Attendance

Mrs Alice Kimberley is the school's attendance officer, she works alongside the PSA team. 

Phone: 01603877780

Email: attendance@lakenhamprimary.org.uk

Attendance at Our School

Regular attendance is essential for every child’s learning, progress and wellbeing. At Lakenham Primary School, we work in partnership with families to ensure that every pupil attends regularly, arrives on time and makes the most of every learning opportunity.

Our School Attendance Target: 95%

We expect all pupils to aim for 95% attendance or higher. This means children should rarely miss school, except for genuine illness or exceptional circumstances. Just a few days of absence can have a real impact on learning, confidence and social development.

• 95% attendance = around 9 days of absence across the whole year

• 90% attendance = missing half a day every week 

• 85% attendance = missing nearly 6 weeks of learning

 Why Attendance Matters

Good attendance helps children:

• Make steady academic progress

• Build strong friendships

• Develop positive routines and resilience

• Feel confident and included in school life

Children who attend regularly are much more likely to achieve their full potential.

Absence

On rare occasions your child may not be able to attend school. Reasons for authorised absence may include:

• Illness that cannot be managed at school - see the too ill for school guide to see if your child needs to stay at home. - Is my child too ill for school? NHS guidance
• Attending a medical appointment that cannot be made outside of school hours. We will ask for evidence of the appointment. 
• Religious observance 
• Exceptional circumstance 

If your child is not able to come to school for one of the above reasons, you must call the school on 01603 8777 80 or email attendance@lakenhamprimary.org.uk before 9am on every day that the child is absent. 

Absences without a valid reason or without communication from parents will be recorded as unauthorised. More that 10 sessions of unauthorised absence could lead to a fine and/or prosecution. 

It is not ok for your child to be absent for any of the following reasons

• Holidays during term time

• A medical appointment with no medical evidence

• A family member that is too unwell for school 

• Illness that can be managed at school such as a cough, cold, headache. See the too ill for school guide to know when you need to stay at home - Is my child too ill for school? NHS guidance. Remember, the school can provide medicine and Calpol. 

Punctuality

The school gates open at 8:45am and lessons start promptly at 9am.

Arriving on time helps children feel settled and ready to learn. Late arrivals can disrupt learning for both the child and their classmates. 

If a child arrives after 9am, the child must enter school through the main office and sing in on the Inventory Screen. This will be recorded as an unauthorised absence/late. Just like a full day of absence, late marks can add up to a fine for parents and/or legal prosecution. 

Children who arrive to school on time, are much more likely to achieve their full potential.

Legal Information - Fines and Prosecution 

It is a parent/carers legal responsibility to bring their child to school every day and on time. There is a single consistent national threshold for when a penalty notice MUST be considered by all schools in England, this is: 

10 sessions (usually equivalent to 5 school days) of unauthorised absence with a rolling 10 school week period. These sessions DO NOT have to be consecutive and can be made up of a combination of any type of unauthorised absence.

The 10 school week period can span different terms or school years.

First Offence

The first time a Penalty Notice is issued for unauthorised absence the amount will be:

• £160 per parent, per child paid within 28 days
• Reduced to £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days.

Second Offence

The second time a Penalty Notice is issued for unauthorised absence, the amount will be:

• £160 per parent, per child to be paid within 28 days

More than one penalty notice can be given within a year.

Third Offence and any further offences (within 3 years)

• The third time an offence is committed a Penalty Notice will not be issues and the case will be presented straight to the Magistrate's Court. Prosecution can result in criminal records and fines of up to £2,500.
• Cases found guilty in Magistrates' Court can show on the parent's future DBS certificate due to 'failure to safeguard a child's education."

Support Available 

Lakenham Primary want to support families to improve attendance. We know that sometimes poor attendance can be part of a wider, more complex picture. 

Some of the things Lakeham Primary do to support attendance are:

• Pastoral, Senior and Support staff available on the playground each morning to welcome children into school
• Consistent, warm, welcoming morning routines in each classroom. Often this includes gentle music playing and teachers welcoming pupils with a gentle chat about their morning
• An attendance cup awarded to the class with the highest attendance each week
• An attendance passport, children get a stamp for each week of 100% attendance, a full passport = a prize 
• Weekly attendance tracking meeting (attendance officer & deputy head)
• Monthly traffic light letters sent home so you know whether or not you are on track to meet the 95% attendance target
• Attendance awareness sessions run in small groups 
• 1-1 meetings and phone calls with parents/carers
• Liaison with social workers and family support workers
• Liaison with the school that a child's sibling may attend such as the local high schools 
• Home visits, if we are concerned about your child's welfare 

If you require personalised support with attendance please speak to Alice Kimberly (Attendance Officer) or one of the pastoral team.