Attendance

At Little Common, we believe that regular attendance is crucial for your child's success. Good attendance at school is the single most important factor to ensure that young people have the maximum life chances.  Attendance is strongly linked to educational achievement.

• Pupils who miss school risk failing to achieve their potential
• Figures have shown that 90% of persistent, poor or non-attenders fail to achieve five or more good grades at GCSE and approximately one third achieve no GCSEs at all
• Developing good habits of attendance and punctuality are key life skills
• Regular school attendance supports children's mental health and emotional wellbeing by fostering stable routines, positive peer relationships, and a sense of belonging—factors shown in research to protect against anxiety and depression.
• When pupils miss school… they miss out!

 Here’s how we support our pupils and families in achieving excellent attendance:

At Little Common School, our commitment to creating a welcoming environment is reflected in our strong pastoral team, the emphasis we place on building meaningful relationships, and our dedication to fostering a sense of belonging for every pupil. We believe that when pupils feel valued and connected, they are more likely to engage in their learning and achieve their full potential.

• Our attendance team record attendance meticulously and communicates with parents when attendance falls below acceptable levels.
• We work collaboratively with families to identify and overcome barriers that may prevent regular school attendance.
• We maintain close collaboration with the Academy Trust (DCAT) and the Local Authority Attendance Team to take appropriate action when attendance is poor.
• We leverage all available resources to support families and ensure that every child has the opportunity to attend school regularly.
• What can I do to support my child's attendance?

  Parents are responsible for ensuring their children receive a full-time education. 

  Absence disrupts the education of the individual pupil and the whole class. Are you aware that children who do not attend regularly:

   

  • do not achieve well in exams
  • find it difficult to maintain friendships
  • are more likely to become involved in crime
  • miss out on opportunities in further education and the

  world of work?

   

  90% attendance = ½ day missed every week!

  Over one school year this is 4 weeks of learning lost!

  Over 5 years at your primary school you will have missed half a year!

   As a parent or carer, you have an important role in making school attendance a priority. Only keep your child off school when they are genuinely too ill to attend. Book medical appointments and holidays outside of school time whenever possible. Please talk to us if you're having difficulties with attendance. 

  We recognise that children with long-term medical conditions, serious mental health challenges, or special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) may encounter additional obstacles. For those experiencing complex barriers to attendance, we are keen to engage in compassionate discussions with both children and their families, collaborating to provide tailored support that meets their specific needs. 

  We encourage parents to inform the school of any absences and to ensure their child attends school regularly. Your partnership is vital in fostering a positive educational experience.

  • Absence can only be authorised by the school. We treat all absences as unauthorised unless satisfactory evidence for your child’s absence has been received. Usually contact from the parent will be accepted as evidence. However, if your child’s attendance continues to cause concern, you may be asked to provide medical evidence where absences occur repeatedly due to reported illness. This might be in the form of an appointment card, prescriptions etc. Your child’s absence may be coded as unauthorised without evidence. We contact parents promptly when their child is absent to fulfil our safeguarding duties and ensure the well-being of all pupils.

  • Wherever possible, please make all medical and dental appointments outside of the school day. If this cannot happen, please make sure your child is in school for the rest of that day. Appointment cards should always be provided as evidence of medical/dental appointments.

  • Unless parents have provided a satisfactory explanation and it has been accepted by the school absence will not be authorised.

  Examples of unsatisfactory explanations include:

  • A child’s/family member’s birthday.
  • Shopping for uniform.
  • Having their hair cut.
  • Closure of a sibling’s school for INSET or other purposes.
  • Parents or a sibling are unwell
  • Illness where the child is considered well enough to attend school without medical authority and in the absence of a communicable disease.
  • Leave during term time taken without authorisation of the school
  • Head lice – let the school know and letters will then be sent to all parents in a confidential manner.

  Need Support?

  If you have any concerns about your child's attendance, please reach out to our Attendance Officer Jade Boyce on 01424 842297 extension 202 or jboyce@littlecommon.org

  If attendance drops we will send home a letter to alert you. Please come in and talk to us if you are having difficulties - we want to support you. If attendance does not improve you will be invited in for a meeting to discuss this. We always want to help and explore all options but can only do this when we fully understand a family’s situation. We do take a consistent approach to attendance and make no apologies for this because ultimately we want the very best for your child. Once attendance drops below 90% we do need medical evidence before we can authorise an absence.

  How can I support my child's attendance?
  What should I do if my child is unwell?

  It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school when they're unwell.  The advice below and more detailed information from the NHS can support you in making a decision about this. Is my child too ill for school? - NHS

   

  If you do keep your child at home, it's important to contact us on the first day. Let us know that your child won't be in and give us the reason.  You can do this by leaving a message on our attendance line (01424 842297 option X), phoning the office during opening hours or by dropping us an email or message through the Arbor app.  Please ensure you do this by 8:30am or as soon as practically possible.

   

  Medicines in school

  • Children should come to school even if they are taking medicines, as staff are able to give them prescribed medicine in school
  • Please make sure the bottle has a pharmacy label detailing your child's name, dosage and how frequently they should have it
  • There is a form to complete to authorise us to administer this
  • Please discuss with the school office

   

  What should I do if my child is unwell?
  Good punctuality

  Arriving on time

  It is really important for your child to get to school on time. Learning begins as soon as they arrive so any lateness means they are missing out on valuable learning time.

  The gates open at 8.30am. ALL children must be in school by 8.55am when the gates close and the register is completed.

   If your child arrives after this time, you will need to take them to the main office entrance and sign them in. This will incur a late mark in the attendance register, which will then be recorded on your child’s attendance record. Please do all you can to make sure your child arrives at school on time so they don’t miss out.

  Punctuality matters too!

  Missed minutes = missed learning = missed opportunities!

  Being frequently late for school adds up to lost learning

  

  When pupils arrive late, they miss out on essential instructions given at the beginning of the lesson. This can significantly reduce achievement, regardless of academic ability. Your child may also feel awkward arriving to the classroom when everyone else is settled. Furthermore, when one pupil arrives late, it disrupts the entire class and the teacher, compromising everyone’s education.  If your child is in Reception or Key Stage 1, they will miss phonics if they are late.  This is fundamental in teaching them early reading skills.  If a child is unable to read, they will find it harder to access the curriculum.

  What is your child missing out on?

  Good punctuality
  What is persistent absence?

  If your child has particularly poor attendance, it is classed as persistent absence. Attendance below 90% is classed as persistent absence and this means your child missing 19 or more days during the academic year. This is roughly equivalent to your child missing 1 day or more every 2 weeks, or around 6 days each term.

  It’s helpful for you to think about your child’s attendance in terms of days, and make sure they are not missing too many days. Average attendance across the country is children missing no more than 10 days in the year.

   

  Once a child has reached 38 sessions, or 19 days absence, they will be classified as Persistently Absent from school.  Our Family Liaison Attendance Officer will contact you and invite you into a meeting to understand the reason behinds your child’s absences and to identify what support we can offer you and your child to improve their attendance.

   

  Under the Education Act 1996, the Local Authority has a statutory responsibility to ensure that parents secure education for children of compulsory school age and where necessary, use legal enforcement.

   

  This information below shows how many days missed each half–term will make your child a PA pupil:

  

  What is persistent absence?