Attendance

At St. Paul’s CE Primary School we have a whole school attendance target of 96%, which is the National average for attendance in all schools.

We understand the positive impact of good attendance and punctuality on our children and their learning. We consider regular school attendance is key to enabling children to maximise the educational opportunities available to them and become emotionally resilient, confident, and competent adults, who are able to realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to their community. To help every child to achieve this, we work closely with families regarding attendance.

By law, all children of compulsory school age (5yrs to 16yrs) must receive a suitable full-time education. Once your child has been registered at school, you are legally responsible for ensuring they attend regularly. Failure to do so may result in a penalty notice or prosecution.

In September 2024, the DfE issued new guidance on attendance.

DfE - Working To Improve Attendance

To help you understand the impact of poor attendance, the chart below explains what your child will miss if their attendance isn’t at the level it should be.

Attendance and Wellbeing for your child

Good attendance is important and has positive benefits for children.

To support academic achievement – poor attendance leads to gaps in learning, children falling behind, and additional anxiety due to missed learning
It helps to develop positive emotional wellbeing
It creates a sense of belonging and friendship
It ensures children can take part in a range of extra-curricular and enrichment activities.
It aids the development of important life skill such as confidence and self-esteem.
It provides children with opportunities for social interactions, peer relationships and emotional support from teachers, which are crucial for their social, emotional, physical, metal and intellectual development.

St Paul’s Supporting and Celebrating Good Attendance

We believe in rewarding good attendance and punctuality to motivate and engage our children. We have many initiatives to support and celebrate attendance, so it remains a priority with our families.

Our Attendance Team monitors the attendance of every child in the school. We work in partnership with the Education Welfare Office from Stockport Council to support those children and their families who are not attending school without sufficient reason.

The Head teacher and Pastoral Lead work closely with children and families to encourage good attendance.
Children returning to school following a medical/dental appointment receive a certificate.
Our attendance board is updated weekly with each class’s attendance.
All classes are given individual weekly attendance targets. If these are achieved, the classes get to celebrate by doing something nice of their choice on a Friday afternoon.
Weekly class attendance celebrations take place on Friday afternoons with the winning class choosing how to celebrate; it could be watching a film whilst eating popcorn, choc-ices, to playing games; and they get to come to school in non-uniform for the day! All celebrations are shared on our school Facebook page.
Half-termly celebration assemblies for good attendance in Key Stages are held. Every child with 100% attendance will receive 100% attendance certificates and prizes.

Children with 96% attendance and above will receive a certificate, and are entered into a draw with winners receiving a gift such as a family cinema ticket, soft play tickets etc.
Class attendance is shared in the school termly newsletter.
End of Year special attendance awards are given to every child who has achieved a full year of 100% attendance – they are given a certificate and special prize, such as a Fitbit!

Punctuality

The school gates open at 8.30am and the school doors open at 8.45am. Registers are taken at 8.50am. Class doors close at 9.00am and arrival at school after this time, without prior approval, will be recorded as a late arrival. Children arriving after 9.00 must enter through the main gate and report to the school office to be signed in by the Pastoral Lead. Registers are also taken when the children return to classes after lunch. Unexplained absences will be investigated by the Pastoral Lead.

Every Second Counts!

What we expect from parents

To keep requests for their child to be absent to a minimum
To offer a reason or medical proof for any period of absence, preferably before the absence or on the morning of the first day of absence
To ensure that their child arrives at school on time, and provide a reason for any lateness
To work closely with the school and Attendance Lead to resolve any problems that may impede a child’s attendance, so that we can resolve them together
To take family holidays during school holiday periods and be aware that requests for holidays during term time will be refused except in very exceptional circumstances
To be aware of curriculum requirements and be especially vigilant regarding attendance during important academic times such as SATS in Year 6
To support their children and recognise their successes and achievements

Please work with us to ensure that your child is in school every day, so that we can achieve the aim we have for all of our children – ‘to be the best that you can be’.

For help and support, please click the links below.