Attendance and Punctuality

Attendance

School attendance is central to raising standards in education and ensuring all pupils can fulfil their potential. Regular attendance supports your child's learning, helps them build friendships, and develops good habits for life.

Children being absent from education for prolonged periods and/or on repeat occasions can act as a vital warning sign to a range of safeguarding issues including neglect, child sexual and child criminal exploitation. We want every child at Lime Tree Primary School to attend regularly so they can thrive academically, socially and emotionally.

We aim for all pupils to achieve at least 95% attendance. This allows for unavoidable absences due to genuine illness or exceptional circumstances while ensuring children don't miss significant amounts of learning.

WEB Attendance Summary.pdf

Reporting Your Child's Absence

If your child cannot attend school, you must contact us on the first day of absence and each subsequent day they remain absent.

Phone: 0208 390 9544

Please provide:

Your child's full name and class
The reason for absence
Expected return date (if known)

We fully understand that sometimes children cannot attend school because they are feeling unwell. However, medical advice is clear that children with mild illness are often well enough to attend—for example, if they have a cough, headache, or cold without a temperature.

Is my child too ill for school? Guidance for parents from the NHS

Authorised Absences

We can only authorise absences in the following circumstances:

✓ Illness (medical evidence may be required for extended absences)
✓ Medical or dental appointments (appointment confirmation required)
✓ Close family bereavement
✓ Religious observance (one day only)
✓ Public examinations

Medical and Dental Appointments

Please try to arrange appointments:

During school holidays, or
Outside school hours

If this isn't possible:

Your child should attend school before and/or after the appointment wherever possible
Notify the school office in advance
Provide a copy of the appointment letter or confirmation

Term-Time Holidays

Family holidays during term time will not be authorised.

In line with government legislation, we cannot authorise any leave for holidays during term time. Taking children out of school disrupts their learning and affects their educational progress.

Exceptional Circumstances

Parents do not have an automatic right to take their child out of school during term time. By law, you must request permission.

If you believe there are exceptional circumstances that require your child to be absent, you must:

Complete a Leave of Absence Request Form (available on our website under Forms for parents)
Submit it at least 2 weeks in advance of the proposed absence
The Headteacher will review your request and notify you of the decision

Important Information About Attendance

All absences affect your child's attendance percentage - whether authorised or unauthorised.

Authorised absence means the school accepts the reason and our Education Welfare Officer will not take action for that specific absence
Unauthorised absence may result in formal action, including penalty notices or prosecution

Good attendance is essential for your child's academic progress and wellbeing. We work closely with families to support regular attendance and address any barriers.

Is my child to ill for school? - guidance

Attendance Policy

Why is attending school regularly important?

To give your child the best possible start in life.
They will achieve better results.
They will be able to keep up with their work.
They will develop friendships and social skills.
They will gain confidence and independence

Understanding the impact of absence:

Attending 90% of the time or less will have a serious effect on learning.
One day’s absence every two weeks will give 90% attendance.
Up to the age of 16, 90% attendance will mean losing over a year of school – more than half

Punctuality

Arriving on time matters. When children arrive late, they miss important learning, disrupt lessons for others, and can feel anxious about walking into class after everyone has settled.

The school gates open at 8.35am for all classes and close at 8.45am. Children who arrive after 8.45am must sign in at the school office and will be marked as late.

Why Punctuality is Important

Arriving on time helps children to:

Start the day calmly and ready to learn
Hear important instructions and notices
Develop good habits for life
Feel part of their class community

Persistent lateness disrupts your child's education. Even arriving 5 minutes late every day adds up to over 3 days of lost learning each year.

What Happens if My Child is Late?

Arriving after gates close but before [insert time]: Your child will be marked as late (L) but this counts as present
Arriving after [insert time]: Your child will be marked as late after registration has closed (U) - this counts as an unauthorised absence

If Lateness Becomes a Pattern

We monitor attendance patterns closely, as children being absent from education for prolonged periods and/or on repeat occasions can act as a vital warning sign to a range of safeguarding issues. Keeping Children Safe in Education

If your child is frequently late, we will:

Contact you to discuss any barriers to arriving on time
Offer support to help establish morning routines
Work with you to create an action plan
Involve our Education Welfare Officer if lateness continues

Persistent lateness may result in formal action and involvement from our Education Welfare Officer.

Attendance Information.pdf

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