Every Day of School is Important – moments matter, attendance counts

Face-to-face education is important in helping pupils to fulfil their potential. During school time we believe pupils should be in class with their teachers and peers, enjoying all the benefits that brings.

Parents or carers have a legal responsibility to ensure their child receives a suitable education, usually achieved through regular attendance at school. There are only a small number of circumstances where missing a school day is permitted.

All schools in Leeds have their own policies and are responsible for keeping accurate records of pupil attendance. We will contact parents and carers directly if we have any concerns about their child’s attendance. School can draw upon a range of services to support families who encounter difficulties in ensuring their children attend school regularly.

Being on time is also really important.

School starts at 8.40am for 3YO Nursery, Reception to Y6 and at 8.45am for 2YO Nursery. Any children arriving after this time, will be late. Arriving into a lesson late, can be difficult for children. Being late on a regular basis adds up to a loss of learning time.

The Part you Play as Parent or Carer

Children sometimes have to miss school because of illness or if they have long term medical issues. If your child is unwell, you should contact us as early as possible, that day, to explain why. If we do not hear from you, we will send a text message as our first response.

All parents and carers can request a ‘leave of absence’ for their child which gives them permission to be absent from school. Leave can only be granted by schools if there are exceptional circumstances. To apply in advance please complete the appropriate form, below.

Parents should plan their holidays around school breaks and avoid requesting leaves of absence for this reason, unless unavoidable. If permission for a holiday is refused and you keep your child off school on the days requested, you are likely to be committing an offence and be issued a fixed penalty notice or be prosecuted by the Local Authority.

Our Attendance Lead is Mrs Jo Price and can be contacted on jo.price@allertonceprimary.com should you have any questions or queries regarding our policy.

From the first day of term to the last, the small moments in a school day make a real difference to your child. We want to work with you to make certain that all children have the same opportunities.

Thank you