Attendance and Punctuality

We place a great emphasis on good habits of attendance and punctuality at King Street right from the start of your child’s education with us. We believe this is vital in helping our children to establish important life skills. We recognise and reward those who have 'amazing attendance' and that are 'perfectly punctual' in our weekly award assemblies.

Failing to attend school regularly means falling behind in learning and creates a culture of dissent. Children who miss school lose out on important factors of school social life, which can affect their ability to have friendships.

The school monitors children whose attendance drops to 96% or under. It is really important that you are aware of your child’s attendance as only a few days off school can make a big difference to the overall percentage. The table below shows how important regular attendance is for your child’s education.

Table of attendance figures
Percentage	Days Absence	Comment	Achievement
Above 97%	Less than 6 days absence per year	Excellent Attendance	These children will almost certainly achieve their full potential in school
95-96%	10 days absence per year	Missing 2 weeks of school every year	These children are likely to achieve but could still improve their attendance!
90% - 94%	19 days absence per year	Missing one month of school every year	These children will find it hard to achieve their best in school
85% - 89%	29 days absence per year	Missing six weeks of school every year	These children will find it very difficult to keep up with work in school and are unlikely to achieve their potential
80% - 84%	38 days absence per year	Missing a year of school over the time spent in primary education	These children will find it almost impossible to keep up with their work.

Punctuality

Please be punctual. School doors open at 8.40 and school starts at 8.55 when we expect all children to be at school. Children accessing school at 8:40 will be supervised by school staff in their classroom and will enjoy an early morning learning activity. Being late makes a difference- take a look!

5 minutes late every morning = nearly half an hour of lessons missed every week.

10 minutes late every morning = nearly one hour of lessons missed every week.

5 minutes late every morning = nearly 6 hours of lessons missed every term.

5 minutes late every morning = nearly 12 hours of lessons missed every term.

5 minutes late every morning = nearly 1 week of lessons missed every year.

5 minutes late every morning = nearly 2 weeks of lessons missed every year.

Children make the best progress at school through regular and punctual attendance. Absence or arriving late can mean your child misses important teaching and learning and can result in them feeling unsettled. If your child is absent please contact the school by telephone on the first day of their absence. Please let the school office know in advance if your child has a medical or dental appointment.

Holidays in Term Time

As a result of changes to the attendance regulations being introduced by the Department for Education and highlighted in recent court action:

‘head teachers will no longer be able to grant pupils a leave of absence for the purpose of a family holiday during term time’.

As a result any parents/carers taking their children out of school for a holiday may incure a fine for "failing to secure their child’s regular attendance at school."

For further information please visit the DFE website: www.education.gov.uk and search attendance.

We will not authorise any leave during term time unless the circumstances are exceptional. Unauthorised absence may result in a Fixed Penalty Notice.

Please take the time to carefully read our Attendance Policy and Parent Information Leaflet.