ON TIME - EVERY DAY

At Springwell, we regard regular attendance as essential to ensuring the best possible outcomes for all of our pupils. There is a clear link between good attendance and increased attainment. For our pupils to be safe and gain the greatest benefit from their education, it is vital that they attend regularly and are on time, every day.  To support pupils, we work hard to ensure that they feel that their presence is valued and that they are missed when they are absent or late.

Regular attendance enables pupils to adapt better to routines, schoolwork and friendship groups.  Therefore, those pupils will have a positive experience of learning and a more successful transition from primary to secondary and beyond to further education and training. Missing one day per week equals one year of school missed over the course of five years. For our pupils to be safe and fulfill their potential it is vital that they attend regularly and are on time, every day.

The school day starts at 8.50am and ends at 2.30pm.

Further information about our attendance commitments, expectations and processes can be found in our Attendance Policy. Our policy is written to include the recommendations set out in Working together to improve school attendance (2024).

Reporting Absence

If your child is unable to attend school you must:

  • Contact school as soon as possible on the first day of absence (and each subsequent day), explaining the reason for absence.

  • Contract transport (if relevant) to notify them of absence

  • Be available to accommodate home visits from staff members

To support your child and help promote good attendance, school will:

  • Telephone parents and carers on the first day of absence if we have not heard from them

  • Ask questions to find out why your child is not at school 

  • Work with you to ensure your child returns to school as quickly as possible

  • Invite you into school to discuss the situation if your child is persistently absent or a pattern of absence starts to form

  • Take further action if attendance falls, or is at risk of falling below 90% (see our Attendance Policies).

Appointments in the School Day

Appointments for medical or dental treatment should, whenever possible, be outside normal school hours. If this is impossible the school should be notified well in advance by telephone or written note.

Leave of Absence Term Time

Taking a leave of absence (e.g. for a holiday) in term time will affect a pupil’s education as much as any other absence and we expect parents to help us by not taking children away in term time. The current law does not give any entitlement to parents to take their children on a leave of absence during term time. Any application for leave must be in exceptional circumstances and the Head of School must be satisfied that the circumstances warrant the granting of leave. Parents can be fined for taking their child on a leave of absence during term time without consent from the school. 

Our Attendance Policies set out the principles and guidelines through which we seek to raise attendance; improve punctuality and, as a consequence, raise levels of progress.