At a glance guide to school attendance

Attendance at Golden Flatts Primary School

At Golden Flatts Primary School, we know that every day in school matters. Good attendance helps children build friendships, develop confidence, enjoy new experiences and make the very best progress in their learning. We want every child to feel happy, safe and excited to come to school each day. Working together with families, we aim to create positive attendance habits that will support children throughout their education and beyond.

Our Inclusive Approach to Attendance

As an Inclusive Attendance School, we recognise that every child and family is different. While we have high expectations for attendance, we also understand that there can be barriers which make attending school more difficult at times. Rather than focusing solely on attendance figures, we seek to understand the reasons behind any absence and work together to find the right support.

Our approach is built on strong relationships, early help and a genuine commitment to removing barriers to attendance. Whether a child has additional educational needs, a medical condition, experiences anxiety, has caring responsibilities, or is facing challenges at home, we will listen, support and work alongside families to help children attend school regularly and feel successful.

Working Together to Support Attendance

We believe that positive attendance is achieved through partnership. If attendance becomes a concern, we will work closely with parents and carers to understand any difficulties and provide support at the earliest opportunity. This may include meetings with school staff, personalised attendance plans, pastoral support, reasonable adjustments or referrals to other services where appropriate. Our aim is always to help children overcome barriers and enjoy being in school.

Why Attendance Matters

Regular attendance helps children to:

  • Achieve their full academic potential.
  • Build and maintain strong friendships.
  • Develop confidence, resilience and independence.
  • Establish positive routines and habits for life.
  • Feel connected, included and engaged in school life.
  • Access the wider opportunities that school provides through trips, clubs and enrichment activities.

Our School Day

To help families manage busy mornings, we offer a free Breakfast Club from 8:20am. Classroom doors open at 8:40am, with registration taking place at 8:50am. Children should arrive by 8:50am so they can settle into their day and start learning alongside their classmates. The school day finishes at 3:20pm.

Letting Us Know About an Absence

If your child is unable to attend school, please contact the school office as soon as possible on the morning of the absence and let us know the reason. If we have not heard from you, we will contact you to make sure your child is safe and accounted for.

Need Advice or Support?

If you are worried about your child’s attendance, or if there are circumstances affecting your family that may impact attendance, please get in touch. We are here to listen without judgement, offer support and work with you to ensure your child receives the very best education possible.

Telephone: 01429 274711
Email: admin@goldenflatts.lingfieldtrust.org.uk

Together, we can ensure every child feels included, supported and ready to thrive every day

What does regular school attendance mean?

Regular attendance means that your child must:

  • Attend school every day unless there is an exceptional reason. 
  • Arrive at school on time 

What should I do if my child is too unwell to attend school?

Please use the following information to make an informed decision about whether your child is too poorly to be in school. 

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school

  • Parents must contact school on the first day of absence by 9am to let them know the reason for absence. 
  • If school do not hear from you, we will call you and ask why your child isn’t in school. If there is no answer, we may carry out a visit to your home to see why your child is absent.
  • If your child’s attendance is below 95% additional medical evidence may be requested if your child is absent due to illness. 
  • School will request evidence of appointments. Without evidence, appointments may not be authorised. 

New Information about Penalty Notices

On the 19th August 2024, the Department for Education (DfE) implemented new procedures which schools must follow to manage irregular attendance. As such, Headteachers can only grant leave of absence in exceptional circumstances. Therefore it is very unlikely that absence requests for a holiday will be authorised meaning any absence for a holiday or other leisure activity would be marked as unauthorised in the register. Which can lead to a fine. 

The National Threshold and Penalty Notices

There is a new National Threshold for when penalty notices must be considered by all schools in England. 

 If a child has been absent for an unauthorised reason for 10 sessions (5 school days) during a rolling 10 week school period schools must consider a penalty notice. These sessions do not need to be consecutive.