Snape Wood Primary School is committed to raising the educational attainment of pupils who attend the school and giving them the best possible opportunities to access education to enable them to achieve their full potential throughout their lifetime.

Regular attendance at school is a shared responsibility of parents, school and Local Education Authority. Good attendance is essential for children to attain high standards of education,

If your child is absent from school, please inform the school office (by telephone, email, Class Dojo or text message) of the reason by telephone as soon as possible in the morning. If the school does not receive notification of absence, or if a reason cannot be approved by the school, these are recorded as ‘unauthorised’ absences.

Medical appointments are expected to be made outside of school hours or during the 12 weeks of school holidays. If this cannot be avoided, then children must attend school before and after the appointment.

Please note, the registers are monitored daily by ourselves and the Education Welfare Service (EWS) and Penalty Notices may be issued to persistent absentees.

Parents are not permitted to take their children out of school during term time for a leave of absence unless there are exceptional circumstances. If you think a leave of absence is an ‘exceptional circumstance’ you must contact the school office and request a "leave of absence form." Requests for absence during term time will be returned to parents in writing with a school decision. 

In order for every child who attends this school to achieve their full potential, they need to attend school regularly, on time and be ready to learn.

Irregular school attendance is a contributory factor in social exclusion and underachievement. Children who do not attend school regularly are more likely to be the victim of crime themselves or to become exposed to offending behaviours by others.

The school aims to improve school attendance and punctuality by:

• Promoting the value and importance of regular school attendance
• Giving/providing consistent information to individuals and families
• Reducing all forms of unauthorised absence

In order for this policy to be effective it is essential that ‘Attendance and Punctuality’ is a priority for everyone involved including parents, children, staff and governors. The importance of attendance and punctuality must start from Foundation and continue through to Year 6. 

This diagram below highlights the importance of attendance and the link it has with academic achievement:

100% Excellent	At 100% you give your child the best chance to succeed and achieve the best grades that they can.
96%-99.9% Good	96%.  Less than 8 days absence in a year.  Pupils with this attendance are likely to achieve their target grades and will be well-prepared for starting secondary education.
90%-95.9% Cause for concern	90%.  19 days absence over the year.  Pupils with this attendance are missing a month of school per year and may fall behind in Maths and Literacy; it will be difficult for them to achieve their best. = 4 Weeks lost in a school academic year
89.9%- 80% Serious cause for concern	85% equates to 29 days absence in a year.  These pupils are missing 6 weeks of school a year.  It will be very difficult for them to keep up and achieve their best. = 6 Weeks (½ Term) lost in a school academic year Any % below 90% and your child is classed as persistently absent.
<80% Critical	80%.  Pupils with this attendance are missing a day for every week of school.    It will be almost impossible to keep up with work.  Parents of pupils with this level of attendance could be issued with a Penalty Notice. = 8 Weeks lost in a school academic year

Our school gates open at 8.40am and close at 8.50am.  Children are encouraged to make their own way to their classrooms in Reception, Key Stages 1 and 2 (Years 1 to 6).  Children in the Nursery, are accompanied to their classroom door by whoever is dropping them off.  If you arrive and the gate is closed, please make your way to the main office on Aspen Road where your child's attendance can be registered.

Attendance Posters: