Attendance
From 19th August 2024, the Government’s updated Attendance Strategy, ‘Working Together to Improve School Attendance’ will apply to all schools. The document states that,
The law entitles every child of compulsory school age to an efficient, full-time education suitable to their age, aptitude, and any special educational need they may have. It is the legal responsibility of every parent to make sure their child receives that education either by attendance at a school or by education otherwise than at a school.
Where parents decide to have their child registered at school, they have an additional legal duty to ensure their child attends that school regularly. This means their child must attend every day that the school is open, except in a small number of allowable circumstances such as being too ill to attend or being given permission for an absence in advance from the school.
The ATLP Policy has been updated in line with the new guidance and is available below and on our policies page.
Please ensure you have read the letter advising parents of the changes to issuing penalty notices for leave in term time from 19th August.
This letter was sent to all parents in July and can be accessed by clicking the link below…
Letter to all parents informing them of changes and fining – July 2024
EVERY DAY COUNTS… EVERY DAY MATTERS…
EDUCATION IS EVERYTHING
ATTENDANCE IS EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY
The best gift any parent can give their child is to ensure they attend school every day.
Regular school attendance is vital for your child to:
- DEVELOP INDEPENDENCE AND RESILIENCE
- MAKE AND MAINTAIN FRIENDSHIPS
- EXPERIENCE A FULL SYSTEMATIC CURRICULUM
- LEARN MORE AND REMEMBER MORE
- ACHIEVE MORE
- PARTICIPATE IN EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS
- BE READY FOR THE NEXT STAGE IN THEIR EDUCATION
The school is responsible for recording attendance and following up absence. (Department for Education)
At Two Gates we monitor attendance daily; we do all we can to encourage parents to ensure that their children achieve maximum possible attendance and any problems that prevent full attendance are identified and acted on promptly.
We use the following attendance categories to exemplify the levels of expectation around attendance:
- 100 to 96% – as expected
- 95 to 91% – at risk of persistent absence
- 90 to 80% – persistent absence
- 79 to 51% – at risk of severe absence
- Less than or equal to 50% – severe absence
The chart below shows how absence relates to lost learning:
| Impact over 1 school year | Impact over 5 school years | |
| 100% Attendance | 0 days missed | 0 days missed |
| 95% Attendance | 9 days of absence 1 Week and 4 Days of learning lost | ¼ year learning lost |
| 90% Attendance | 19 Days of Absence 3 Weeks and 4 Days of learning lost | ½ year learning lost |
| 85% Attendance | 28 Days of Absence 5 Weeks and 3 Days of learning lost | ¾ year learning lost |
| 80% Attendance | 38 Days of Absence 7 Weeks and 3 Days of learning lost | 1 year learning lost |
| 75% Attendance | 47 Days of Absence 9 weeks and 1 day of learning lost | 1 ¼ years learning lost |
Please read our Attendance Policy to be fully informed of the school’s expectations and actions regarding attendance management.
Brief overview:
Punctuality and lateness
As well as regular attendance, it is really important that your child arrives at school on time…
The School Day at Two Gates Primary 2024-2025
Session times:
Nursery 8:50 a.m.-12.00 p.m. (15 hours)
8:50 a.m -3.10 p.m. (30 hours)
Reception 8.40 a.m -12.00 p.m. and 12:50 -3.10 p.m.
Infants 8.45 a.m. -12.15 p.m. and 1.10-3.15 p.m.
Juniors 8.45 a.m – 12.25 p.m. and 1.15-3.15
Morning Registration:
Children may arrive at school between 8.35 and 8.45 a.m.
Reception doors close at 8:40 a.m.
Nursey doors open at 8:50 a.m.
We ask that you aim for 8.35 a.m. to ensure that you avoid any lateness.
Perimeter gates are locked at 8.45 a.m. Any non-nursery pupils arriving later than 8.45 must enter school down the main school drive and front office.
Morning registration opens at 8.50 a.m. ‘you’re late if you miss the gate’
Pupils arriving from 8:50-9:15 a.m. will be marked as late before registration closes (L)
Registration closes at 9:15 a.m.
When pupils arrive after the end of the registration session-after 9.15 a.m. – they will be
will be marked as late after registration closes (O)- this will be an unauthorised absence when the process set out at section 9 of the policy applies.
Afternoon Registration:
Afternoon registration takes place promptly at the start of the afternoon session.
The impact of lateness…
When your child is late for school they miss the start of the day with their peers. They miss registration and morning activities; they miss assemblies ; they may even miss learning – as we begin lessons promptly. Walking into a classroom late can be a stressful experience for your child.
