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Attendance
Attendance and Punctuality is very important at Middleton Primary School.
Middleton Primary School is committed to the continuous raising of achievement of all our students. Regular attendance is essential if our students are to be successful, and benefit from the opportunities offered to them in school, through their education.
Excellent attendance is fundamental to a successful and fulfilling school experience. We actively promote 100% attendance for all our students and we use a variety of weekly, termly and annual awards to promote excellent attendance and punctuality.
We recognise that parents and carers have a vital role to play and there is a need to establish strong home-school links and communication systems that can be used whenever there is concern about attendance.
Year after year, the students with excellent school attendance make the best progress.
Parents, carers and families are therefore asked to ensure that their young person is in school every day of term.
The law states that students can miss school if:
- They are too unwell to attend school*;
- It has been authorised in advance by the Headteacher (such as a religious observance including attending the wedding of a family member, funeral or competitive sporting event).
Attendance Processes:
If your child is absent from the academy you must telephone the Attendance Line 0113 2717969 on the first day of absence before 8.30am and provide a reason.
Please be aware that Middleton Primary School works closely with Leeds City Council and will transfer any cases of persistently poor attendance for possible prosecution in either the Family or Magistrates Court.
- If we do not receive communication, you will receive a phone call home from one of our team of dedicated Attendance Officers.
- A home visit may be made depending on the student’s attendance record and the nature of the absence.
Home visits will be conducted by members of the Attendance or Pastoral Team if a student’s attendance is of concern. The purpose of making home visits is to have a conversation with families about their young person’s attendance, complete a safeguarding check and offer support where applicable.
Attendance Categories
We have different categories and colours for our attendance percentages.
All children know what colour they are for attendance and what they can do to improve.
Blue - 100%, amazing!
Green - 96% or above, fantastic!
Yellow - 94 - 95.9%, almost there!
Orange - 90.1 - 93.9%, well below target!
Red - Below 90%, this is the equivalent of half a day every week!
Punctuality
Punctuality is extremely important. The school day begins at 8:45am. We will take steps as an academy to improve the punctuality of our students:
- Students who are repeatedly late will be placed on punctuality report and tracked daily
- Parent/carers will be informed when a student is late to academy via text/email or phone call.
- If a student is persistently late to school, a parental meeting will be arranged and punctuality report and action plan will be made and reviewed.
- The attendance team will track punctuality throughout the year and intervene where required.
What do I need to do if my child is unwell?
Should your child be unwell and unable to attend school please:
Contact Middleton Primary School via telephone and press option 1 for reporting an absence.
Follow this up with a message to the child's class teacher on Class Dojo where possible.
If your child is unwell the following day it is important that you contact us and let us know every day they are not in school.
Should your child be absent for five or more days you will be asked to provide medical evidence in the form of a doctor's note or prescription.
If we do not know why your child is not in school then this absence would be classed as unexplained. It is essential that school knows where your child is should they not be in school and this means that we will need to contact you to find out why they are not in school.
I need to make a medical appointment for my child, when is the best time to do this?
We ask, wherever possible, that you make any appointments outside of the school day.
If you need to take your child out of school for a medical appointment, or they are due to arrive later/finish earlier due to an appointment, then we please ask you to provide us with medical evidence of the appointment. This can be in the form of an appointment card, text, email, or letter.
Can I take my child on holiday during term time?
Full school attendance is vital for your child’s progress and attainment.
Why is attendance so important?
The Attendance Ladder on this page shows why attendance in school is so important for your child. For every day your child is absent, they lose 5 hours of learning.
Over a year, a child with 90% attendance will lose 18 school days. Should your child have 90% attendance throughout their time at Middleton Primary School they will effectively lose half a year of schooling.
We actively promote 100% attendance for all our students and celebrate with the pupils who have above 96.5% attendance. Use the ladder to see where your child is currently at and challenge them to the next rung.
We recognise that some pupils cannot achieve 100% attendance and encourage you to work with us so that we can celebrate improvement together.
What to do if you are worried?
We want to work with you to support your child in their education.
Please contact us as soon as you realise your child is experiencing difficulties.
Should you be aware of a change in circumstances that may impact on your child's attendance please speak with us. It may be that your child helps with caring responsibilities or there is an issue with transport but we need to know so that we can work with you to ensure your child is able to attend school and learn.
Please contact school and ask to speak with your child's Class Teacher or the Attendance Team.
