U’ – unauthorised absence.

Absence from School

We record pupil attendance at school every morning and afternoon, meaning that each day, your child will receive 2 half day marks (sessions).

If your child is going to be absent school due to an unavoidable appointment, you should let the school know as soon as possible in advance of the date.  If your child is absent due to an unexpected event (e.g. illness or bereavement), you must report your child’s absence via telephone.  Please telephone 0208 888 8824 (press 1 for the absence line).  We can only accept reasons via telephone.  You will need to telephone on each day of absence.  If you fail to tell the school the reason for your child’s absence, we will send a text in the morning.  If we still do not hear from you, we will telephone you to seek a reason.  Please do not be offended if the school contacts you – it is for the safety and welfare of the child.  If we have no reason for absence, this will be recorded as unauthorised absence.  Please note, 10 sessions (5 days) of unauthorised absences over a 10 week period will lead to a Fixed Penalty Notice from Haringey Council.

Illnesses

Children must only be absent from school if they are ill.  The school acknowledges that sometimes our pupils cannot come to school because they are really unwell.  That is the right thing to do for them and other children.  Medical advice is clear however that children with mild illnesses will often be well enough to attend e.g. cold and cough without a high temperature.  The NHS guidance is designed to support parents in making decisions about if their child is well enough for school https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

Absence Request during Term Time

The number of term time holidays have been increasing for the last number of years.  Parents should make every effort to make sure children do not miss school due to holidays.  You should not take your child out of school for a holiday during term time – there are 175 non school days a year.  The law does not grant parents an automatic right to take their child out of school during term time.  If you need to request leave for term time, you must put your request to the Head Teacher in writing. It is the Head Teacher who has the discretion to authorise the absence, but only if there are exceptional circumstances.  Each request is taken on an individual basis.  If the leave is unauthorised and you go ahead with the holiday, this will be recorded as an unauthorised absence.  Please note, this may make you liable for a Fixed Penalty Notice from Haringey Council.

Fixed Penalty Notice

There is now a new national threshold of 10 unauthorised sessions for any reason (equivalent to 5 school days) within a rolling 10 school week period for when a penalty notice must be considered.  The new rules mean you will no longer be able to take your child out of school for one week’s holiday without a penalty notice being issued.  Penalty fines have increased from £60 to £80 if paid in 21 days. If the fine is not paid by the first 21 days, it will rise to £160 if paid within 28 days of being issued.  If a second penalty fine is issued to the same parent for the same child within a 3–year rolling period, the fine will automatically rise to £160 with no option to pay the lower rate of £80.  If a parent then commits a third offence in a 3–year rolling period, the local authority will need to consider other enforcement options available to them.

Attendance and Punctuality League

We monitor class attendance from Years 1 – 6 on a weekly basis.  We update parents of the league via our newsletters (please see below for our current league data).  The class that achieves the highest attendance within each phase is awarded, in assembly, with a class certificate and school mascot.

Our mascots are –

BUMBLE ‘Bee in school, be on time’ – Years 1 and 2

MINNIE – ‘every minute counts!’ – Years 3 and 4

SAM – ‘school attendance matters’ – Years 5 and 6

The class that achieves the highest attendance overall over a half -term will be given a reward of a board game and certificate for the class to keep.

                                             Class Attendance and Punctuality League Table

Useful links and documents

Please click on Policies for our current Attendance policy

• FPN Leaflet Sept 2024
• Is my child to ill for school? A guide for Parents/Carers
• Illness guide for parents – poster
• Request for leave form