Slater Primary School
Together We Believe. Together We Achieve
Attendance
High Expectations
At Slater Primary School we want all our children to enjoy coming to school regularly. Our attendance target is to aim for 100%. There is clear research that links poor attendance with lower academic achievement.
Why is it so important to attend?
Learning is a progressive activity; each day’s lessons build upon those of the previous day(s). One week of absence could miss entire learning units.
Reading the material and completing work independently does not compensate for direct interaction with the teacher.
Many classes use discussions, demonstrations, experiments and participation as part of the daily learning activities, and these cannot be made up by those who are absent.
What can parents do to help?
- Help your child understand the importance of regular attendance, including arriving to school on time every day.
- If your child misses school, speak with the class teacher on how they can catch up on the work they missed.
- If your child is ill and needs to stay at home, contact the school office.
- Where possible arrange any appointments, trips and holidays outside of school time. The school cannot authorise holidays during term time and will most likely result in a £60 fine per child, per parent.
What will we do?
- Organise meetings every few weeks with the Education Welfare Officer to discuss attendance below 96%. Children with attendance below 90% are persistent absentees and a Attendance Panel Meeting will likely be arranged.