Attendance

At Severnbanks Primary School, we believe that good attendance is key to helping children achieve their full potential. Every day in school counts—children who attend regularly make better progress, build stronger friendships, and feel more confident in their learning.

We work closely with families to promote consistent attendance and address any challenges, ensuring that every pupil has the best chance to thrive both academically and personally.

🌟 Our Proactive Approach to Attendance

At Severnbanks Primary School, we take a proactive and supportive approach to promoting excellent attendance. We believe that early intervention and strong communication are key to helping every child attend regularly and on time.

Attendance reviews take place monthly with senior staff, where patterns are reviewed and strategies are adapted to support pupils and families. We share regular updates in school newsletters to keep families informed and engaged, including tips for building good routines and celebrating classes with the highest attendance. Our Attendance Officer works closely with staff and families to offer personalised support, and we use Class Dojo to send reminders and encouragement. We also hold attendance-focused parent meetings when needed, and celebrate good attendance through certificates and rewards. By working together, we aim to create a culture where every day counts and every child feels motivated to be in school.

📜 Statutory Duty of Schools and Families

Under the Education Act 1996, parents and guardians are legally required to ensure their children receive full-time education—either by attending school regularly or through approved alternative arrangements.

Schools must record attendance twice daily: once at the start of the morning session and once during the afternoon. Every pupil of compulsory school age on the school’s roll must be accounted for in the attendance register.

If you need to apply for a Leave of Absence, please download the form below and return it to the school office.

🎯 Our Aim

We are a successful primary school, and every child plays a vital role in that success. Our goal is to create an environment that encourages all pupils to strive for excellence. To benefit fully from their education, children must attend school regularly and arrive on time each day.

We consistently work towards 100% attendance and use every opportunity to highlight its importance to pupils and families.

🏛️ Government Expectations

Schools must:

Promote good attendance and reduce persistent absence
Ensure every pupil has access to full-time education
Act early to address patterns of absence

Parents must:

Ensure their children attend school regularly
Understand that failure to do so may result in legal action

📊 It All Adds Up

100% attendance = best chance of success
90% attendance = 4 weeks missed per year
80% attendance = 8 weeks missed per year
70% attendance = 12 weeks missed per year
Over time, 80% attendance = 2 full years of missed education

Every minute and every day matters:

10 days of holiday per year = 94.74% attendance
10 days holiday + 5 days sick = 92.11% attendance
15 days off per year = 195 missed days over 13 years (more than a full academic year) Provided by the Local Authority:

Please read the attendance guide leaflet below for further information, including details on non-attendance and possible legal action.

❗ Why Regular Attendance Matters

Absence disrupts learning and affects progress—not just for the child, but for the whole class. Ensuring your child attends school regularly is your legal responsibility. Unauthorised absence may result in a penalty notice or court action.

📞 Reporting Absence

If your child is absent, please inform the school by phone with a reason. Absences will be classified as either:

Authorised Absences (valid reasons):

Illness
Medical/dental appointments: (Wherever possible, parents/careers should always try to arrange medical and dental appointments during school holidays or after school hours.
Exams or sporting activities
Religious observance
Family bereavement

Unauthorised Absences Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider essential or reasonable.

Forgetting term dates
Oversleeping
No explanation provided
Late arrival after register closes
Day trips or shopping
Birthdays or haircuts
Staying home to care for others
Holidays not approved by the headteacher

Only in exceptional circumstances may a holiday be authorised during term time. Cheaper costs, family availability, or weather are not valid reasons. Unauthorised holidays may result in a fine. Please see below guide -for parents on school - attendance

⚖️ What the Law Says

All children aged 5–16 must receive suitable full-time education. Once registered at a school, parents are legally responsible for ensuring regular attendance. Legal action may be taken even if a child misses school without the parent’s knowledge.

Legal action can involve a penalty notice or being taken to court.
Lateness

Research shows a direct link between attendance and achievement. Persistent lateness can significantly affect a child’s progress.

⏰ How Lateness Adds Up Over Time
5 minutes late every day = 25 minutes lost each week → That’s over 16 hours of learning lost across a school year!
10 minutes late every day = 50 minutes lost each week → That’s over 32 hours of learning lost in a school year—almost a full week of school!
15 minutes late every day = 1 hour and 15 minutes lost each week → That’s over 48 hours of learning lost annually—more than 9 full school days!
At Severnbanks, pupils enjoy coming to school—and this is reflected in our consistently high attendance rates.

If you need support or advice, please contact Jackie Challenger, our Attendance Officer, who is here to help with tips and guidance on improving attendance and punctuality

Jackie Challenger, our Attendance Officer is available to offer any support, tips or advice regarding pupil’s attendance and punctuality.