Attendance

At our school, we believe that excellent attendance and positive behaviour are fundamental to helping every child reach their full potential. These elements are key to raising standards in pupil progress and achievement.

We are dedicated to delivering a high-quality education for all our pupils, within a safe, welcoming, and nurturing environment where every child feels valued. The success of our school is built on strong partnerships between staff, parents/carers, and pupils.

Every child has the right to access the education they deserve. Together, parents/carers, staff, and governors share the responsibility of promoting and supporting outstanding attendance and punctuality.

We aim for 100% attendance for all pupils who are fit and well enough to attend. We actively encourage a positive attitude towards school and learning, and regularly communicate the importance of consistent attendance and punctuality to both children and their families.

Excellent attendance is important because:

• Statistics show a direct link between under-achievement and absence below 95%

• Regular attenders make better progress, both socially and academically

• Regular attenders find school routines, schoolwork and friendships easier to cope with

• Regular attenders find learning more satisfying

• Regular attenders are more successful in transferring between primary school, secondary school, and higher education, employment or training.

Broughton Fields aims to:

• Provide a safe, caring and happy learning environment

• Raise achievement through the promotion of excellent attendance and punctuality

• To create a culture in which excellent attendance and punctuality is valued

• Continually strive to improve the attendance and punctuality of all children

• Make attendance and punctuality a priority for all those associated with the school including children, parents/carers, staff and governors

• Provide support, advice and guidance to parents/carers and children

• Promote effective partnerships with services or agencies as necessary

We ask parents & carers to:

• Ensure their child attends school regularly, punctually, dressed in the correct uniform, equipped and ready for learning having had appropriate rest, sleep and eaten breakfast each morning

• Impress upon their child the importance of attending school regularly and following the school’s positive behaviour policy

• Ensure holidays are not taken in term time

• Avoid arranging non-urgent medical appointments during school hours/term time

• Inform the school daily, of absence and communicate the reason for their child’s absence by telephone, email, letter or in person to the school office

• Maintain regular communication with the school about any concerns/issues which may lead to poor or non-attendance

• Take an active interest in their child’s school life and work

Illness

We know that sometimes our pupils cannot come to school because they are really unwell - and that's the right thing to do for them and other children. Medical advice is clear however that children with mild illness will often be well enough to attend - for example if they have a cough, or cold, without a temperature. The NHS guidance Is my child too ill for school? is designed to support parents in their decision making about mild illness. When a child reaches 15 days of absence due to illness, we are able to make a referral to the Local Authority and a fixed penalty notice can be issued.

Morning arrival and punctuality at Broughton Fields

At Broughton Fields Primary School, classroom doors open at 8:30am, and children are warmly welcomed by their teacher or teaching assistant. We encourage all families to arrive between 8:30am and 8:40am, allowing children time to settle and prepare for learning. The school day officially begins at 8:45am, when registers are taken.

Why punctuality matters:

• Children arriving late miss vital instructions and information shared at the start of the day.

• Late arrivals can feel unsettled or self-conscious entering a classroom that is already in progress.

• One late arrival can disrupt the learning environment for the entire class.

We closely monitor patterns of lateness. If a child is persistently late, parents or carers will be contacted to discuss the importance of punctuality and explore ways to support timely attendance.