Attendance
Regular attendance gives children the best opportunity to learn, build friendships and feel that they belong at school. Every day matters, but we also recognise that attendance can sometimes be affected by illness, additional needs or difficulties facing a child or family.
Our approach is straightforward: we maintain high expectations, identify concerns early and work with families to understand and overcome barriers. Mr Benstead and Mrs Farmer lead this work and are available to support families where attendance or punctuality is becoming difficult.
The school day
The school doors open at 8.40am. Children should be in their classrooms and ready to learn by 8.50am.
Arriving late can be unsettling for a child and means that important learning and classroom routines are missed. If punctuality is becoming difficult, please speak to us so that we can understand the circumstances and agree practical support.
Reporting an absence
If your child is unable to attend school, please tell us before 8.50am on every day of the absence, unless a longer period has already been agreed with the school.
You can report an absence:
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by telephone on 01977 650820; or
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through the school’s approved communication app.
Please tell us your child’s name, class and the reason for the absence. Providing this information promptly allows us to spend less time following up unexplained absences and more time supporting children and families.
If we have not received an explanation, we will contact you and may also contact the other emergency contacts recorded for your child. Where we remain unable to establish that a child is safe, we will take proportionate further action in line with our safeguarding responsibilities.
Illness and medical needs
Children should attend whenever they are well enough to do so. We do not expect children to attend when they are genuinely too unwell to learn.
Where illness is recurring, prolonged or connected to a medical or special educational need, please contact us. We will listen carefully, consider any reasonable adjustments and work with you and relevant professionals to help your child access as much education as possible.
Medical evidence will only be requested where it is genuinely needed to help us understand an absence or put appropriate support in place. It is not required automatically for every illness.
Understanding attendance
Attendance is calculated from the morning and afternoon sessions a child is expected to attend.
Persistent absence means that a pupil has missed 10% or more of their possible school sessions. This includes a pupil whose attendance is exactly 90%.
Severe absence means that a pupil has missed 50% or more of their possible sessions.
These terms describe the amount of education missed; they do not explain why a child has been absent. We therefore consider each child’s circumstances and do not wait for a particular percentage before offering help.
Upton has an attendance ambition of 96% or above. This is a school improvement reference point rather than a legal threshold or permission to miss 4% of the school year.
How we support attendance
Where concerns emerge, we will:
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check that our attendance information is accurate;
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talk with the child and family to understand what is happening;
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consider health, SEND, wellbeing, family circumstances and any difficulties within school;
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agree clear and practical actions;
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identify a named member of staff to coordinate support;
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review whether the support is working; and
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involve appropriate services where additional help is needed.
Our response is matched to the child and the barrier. We will recognise genuine improvement and successful reintegration, even where a child’s cumulative attendance percentage takes time to recover.
Families do not need to wait for the school to make contact. If you are worried that attendance may become difficult, please speak to us as early as possible.
Leave during term time
Parents and carers should arrange holidays and other planned activities outside the school term wherever possible.
The headteacher may authorise leave during term time only where there are exceptional circumstances. Each request is considered individually. A family holiday, the availability of cheaper travel or a previous record of good attendance would not normally amount to an exceptional circumstance.
Requests should be made in writing, normally at least two weeks in advance, using the school’s leave-of-absence form. Leave cannot be authorised retrospectively.
Where leave is not authorised, the absence will be recorded using the appropriate statutory attendance code. It may also be referred to Wakefield Council for consideration of formal action, including a penalty notice, in accordance with the national framework and Wakefield arrangements.
Working together
Good attendance is a shared responsibility. We ask families to:
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make regular and punctual attendance a priority;
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report absence promptly and provide an honest explanation;
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keep emergency contact information up to date;
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arrange routine appointments outside the school day where possible;
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avoid taking holidays during term time; and
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tell us early if there is a difficulty affecting attendance.
In return, we will maintain accurate records, communicate respectfully, listen to children and families, offer appropriate support and act consistently when attendance is a concern.
Contact us
If you would like to discuss your child’s attendance or punctuality, please contact the school office on 01977 650820 and ask to speak with Mr Benstead or Mrs Farmer.
Documents
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Request for Leave of Absence During Term Time