Attendance

Our Attendance Officer is Mrs Alison Weekes, she can be contacted on 0208 449 4024 or email aweekes10.302@lgflmail.org

Why Is Attendance Important?

Being in school is important to your child’s academic achievement, wellbeing, and wider development.  There is evidence to suggest that regular school attendance is a key mechanism to support children and young people's educational, economic and social outcomes. Schools can facilitate positive peer relationships, which contributes to better mental health and wellbeing. 

Good attendance is so important for your child’s success in school, and we’re here to support you every step of the way. When your child attends regularly, they have the opportunity to stay up to date with their lessons, participate in classroom activities, and build strong connections with their teachers and classmates. It helps them develop a routine, which is key for both academic growth and personal confidence. By encouraging consistent attendance, you're helping set your child up for success both now and in the future.

As a school, we have set a target of every child achieving at least 96% attendance throughout the year. You will be able to see you child’s attendance on the Arbor app. If your child’s attendance drops below 95% during the year, or we notice a pattern developing (such as every Wednesday or the two days before a school holiday), we may contact you to discuss our concerns. Any child who has an attendance figure of less than 90% is deemed to be a persistent absentee; at this point we will liaise with Barnet's Education Welfare Officer. 

How you can support your child to have good attendance at school

• Ensure your child has had enough sleep and set an alarm clock to ensure that you are up in good time in the morning.
• Create good routines for mornings at home, so everyone’s mornings can start calmly.
• Ensure your child has the right uniform, equipment, PE kit and has had breakfast to get them off to the best start for the day.
• Arrive at school on time, being late disrupts your child’s learning and that of the rest of the class.
• Make medical, dental, optical, and other appointments outside of school time where possible.
• If you have an appointment in school time, attend school before and after the appointment (for example, if you have an appointment at 12 noon, your child can attend school before the appointment and for the afternoon session)
• Do not take your child on holiday, shopping, on day trips, birthday treats or family occasions in term time.

What should I do if my child is ill?

Please let us know as soon as possible. You can do this by:

• Ringing the school office (0208 449 4024) and either speaking to a member of staff or leaving a message on the answerphone.
• Speaking to one of the office staff.
• Sending in a written note on the day.
• Sending an email to attendance@danegrove.barnetmail.net.   Please do not message the class teacher re absences (Google Classroom) as it may not necessarily be read that morning.

If we have not received a reason for your child’s absence, we will contact you by telephone or text message.

If we become concerned about the number of days your child misses due to illness, we may ask that you provide evidence of a medical appointment before we will authorise the absence – this can either be an appointment card/text or a prescription label (for instance on a prescribed medicine).

Can I take my child to the doctor, dentist or optician in school time?

We ask that you try to make appointments out of school hours whenever possible. Please let us know, in advance, of any appointments during school time. We will ask to see a copy of the letter or appointment card/text to be able to authorise your child’s absence.

Can my child attend family events, such as a wedding or a funeral?

We will authorise a child’s absence in the case of a close family wedding or funeral when we receive a completed ‘Request for Leave’ form. Generally, we will authorise one day’s absence. Any further time off may be counted as unauthorised.

Can my child miss school for religious celebrations such as Eid or Diwali?

Yes, the school can authorise days for religious observance, but please let us know in advance.

What should I do if my child is reluctant to go to school?

Your child has a right to an education and to be safe and happy at school. If your child is anxious or worried about going to school, for any reason, please do speak to your child's class teacher, Mrs Stevens (Learning Mentor) or Mrs Ghosseiri (AHT/Wellbeing Lead).

When is my child late for school?

The school day starts at 08.45 for EYFS and Year 1 (Ridgeway Avenue) and 9:00 for Years 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 (Windsor Drive). If your child arrives late, then you must bring them to register at the office. Your child will be marked in the register as late (L). If your child arrives 15 minutes or more after their register closes (09:00 for children in EYFS and years 1 and 09.15 for children in Years 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6), their lateness will count as an unauthorised absence for that morning.

The Impact of Poor Attendance

Poor attendance not only impacts academic achievement, but can also have a negative effect on mental health and wellbeing. 

 

Our Attendance Policy can be found on our policies page - please click here if you wish to read it.