We offer a FREE Breakfast Club for all children at Beckfoot Priestthorpe from 8:00am every morning. Children are able to access a healthy, nutritious breakfast before they start school.
Attendance and Punctuality
Beckfoot Priestthorpe is committed to maximising educational achievement for all our pupils. To gain the best from their time with us, it is vital that they achieve excellent attendance and punctuality. As a school we aim to ensure that all our pupils access an education which meets their needs and allows them to realise their full potential. We will work with families to ensure all pupils attend regularly and punctually. We will challenge families that give a low priority to attendance and punctuality. We fully appreciate that all our families have different situations and as a school we want parents/carers to work with us so we can provide you with any support you need.
Our Expectations
- Students will attend school every day
- Students will be on time to school and their lessons
- Students will always be prepared for school by having enough sleep, wearing the correct uniform, and having the right equipment
Students meeting these expectations will achieve well, be protected from risk of harm, and secure and maintain positive friendships with their peers at school.
Attendance and Punctuality Policy
Key contacts
Attendance is everyone’s business, and all members of our staff understand they they have a role to play in supporting good attendance. To learn more about our key contacts roles and responsibilities, please view our local attendance protocol.
- Kate Cutting – Senior Attendance Champion
- Christina Gunning – Headteacher
- Dawn Noutch – Parental Involvement Worker
- Tonia Pugh – SENCO
- Kayleigh Tinsley – Senior Administrator
What do I do if my child is not well enough to come to school?
We expect children to be in school on time and ready to learn at 8.35am.If your child is going to be absent from school, you must ALWAYS inform us (by 9.00am where possible) including a reason for the absence. Please telephone the school office on 01274 564879, or email [email protected]
The school gates close at 8.40am, any child arriving at the school office after this time will receive a late mark. If children arrive after 9.05am, this will be marked at an ‘unauthorised late’. which is the same as an ‘unauthorised absence’. To avoid unnecessary absences, regular doctors and dentist appointments must be made outside school hours (where possible). If this is not possible, we require medical evidence.
If a pupil is absent at morning registration without contact from a parent/carer to explain the absence, the school will contact parents/carers for a reason. If there is still no contact with parents/carers, the attendance team may carry out a home visit to ascertain the reasons for absence and confirm there are no safeguarding issues. Until school is provided with a valid reason for your child’s absence, this will be an unauthorised absence. Where a student’s absence is cause for concern, the school will write to parents or carers and invite them into school in accordance with our Graduated Attendance Strategy.
Medical and dental appointments
Medical and dental appointments should be made before or after school wherever possible, however, if an appointment is required during school hours, school should be made aware in advance and their must be provision of some evidence to authorise the absence.
Holidays in term time
Holidays in term times will not be authorised by Beckfoot Upper Heaton and could lead to penalty notices and fines being issued. These will be issued to the parent/carer liable for the attendance offence.
Punctuality
Gates open at 8.30am and close at 8.40am. School begins at 8.35am when the register is taken. If your child arrives after registration they will receive a late mark. After 9.05am your child will be marked as an unauthorised, and the whole session will be classed as an unauthorised absence. We understand that sometimes children might be late for unforeseen circumstances, and you will bring your child in through the office if you are late. Please let us know if you think you are going to be late.
When children are regularly late, they can feel embarrassed walking into a classroom that has already begun learning and they can feel upset or distressed if this is happening regularly. Please contact the school if you are struggling to get here on time. To support families to get children to school on time we can offer Breakfast Club – From 7.30am daily, families can drop children at the main office for breakfast club.
Recognising good attendance at Beckfoot Priestthorpe
- Weekly celebration assembly recognising the best attendance by class
- Class rewards for the highest attendance each week
- Celebrating on class dojo when school attendance hits the target of 97%
- Sharing our primary school’s attendance leader board and celebrating when we are at the top
We believe that all students are more likely to attend school regularly if the curriculum is engaging and personalised to meet their needs, and if they have targets and rewards to work towards.
How will we support you?
- We will build close and productive relationships with families to ensure that any attendance issues can be tackled and any barriers to attendance are removed.
- Creating intervention or reintegration plans in partnership with our pupils and their parents/carers.
- Encourage good attendance by making our classrooms and school a place where all pupils can and want to be.