Attendance and Absences
Every Day Matters
At Gedney Church End Primary Academy, we want every child to enjoy coming to school, feel that they belong and have every opportunity to achieve and thrive.
Regular attendance is an important part of this. Being in school every day helps children to build friendships, develop confidence, establish positive routines and make the most of their learning.
We understand that there will be times when children cannot attend school, particularly when they are unwell. We also recognise that some children and families can experience circumstances that make regular attendance more difficult. When this happens, we want families to talk to us early so that we can understand what is happening and work together to help. This partnership approach reflects current statutory attendance guidance.
If attendance is becoming difficult for your child, please talk to us. We are here to help.
Reporting an Absence
If your child is unable to attend school, please contact the school as soon as possible on the first day of absence and let us know the reason why your child will not be attending.
01406 362383 or message on Iris Reach
enquiries@gedneychurchendprimaryacademy.net
If your child continues to be absent, please keep the school updated in accordance with our attendance procedures.
If we have not received a reason for your child's absence, a member of the school team will contact you. Schools are expected to have effective day-to-day arrangements for following up absence as part of their attendance responsibilities.
What If My Child Is Unwell?
We know that children become ill and that there will be occasions when they are not well enough to attend school.
If you are unsure whether your child is well enough to attend, please contact us. We will be happy to talk this through with you.
Where a health condition is affecting your child's attendance over a longer period, please speak to us. We can work with you and, where appropriate, other professionals to consider how your child can best be supported.
Current DfE guidance specifically asks schools to be mindful of pupils whose attendance is affected by physical or mental ill health, SEND or disability and to provide additional support where appropriate.
Medical and Dental Appointments
Wherever possible, we ask families to arrange routine medical and dental appointments outside the school day.
We understand that this is not always possible. If your child needs to attend an appointment during school time, please let the school know in advance.
Where possible, children should attend school before and/or after their appointment rather than missing the whole school day.
Medical and dental appointments are recognised within the national school attendance framework as an authorised category of absence where applicable.
Holidays and Leave During Term Time
Family holidays should be arranged during the school holidays rather than during term time.
If there are exceptional circumstances and you need to request leave during term time, please contact the school and speak to them about the next steps before making arrangements.
Requests are considered individually and in accordance with our Attendance Policy and national attendance requirements.
Being on Time Matters Too
A positive start to the morning helps children to settle, feel prepared and begin learning alongside their classmates.
Arriving late can mean that children miss important teaching, explanations and routines at the beginning of the day. It can also make starting the school day more difficult for the child.
We therefore ask families to ensure children arrive on time and ready to learn every day.
School gates open: 8:35am
Registration begins: 8:50am
Children arriving after: 8:55am are marked as late arrivals.
If getting to school on time is becoming difficult, please talk to us.
Our Attendance Expectations
We expect all pupils to attend school regularly and punctually, unless there is a valid reason for absence.
We monitor attendance carefully because changes in attendance can sometimes be an early indication that a child or family needs additional help.
Where we have concerns, our first step is to communicate with families, understand what may be getting in the way of regular attendance and identify what we can do together to improve the situation. The current statutory guidance places this understanding of barriers and partnership with families at the heart of schools' attendance work.
Where attendance remains a concern, we may work alongside the Local Authority or other services to make sure that appropriate support is available.
🤝 Working Together
We believe that improving attendance works best when school and families work together.
If we are concerned about your child's attendance, we will talk to you about:
- What is happening?
- What might be making attendance difficult?
- What can school do to help?
- What can we agree to do together?
- How will we know things are improving?
Our shared aim will always be to help your child attend regularly, feel that they belong and benefit fully from everything school has to offer.