Late/Absence Procedures

Punctuality...

It is very important for children to arrive at school on time (8:40am).  Sometimes, circumstances may cause children to be late.  If this is the case you must bring your child to the front entrance and let us know why your child was late.  It is very disruptive for your own child, and all the others, for a child to enter the class late.

Attendance...

GEMS Didcot Primary Academy is committed to providing a broad, all round education for all, and encouraging our children to strive for excellence.  Therefore, for a pupil to fulfil their full educational potential, a high level of attendance is essential.

We wish to work in partnership with parents and carers and so are seeking your full support in ensuring that your child attends the school every day and on time.  We are always pleased to work together with parents/carers in resolving any difficulties but we are also committed to ensuring that attendance levels are high at GEMS Didcot Primary Academy.

We expect a minimum of 97% attendance from all pupils.  If your child's attendance falls to 95% this is a cause for concern, and if it is at 93-94.9% there is a risk of underachievement.  Even within the nursery and reception classes, children are learning something new every day and this is not always very easy to catch up.

Regular attendance is not just a legal requirement, it is a vital element in order for children to maximise their learning and achieve their full potential.  There are a number of important steps you can take to ensure your child maintains a high level of attendance:

• Ensure the school has up to date addresses and phone numbers. We will contact you by text or phone if your child is absent and your have not contacted the school.
• If your child is ill, contact the school on a daily basis.
• If no contact is received regarding the absence, it is recorded as unauthorised.  Ultimately the school is responsible for deciding if the absence is acceptable or not.
• Only genuine absence will be authorised.  You will be asked to provide medical evidence if your child has a poor attendance record.
• Ensure that medical appointments are made outside of school time where possible.
• Avoid trivial absence such as 'buying new shoes', hair cuts or birthday treats. These would not be accepted as reasonable absence and will be treated as truancy.
• Holidays should not be taken in term time and will not be authorised.