Attendance
School Attendance Target
96%
96%
Working Together to Improve School Attendance
A guide for parents and carers
At Kirby Muxloe, we believe that excellent attendance is a key factor in helping every child achieve their full potential. We are committed to ensuring that all pupils attend school regularly and on time, and we work closely with families, staff, and the wider community to overcome any barriers to attendance.
The Department for Education (DfE) has set clear guidelines for improving school attendance in 2024, and we support these objectives by fostering a culture of high expectations for attendance, as well as providing tailored support to families who need it.
DID YOU KNOW…
96% attendance is regarded as a minimum level by the Government. Parents/carers are legally responsible for ensuring their child attends school on time every day.
‘Attendance is EVERYBODY’S responsibility’
Why Regular Attendance Matters
Good attendance is not only important for academic progress but also for a child's social and emotional development. Regular attendance helps children:
- Stay on track with their learning: Every lesson counts. Missing school can cause children to fall behind in their work, leading to gaps in their learning that can be difficult to fill.
- Develop social skills: Children learn valuable social skills by interacting with their peers and teachers, which is best done in a regular school environment.
- Build positive habits: School attendance sets the foundation for future success, teaching children responsibility and the importance of being punctual and engaged.
Our Expectations for Attendance
We expect all our children to achieve at least a 96% attendance percentage each year. However, we know that there can sometimes be exceptional reasons why children cannot attend school, such as illness.
Our Commitment to Supporting Families
We understand that there are many reasons why children may not attend school regularly, and we are committed to working closely with families to find solutions. The DfE’s 2024 attendance guidelines emphasise early intervention and partnership working, and we are aligned with these principles to help all children achieve excellent attendance.
If your child is struggling with attendance, we encourage you to contact us as soon as possible. Together, we can:
- Identify barriers to attendance: Whether it's due to health concerns, transport issues, or family circumstances, we want to understand the challenges your child is facing.
- Provide tailored support: We will work with you to develop strategies to improve attendance. This may include offering advice, referring to outside agencies, or arranging home visits where necessary.
- Monitor progress: We will regularly monitor your child’s attendance and keep you updated. We aim to support improvements before attendance becomes a persistent issue.
Key Attendance Contact at Kirby Muxloe Primary School
First contact would be your child’s class teacher.
Miss Sharon Jackson- Attendance Lead
Mrs Suzanne Carvell- Pastoral Support
How We Work Together to Improve Attendance
The key to improving school attendance is a partnership between the school, parents, and the local community. To make sure we are all working towards the same goal, we:
- Regularly communicate: We keep parents informed about their child’s attendance through newsletters, school website, emails and Bromcom. If there are any concerns, we will contact you promptly.
- Offer support and advice: We provide guidance on how to overcome common barriers to school attendance, whether it’s helping with routines, managing illness, or addressing family challenges.
- Ensure consistency: Our school staff work together to monitor attendance, providing a consistent approach to encouraging good attendance across the school.
Your Role in Supporting Good Attendance
As a parent or carer, you play an essential role in supporting your child’s attendance. Here's how you can help:
- Ensure regular attendance: Make sure your child attends school every day unless they are unwell. Routine is key to building good attendance habits.
- Communicate with us: If your child is struggling with attendance, contact us as soon as possible. The earlier we know about any issues, the sooner we can offer support.
- Promote the importance of school: Talk to your child about the importance of school, showing them that regular attendance is vital for their future success.
- Sufficient sleep: Make sure your child gets enough sleep and gets up in plenty of time each morning. Build regular routines for bedtime and the morning. Primary children need about 10 hours of sleep each night.
- Set Good Routines: Ensure that they leave home in the correct school uniform and properly equipped. Get as much prepared the evening before to save time in the morning. Check the alarm is set.
- Term Dates: Find out when the date each term starts and makes sure your child is ready. Book holidays in the school holidays and share dates with other family members.
- Medical Appointments: Where possible all medical appointments should be booked outside of school hours. The amount of disruption to learning time should be kept to a minimum if this is not possible.
- Back up plan: Try to arrange a back up plan for getting to school if there are unforeseen circumstances. Ask a family member, neighbour or another parent for help.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s attendance, or if you need support to improve attendance, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher or email the school office at admin@kmprimary.leics.sch.uk to contact our Attendance Lead [Sharon Jackson].
We are here to support you and your child, and we look forward to working together to ensure that every child at Kirby Muxloe Primary School has the best possible start in life.
FAQ
When does my child need to be in school?
Every child should attend every day that they are required to attend. Doors open at 8:30am, unless they are attending Breakfast Club, ready for registers at 8:40am. The register is taken twice a day. Morning registration is at 8:40am and afternoon registration is at 1pm. It is the parent/carer’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of term dates.
What happens if my child is late?
