Attendance

Regular attendance at school is essential for the academic, social and emotional development of children. Kingsway Primary School places huge importance on attendance and punctuality. We recognise that children who frequently miss school often fall behind, therefore we encourage all of our children to be attendance H.E.R.O.es: 

We understand that there are sometimes issues that make it harder for children to attend school. We call these 'barriers'. 

We work with parents/carers and pupils to identify any barriers and take action to remove them, where possible. Through open and honest discussion, parents/carers, school and the child, share information and work together to improve the child’s willingness to attend, and accessibility to, school. Together, we may identify issues that can be supported by outside services and we may invite a representative to meet with us and discuss ways that support can be provided.

We follow Dfe guidance, 'Working together to improve attendance'. The Dfe has produced information for parents, which sets out parents' responsibilities and details how schools and local authorities will work with you to support your child's attendance. The parents' information is shown below:

aaa guide for parents on school attendance.pdf

 Punctuality

Teaching a child key skills such as planning ahead, making efficient routines and being prepared for their day, enables them to arrive at school on time and ready to learn. Being punctual is the first step in building a path to success in future life.

We understand that some children need a little encouragement to get motivated in a morning, therefore we have attached a chart that you may find useful. We have also attached a certificate that could be awarded to your child at the end of the week. 

If you would like a printed copy of these resources, please call into the school office. To print your own copy, click here to open a new window

H.E.R.O.es. - Reward Programme

Due to the circumstances surrounding Covid19, our attendance rewards programme was suspended in 2020. This year, after careful consideration, we have  have decided  to re-introduce attendance H.E.R.O.es, but in a slightly different way. This year we will be focussing on the 'Ready' and 'On Time' aspects of being an attendance H.E.R.O. Our re-launch letter is attached. 

Sept 2022 Attendance re-launch letter

(The details of our full rewards programme can be found in our Attendance Policy)

Absences - Illness and Medical Appointments

If your child needs to be absent from school for any reason, the school should be notified as early as possible on the first morning of absence. Please call the school on 01405 763716 and select Option 2, to report an absence on our message service. 

Evidence must be provided for medical appointments. Failure to provide evidence may result in your child being recorded with an unauthorised absence mark for the whole session. 

The following attachment was produced by the Education Welfare Service. The leaflet; 'Guidance for Parents - Medical Appointments and Illness', was designed to help parents make the right choices and decide on the correct action to take when their child is ill. Please click on the link below:

Current infections circulating in the community and on a national level, particularly in younger children are:

• Chickenpox: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chickenpox/
• Scarlet Fever:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/scarlet-fever/
• Diarrhoea and Vomiting:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/diarrhoea-and-vomiting/
• COVID-19: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
  The current UKHSA guidance on isolation periods for those who have a positive COVID-19 test result has not changed since April, 2022.
  Full details of the UKHSA Guidance can be found at
  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/people-with-symptoms-of-a-respiratory-infection-including-COVID-19

 Absence from School for Exceptional Circumstances and Penalty Notices

 You are required, under the Education Act (1996) to ensure your child attends school regularly. If your child accrues 10 consecutive sessions of unauthorised absence you may be liable for a penalty notice (a one day absence equals two sessions and a five day absence is equal to ten sessions).

An unauthorised absence is any absence that the Headteacher has not given permission for, or where a satisfactory explanation has not been provided by the parent.

Parents must complete a 'Request for absence from school in exceptional circumstances' form, attach any available supporting evidence/documents, and submit this to the Headteacher. Sufficient time must be allowed to enable  the school to consider the request and inform parents of the decision. 

Where parents do not follow the school's procedures for submitting  a request and remove their child without seeking prior approval, a warning may not be given and parents may be liable for a penalty notice.

If your request is declined or you do not follow the correct procedures and you take your child out of school, each parent within the household may be issued with a penalty notice. With effect from 19th August 2024 the Local Authority announced a number of changes to the pathways it follows when processing penalty notices. These pathways are detailed below: 

At Kingsway Primary School we follow guidance issued by the East Riding Council. Click here to go to their website where you will find useful information and also a copy of the form needed to request authorisation for a school absence. 

If you have any questions, please contact the school office on 01405 763716

Please click here to view our Attendance Policy