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Attendance and Punctuality

Attendance at Trinity School:

At Trinity, we place your child’s learning at the centre of all we do. Every single day matters in ensuring your child makes the best possible progress during their time with us and we want to reiterate how important coming to school every day is.

The average attendance for a child at Trinity  School for 2018 -19 was 96.6% which is above national averages of 96%.

As you are aware, we have high expectations at Trinity and expect pupils to attend above 97% throughout the year.

As part of this aim, we have updated our Attendance and Punctuality Policy, which you can find attached below.

Time Off During Term Time:

As part of the new policy, and following advice from the Borough, parents/carers requesting time off during term time will be restricted to exceptional circumstances, which we define as:

  • Illness, medical or dental appointments
  • A death in the immediate family
  • A wedding of a close relative
  • The serious or sudden illness of a relative where they are subject to palliative care or have had an operation to prolong life
  • A religious event that is recognised nationally (The school will authorise one day of absence per religious festival, up to a maximum of 2 days in any one academic year, on the day specifically set aside by the Religious Body of which the parent/carer is a member)
  • A one off educational opportunity afforded to the child by a national or regional organisation
  • 'Exceptional' occasions (the nature of such occasions will be determined by school on an individual basis)

Requesting time off during term time must be completed in advance using the ‘Request for Term Time Absence’ form, which now requires supplementary evidence of the ‘exceptional circumstance’. This can be collected from the front office.

Time off during term time will not be authorised:

  • During September, when a pupil is just starting at School, as it is very important for the child to settle into their new class
  • During an assessment/test period – eg. Key Stage 1 SATs or phonics screening week
  • When a pupil’s attendance record already includes any worrying level of unauthorised absence
  • For a term time holiday

Punctuality:

We want all children to arrive at school unrushed and ready to begin learning. To ensure this happens, our new policy sets out clear procedures:

  • We open our gates at 8:35am
  • We expect parents/carers to ensure that children are on the school premises by 8.45am.
  • The morning register closes at 9.15am
  • Pupils arriving after 9:15am will be marked with an L indicating they are late for school
  • Pupils arriving after the register has closed will be registered with a U showing they are present in school but were significantly late.
  • Parents/carers arriving with children past 8:45am are required to enter through the main reception and to write the reason for lateness in the signing in folder at the front desk.

Monitoring Attendance and Punctuality:

If, during our half termly monitoring of attendance and punctuality, we deem there is a cause for concern in either area, there are various forms of interventions we may impose. These include:

  • A letter home
  • A meeting with the Head of School or Attendance Lead
  • Home visits from the Attendance Lead
  • Targeted monitoring of attendance/punctuality for a fixed period
  • Individual Action Plans put in place (this may include tailored support, systems or processes for targeted families)
  • Informing the Educational Welfare Officer
  • Involving external agencies
  • Issuing a Fixed Penalty Notice