Griffin Primary School expects all children to have 100% attendance and punctuality.

Gates open at 8.30am every morning.

Doors are open from 8.40 until 8.55am every morning for pupils to come into school.

Pupils must be in school on time every day to ensure they are not missing out on any learning.

Reporting your child’s absence

Parents/Carers have a responsibility to ensure that their children attend school regularly and to let the school know immediately if their child cannot attend school and the reason for such absence.

An absence can be reported by contacting the school office on 01482 794122 and either speaking to a member of staff or leaving a voicemail on the answerphone.

If a child is absent and there has been no contact with the school, the school will phone parents/carers to find out the reason for the absence.  A home visit may be carried out on the first or second day of absence.  If a child is absent from school for three days, a home visit will definitely take place.

Leave during the school day:

Where pupils have a medical appointment during school time, proof of the appointment will be requested.  The absence will only be authorised if this proof is seen.

The importance of good attendance and punctuality

Regular attendance at school improves the life chances of children and young people and plays a vital role in raising attainment and tackling under achievement.  Good attendance and punctuality are important if teaching and learning time is to be maximised and the child is to receive a full curriculum entitlement.  We believe it is vitally important that the children attend school every day to allow them to benefit from the rich curriculum that is offered.

It is very important that children get into the habit of arriving at school on time, every day as this sets the pattern for rest of their school life.  Regular lateness not only disrupts the learning of the child arriving late but also interrupts the learning of the class they are arriving late into.

Working together

The school aims to achieve good attendance and punctuality by operating a policy within which staff, pupils, parents and the Education Welfare Service can work in partnership.

The school monitors attendance and lateness each week, and addresses any problems identified through discussion with parents/carers.  Please let us know if there are any issues which may affect your child’s attendance so that we can resolve them and find a solution together.