Attendance
Why is regular school attendance important?
90% attendance sounds good, but in reality means that your child misses:
· one half day each week
· nearly four weeks every school year
· over one school year in a school career
At Lytchett Matravers Primary School, we work closely with all of our children and parents so that every child can achieve their full potential, attending school as often as they can.
Once your child is registered at school, parents are legally responsible for making sure that children attend school regularly. It is important that we understand the negative impact that low attendance can have on our children. Low attendance can result in;
· friendship difficulties and reduced communication between peers
· lower self-esteem and a loss confidence
· increased anxiety and mental health
· gaps in learning, making it difficult for children to build new learning and make connections
Attendance is monitored by the office, Senior Leadership Team and Pastoral Care, weekly. We closely monitor the attendance of every child in school and work to support children and their families who are not attending school without sufficient reason.
95% attendance and above. This gives the children the best chances of success, this is fantastic!
90% to 94% attendance. There is some need for improvement and attendance will be closely monitored. Meetings may be called to discuss ways in which school can support the family to improve attendance.
89% attendance and below. This is poor attendance with a serious concern. Persistent absence can have a huge impact on children’s learning, mental health and wellbeing. Meetings may be called with other professionals - both inside and outside of school (such as the Early Help Team), to discuss ways in which we can work together to support the family and improve attendance.
It is very important that you contact school on the first day of absence, to let us know that your child is ill. Please either contact the school office on office@lmpsdoret.co.uk, 01202 622378 or use the school MCAS App to notify us of an absence. If school do not receive communication from you about your child’s absence, a member of our team will contact you to check in for safeguarding reasons.
Please be aware that children should not take family holidays during term time. This will be recorded as an unauthorised absence. Timekeeping is also important. If a child is persistently late, they are missing out on important beginnings of lessons. The school gates open at 8:45am and close at 9:00am promptly. If you arrive after this time, please report to the main school office. Registration will close at 9:10am and any child who arrives after this time will be marked as late.
If you require any support or advice with attendance and punctuality and would like to talk to us about it, please contact the main office to arrange an appointment to see Mr France, myself, Mrs Foster, Mrs. McGrail (Pastoral Care) or another member of our team.
Pastoral Care Worker