Frequent lateness adds up…
| Minutes Late/day | Days lost/year |
| 5 | 3 days lost |
| 10 | 7 |
| 15 | 10 |
| 20 | 14 |
| 30 | 21 |
As parents/carers you can best support your child to secure regular attendance and punctuality by:
- Ensuring a good bedtime routine to enable your child to get enough sleep.
- Establishing a good routine each evening and each morning so your child is prepared for the school day ahead.
- Making sure your child attends school every day it is open, unless there is an exceptional reason preventing this.
- Ensuring your child arrives at school on time every day
- Arranging dental and medical appointments outside school hours wherever possible, where this is not possible ensure your child attends before and returns promptly afterwards.
- Informing the school if your child is ill and too unwell to attend
- Taking absence seriously – if your child is not wanting to attend, or has not attended as you expected why is this? Are they putting themselves at risk – Who are they with? What are they doing? Do you know who they are talking to online?
- Taking any holidays during school holiday periods, and not during term time
- Talking positively to your child about school and taking an interest in their school day.
- Attending parents evenings and school events.
- Praising and rewarding your child’s efforts and achievements at school.
- Supporting school staff by working in partnership to best manage and support your child with any difficult or challenging behaviour or circumstances.
- Discussing any problems or difficulties with the school as soon as they arise – staff are here to help.
We look forward to working in partnership with you to support your child’s education.
Absence Management
If your child is going to be absent from school, we ask that parents telephone school on the first day of absence 01827 213855 and leave a message (option 1) by 8.30 a.m. giving a reason for the absence and an indication of how long the absence is likely to last. If the return date is not confirmed on the first day of absence, parents/carers must contact the school on each day of absence.; this can be by telephone or by e mail to officetgs@twogates.staffs.sch.uk
On the day of return to school, parents and carers must also provide written confirmation of the reason(s) for the full period of absence.
On receipt of the completed class register each morning, any absences are checked against messages received by office staff. All absent pupils for whom a message has not been received will trigger the following safeguarding actions:
| First Day of unexplained Absence* | When no message has been received and a pupil has been recorded absent on close of the register: School secretary makes 1st day call to child’s first contact; if no answer, then voice message left if possible and text message sent. |
| Second Day of Absence | When no message has been received and a pupil has been recorded absent on close of the register: School secretary makes call to child’s first contact; if no answer, then voice message left if possible and text message sent. School secretary then calls all listed contacts in turn; in each case, if no answer, then voice message left if possible and text message sent. If no contact made then a school DSL will undertake a home visit; if no reply, a letter requesting urgent contact with school is posted through the letter box (photograph taken). |
| Third Day of Absence | When no message has been received and a pupil has been recorded absent on close of the register: School secretary then calls all listed contacts in turn; in each case, if no answer, then voice message left if possible and text message sent. School will contact the local Police and inform Children’s Services. |
*For pupils with known vulnerabilities, second day process is used from day 1. Social workers working with families are always notified of absence by the DSL.
Persistent absence will result in further action. Initially, this will be about working with parents to improve attendance; if this is not successful then it may be necessary to escalate concerns to social care or consider issuing a penalty.
We consider a child to be persistently absent if their attendance falls below 90%.
Leave during term time
School term dates are published a year in advance; holidays during term time are not permitted.
Parents and carers should make every effort to avoid taking children out of education for holidays or other extended leave during term time. The school can only authorise a leave of absence during term time where there are exceptional circumstances.
- Generally, the need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation is not considered to be exceptional circumstances.
- To request a leave of absence, parents or carers must make the request in advance and in writing addressed to the headteacher and, wherever possible, at least four school weeks ahead of the planned leave.
- When a leave of absence is requested as above, the Head Teacher will consider the specific facts and circumstances relating to the request. The decision:
- will be confirmed in writing
- is solely at the headteacher’s discretion and
- is final
- When permission is granted, the headteacher will confirm the number of days and dates of absence which are authorised.
If permission is not granted and parents or carers proceed to take their child out of school, the absence will be marked as unauthorised. Parents may be issued with a penalty notice or be subject to prosecution by the local authority
Medical appointments
Medical, dental and other essential appointments for a pupil should take place outside of school hours when this is reasonably possible.
- When an appointment must take place during school time, the pupil should attend school for as much of the day as possible and as much prior notice as possible should be given to the school by telephone 01827 213 855 or by e mail: officetgs@twogates.staffs.sch.uk
- For the time absent from school to be marked as an authorised, confirmation of the appointment by way of an appointment card or letter must be provided.
Useful link:
Is my child too ill for school? – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Education/Education-welfare/Attendance.aspx
