Attendance

 The letter below is from the Chief Executive of Focus Trust, Mrs Rowland, and is accompanied by the Focus Trust Attendance Policy.
Attendance Letter for Families September 2024Focus Trust Attendance Policy 2024

 Why good attendance matters.

It is vital that your child is on time every school day. If your child is not in school, we cannot teach them. If they are late ,they will miss the start of the lesson, and may struggle to keep up with the rest of the children. Some parents/carers believe that being absent from school occassionally is ok, but these days can then add up.

Good attendance is vital if your child is to achieve and make good progress.

Timings of the day

The school gates open at 8.30am and close at 8.35am. The school day starts at 8.35am and the registers close at 8.45am. 

What is good attendance?

We determine good attendance as being at least 96%. This is equal to just 7 days of school out of 190 per year.

We reward good attendance. with prizes in weekly assemblies and 100% attendance certificates and prizes given out at the end of each term. We encourage our children to take pride in good attendance and punctuality and to understand the importance of it.

If your child is ill, please telephone the office before 9.15am to report this ( 0161 770 1760) We may ask for medical evidence for the absence to be authorised. We encourage you to bring your child to school if they have minor illnesses , so that we can help you to decide if they are fit for school.

If there has been no contact, but your child is absent, our Attendance Team will make a home visit. If your child is absent for 3 consecutive days, then this will activate another home visit.

Lyndhurst does not authorise any holidays during term time. Fixed penalty fines will be issued to those parents whose children accumulate more than 10 unauthorised sessions in a 10 week period. If you do require a Leave of Absence, a meeting will be arranged with the Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher. If a child's attendance percentage is a concern, parents will be invited in for a meeting with the Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher, to discuss this. The purpose of this is to look at your situation and support you, as a family, moving forwards.

Punctuality

If your child is late, they can have a bad start to the day. For example:

-They miss out on the beginning of the lesson and may struggle to keep up.

-They don't have time to settle down and miss out on precious social time with their friends.

-It can be embarrassing for them.

Being on time is an important life skill for your child's future and is crucial for learning and well being. Missing 5 minutes of learning of the school day , equates to 3 days of lost learning per year.

Attendance Procedure for Late Arrivals

If your child arrives after the gate has closed they should enter through the front office door and the parent/carer must sign them in , onto the office computer system, giving a reason for the lateness. 

Registers close at 9.15am. Any child arriving after this time, will show as having missed a session. In other words a half day of absence will be on their record.