Attendance and Punctuality

Here at Abbeymead we believe that all children have the right to a full-time education. “Coming to school is cool” is the schools motto for promoting children to make the most of educational opportunities available to them.

Regular school attendance brings enormous benefits to individual pupils, their families, schools and the community as a whole. Without regular attendance, levels of attainment suffer and opportunities are missed to obtain maximum benefit from education.

Persistent absence and lateness will affect a child’s achievement and progress in school. Comprehensive research shows that there is a direct link between a child’s level of school attendance and their level of school attainment.

As a parent it is your legal responsibility to ensure your child receives a suitable full time education. It is your responsibility that your child attends school each day and is on time.

It is important to set the expectation of good attendance right from the beginning of school so children grow up with ‘good habits’

If your child is absent from school you must inform the school, by telephone, e-mail or by letter, giving a reason for the absence.  Absences once reported are either authorised or unauthorised by the school.

Authorised absences would include time off for religious observance, medical appointments and genuine illness. Please note that the school has the right to ask for proof of medical appointments and confirmation from a medical professional if a child’s level of absence is above that expected for a usually healthy child.

Unauthorised absences would include time off for birthday treats, family days out, holidays ….

Sandra McConnochie, our Attendance Officer is available to offer any support, tips or advice regarding pupil’s attendance and punctuality.

Abbeymead pupils enjoy coming to their school and this is reflected in the higher than average attendance for each term.