At Scotby CE School, we believe that excellent attendance is essential.  Regular attendance supports children's academic progress, wellbeing, friendships and long term success.

We follow Cumberland Council's attendance guidance and the most recent national framework from the Department for Education which is available to read below.

Why Attendance Matters

Children who attend school regularly:

• Make better academic progress
• Develop strong friendships and social skills
• Build positive routines and resilience
• Feel more confident and secure
• Feel a sense of belonging

As you can see below, even small amounts of absence can have a significant impact over time,

95% attendance equates to 9.5 days missed (61 hours and 45 minutes of schooling)

90% attendance equates to 19 days missed (123 hours and 30 minutes of schooling)

The New Attendance Framework

Under the updated national attendance framework:

• Schools must prioritise strong daily attendance
• Schools must identify attendance concerns early
• Parents are legally responsible for ensuring that their child attends school regularly
• Local authorities may issue legal interventions if a child's attendance does not improve.

Further information can be seen in the government publication below.

Parental Responsibilities

As a parent/carer, you must:

• Ensure that your child attends school every day unless genuinely unwell.
• Contact the school on the first day of absence providing a detailed reason for absence.
• Provide medical evidence if requested before an absence can be authorised.
• Avoid booking holidays in term time.

Please note:

• Absence should only be requested in exceptional circumstances and must be authorised in advance by the headteacher.
• Unauthorised term time holidays may result in a Penalty Notice being issued by Cumberland Council.

What To Do If Your Child is Absent

If your child is unwell:

• Contact the school admin office, preferably before the start of the school day but by 9:30 am at the latest. (You may leave a message on the answer machine)
• Provide clear detailed about the illness.
• Keep the school updated if the absence continues.
• Provide medical evidence if requested - we cannot authorise an illness without evidence if a child's attendance is already low.

Contact Details: 01228 513270

Is My Child Too Ill for School - NHS guidance is linked below

How We Support Good Attendance

At Scotby CE School we support good and improved attendance through:

• Monitoring attendance each day
• Contacting families on the first day of an unexplained absence
• Working with families to understand and remove barriers to attendance
• Offering support plans where needed to improve attendance
• Work with Cumberland Council where appropriate.

Punctuality 

Being late for school causes disruption to your child's learning and that of others in the class. Every child should arrive at school on time.

Children are welcomed into the  class five minutes before registration begins.  We currently operate a staggered start - although as shown in the transition booklets, all siblings can arrive together at the earliest time.

EYFS and Key Stage Two

• Doors open at 8:40 am and their day starts at 8:45 am. 
• Children arriving after the registration period ends at 8:50 am are late and must go to the school admin office.
• The admin team will sign the child in and record the number of minutes late.
•  Any child arriving after 9:30 am is recorded as an unauthorised absence.
• If the child enters school alone, the admin team will contact parents to establish the cause of lateness which will also be recorded in the register.

Key Stage One

• Doors open at 8:50 am and their day starts at 8:55 am.
• Children arriving after the registration period ends at 9:00 am are late and must go to the school office.
• The admin team will sign the child in and record the number of minutes late,
• Any child arriving after 9:30 am is recorded as an unauthorised absence.
• If the child enters school alone, the admin team will contact parents to establish the cause of lateness which will also be recorded in the register.

If a child becomes late on a regular basis, the class teacher will make contact with the parents to see if there are any issues that the school can support with.

Our approach is to be supportive and child-focused.  Legal interventions are a last resort.