Attendance at Grange

At Grange Primary we are working hard to improve school attendance. We are committed to making sure that every child and young person is successful at school and that is why it is essential for your child to have outstanding attendance throughout the school year. We believe that every school day does count; coming to school each day means learning something new every day. We would like to congratulate all of our pupils, parents and carers for their efforts to ensure that they attend school every day, where possible. We have seen a pleasing improvement in our overall attendance figures and wish for this to continue.

Attending school regularly plays a vital part in successful learning.

Punctuality

As well as attending school every day, we also believe in the importance of attending on time. Being punctual is an important aspect of life and therefore it is vital to ensure that all of our children arrive at school on time.

When does my child need to be in school?

Your child should be in the playground at 8.50am to line up and come into school at 8.55am for registration.

What happens if my child is late?

Registration finishes at 9.00am. If your child arrives at school after 8.55am, they will be marked late. Children that are late are entered into the Late Register. If your child arrives at school after 9.15am, they may be marked as an unauthorised late (which counts  as an unauthorised absence for the entire morning session).

Children who have arrived late to school and not signed into the Late Book pose a serious Health and Safety hazard, should there be a fire evacuation in school during the morning.

Reporting your child’s absence

What should I do if my child is absent? If your child is absent from school, please contact the school office on 020 8567 1432, (press option 1) on the morning of each absence, you can leave a message if the school attendance officer is not available to take your call, alternatively you can email the school via admin@grange.ealing.sch.uk explaining your child’s absence.

Please note, this does not automatically mean the absence will be authorised. You may be required to provide evidence supporting your explanation of the absence before it is authorised and where evidence is insufficient, the absence may still be marked as unauthorised.

What reasons for absence will the school accept?

The Department for Education (DfE) asks schools to identify the reasons a child is absent from school. Authorised absences are for:

• Genuine illness (if you are in any doubt as to whether you should keep your child off contact school and we can advise you.)
• Emergency dental / medical appointments  (routine appointments  should be    made out of school hours)
• 1 Day of religious observance
• Family bereavement.
• Attending an interview for another school.
• Leave of Absence (only when prior approval has been given by the Headteacher)

Other absences will be recorded as unauthorised.

The school will not authorise absence for day trips, birthdays, visiting relatives, waiting in for deliveries, tiredness due to a late night, airport drop offs/collections.  Please note any absences occurring either side of school holidays will require medical proof of illness, otherwise the absence will be marked as unauthorised.

In cases of recurring absences, you will be asked to produce evidence supporting your explanation i.e. Dr’s note, Hospital appointment card etc.

On your child’s return to school, please provide a note/letter covering your child’s absence.

Will the school contact me if my child is absent? The school operates a first day response system. If your child is absent and we have not received a phone call from you, we may contact you to establish why your child is absent. Also, if your child’s absence continues over a period of a few days and we have not heard from you, we may contact you again to establish when the child is likely to return to school.

If we are concerned about any aspect of your child’s attendance, we will contact you by letter and / or arrange to meet with you in school to discuss how we can resolve the problem. We also work very closely with Ealing’s Education Welfare Team and in cases of persistent absence, they may wish to contact you directly to discuss the problem with you. They have a legal duty to support families with attendance and where there is insufficient progress or cooperation, consider very seriously the use of legal proceedings.

Can we take family holidays during term time? From 1^st September 2013 the rules regarding authorised term time absence were changed dramatically. Headteachers are no longer allowed to grant leave of absence for holidays and will only authorise such requests in exceptional circumstances. Cheaper air fares or mistaking the dates of the school holidays are not acceptable reasons for booking a holiday during term time. The Headteacher will also examine the child’s attendance record and any other significant factors when deciding whether to grant a leave of absence.

For all requested absences a form must be completed and given to the Attendance Officer for consideration.

Please click here to download a Leave of Absence Form

If you take your child on holiday without permission from the Headteacher or if your child leaves earlier or returns to school later than was stated on the application form, you may be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice from the Education Welfare team or your child may be taken off the school roll and need to find another school.

Attendance & Punctuality Awards

School runs a weekly “Attendance Super League”, with classes playing against each other with attendance figures. The top 3 teams each month receive prizes and opportunities for rewards in school, such as extra breaks and non-uniform days.

For 100% punctuality, school operates a raffle whereby children enter a prize draw. The prize draw operates termly, with one large prize (for example a tablet, or bike) won each term.