St. Mary's Catholic Primary School
Attendance
ATTENDANCE MATTERS!
We pride ourselves on the excellent attendance and punctuality of all of our families, we see poor attendance as a Safeguarding Concern.
Last year (21/22), our attendance dipped to 93% which is below National Averages. The main reason for this was term time holidays. We aim for our attendance to be right back on track for the academic year 2022/23. We have high expectations for attendance for all children. You might spot our attendance stars on newsletters or in assemblies! We display these when everybody is in our class - five to nine - right on time!
If a child's attendance falls below 95% the family will be contacted by the Head Teacher. There will be a half term monitoring period during which time we would expect attendance to improve.
If there are no improvements families will be invited into school to meet with the Head Teacher where improvement targets will be set. We may support families with a number of strategies including Early Help, School Nurse support or other outside agencies. Persistent Absence plans, Attendance Panels and Legal Frameworks are also an option.
Term time holidays cannot be authorised and families may be eligible for a fine from the Local Authority if they take their children out of school.
Families who are persistently late may also be eligible for a fine. Our gate closes at 9 am.
Absence due to sickness will be recorded as unauthorised if we do not receive a telephone call or written information regarding your child's illness upon their return. You must phone school each day of your child's sickness absence. We may request medical evidence if time off for medical reasons is frequent.
As a school we will do all we can to support you if you find yourself in difficulty so please speak to us if you have any concerns.
School Opening
School is open at 8.45am each morning and closes at 3.15pm
Total opening hours 32hrs 50 mins.