Children arriving late may seriously disrupt not only their continuity of learning but also that of others. When pupils arrive late after the close of registers and fail to provide an adequate explanation they are marked as unauthorised for that session.
If your child is late to school they might:
- Be embarrassed or unsettled
- Miss important information
- Miss the start of the learning
- Miss opportunities to socialise with their friends at the start of the school day
10 minutes late every day = 36 hours lost learning each year (Over a week of school missed).
Any pupils that arrive after the gates are closed enter the school through the main entrance. When a child arrives late the parents/carers should sign them in and be prepared to select their lunch option preference.
If a child arrives after the gates are locked, they will receive an ‘L’ code up until 9.10am . If a child arrives after 9.10am they will receive a ‘U’ code. This is considered an unauthorised absence.
A series of unauthorised late marks will lead to contact from the Pastoral Lead. The school may consider referring to Leicestershire County Council for legal action if unauthorised absences continue and parents/carers fail to engage with guidance and support.
Does the school need letters explaining my child’s absence, or will a phone call do?
We expect parents/carers to notify the school every morning of absence by 8:30am, unless the length of absence is known in advance. We will contact you if your child has not arrived in school by 9.00am and no message has been left.
If we do not receive an explanation, or if the explanation is unsatisfactory, we will not authorise the absence. You may leave a telephone message 0162393410 or e-mail to admin@kmprimary.leics.sch.uk.
If we are concerned about aspects of your child’s attendance or punctuality, we will contact you to discuss the best way forward.
What is Persistent Absence ?
If your child’s attendance falls below 90% they are considered to be a persistent absentee. This equates to missing 2 days a month, or 20 days of a school year.
Statistics prove that persistent absentees are less likely to achieve their full potential, and can effect GSCE results and future employability.
What reasons will the school accept for absences?
- Illness. However, persistent illness without medical evidence will not be authorised: Parents/carers will be expected to provide evidence, so school are able to consider if the absence is to be authorised or unauthorised. Medical evidence can be provided by proof of GP appointment, proof of prescribed medication or a letter from the GP stating that they were required to be absent from school.
- Emergency dental/medical appointment. (Please make routine appointments after school or during the holidays), appointment cards/texts will be required.
- Family holidays or trips in exceptional circumstances and only if authorised in advance by the Headteacher in line with the school Attendance Policy. Please note most family holidays are unauthorised.
- Religious observances
Except in the case of illness, you should ask for permission for your child to miss school well in advance, giving full details. This is to be done using the Absence Request Form available on the school’s school office (and further down this page). In cases of recurring absences through illness you may be asked to produce medical evidence as stated previously.
The school will not authorise absences other than those in exceptional circumstances.
Family holidays, day trips, shopping or birthdays are not classed as exceptional.
My child is trying to avoid coming to school. What should I do?
Contact your child’s teacher or a member of the Pastoral Team for support immediately and openly discuss your worries. Your child could be avoiding school for a number of reasons – difficulties with schoolwork, bullying, friendship problems, family difficulties. It is important that we identify the reason for your child’s reluctance to attend school and work together to tackle the problem.
Children moving schools
It is important to communicate with school should you wish to transfer your child to a different school. When pupils leave the school and no information has been received by the school regarding their new placement and parents/carers are unable to be contacted, the school has a duty of care regarding safeguarding and must contact the Local Authority. The child will be a Child Absent from Education. This means that Leicestershire County Council has a legal duty to investigate, which will include liaising with Social Services, the Police and other agencies, to try to track and locate the child. By giving the school details of the child’s new school and location unnecessary investigations can be avoided.
Important Contact Information
It is paramount that parent/carers keep school updated with all new contact details of change of address and landline or mobile telephone numbers. If you start a new job and have a work contact number, please let us know immediately. This is to ensure we can contact you in an emergency. It is expected that we have at least 2 different contacts for your child.
Fixed Penalty Notices
In Leicestershire, a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) may be issued in cases of unauthorised absence. It would be considered appropriate to serve a notice in the following circumstances:
- persistent or prolonged absence
- overt truancy
- parentally condoned absences
- unauthorised leave of absence / holidays in term-time
- excessive delay in returning from extended holidays without agreement
- persistent late arrival at school i.e. after the register has closed.
If a FPN is issued, the charge is £120 per parent/child, reduced to £60 if paid within 21 days. Find out more about FPNs below
Absence Request Form
The headteacher will only grant a leave of absence to a pupil during term time if they consider there to be ‘exceptional circumstances’. A leave of absence is granted at the headteacher’s discretion, including the length of time the pupil is authorised to be absent for.
The school considers each application for term-time absence individually, taking into account the specific facts, circumstances and relevant context behind the request.
Any request should be submitted as soon as it is anticipated and, where possible, at least 3 weeks before the absence, and in accordance with any leave of absence request form, accessible via the school website. The headteacher may require evidence to support any request for leave of absence.