ATTENDANCE

“Let’s give our children the chance to be the best version of themselves.”

The importance of Attendance

Every school day missed by a child is a piece of the puzzle lost, and a thread of opportunity left unexplored. Consistency in attendance is more than a routine; it’s a lifeline that connects a child to a world of possibilities. Consider this – each day at school presents a chance to learn something new, to engage in discussions that spark creativity, to develop relationships, and to build skills that will shape their future. By ensuring your child attends school every day, you are laying a strong foundation for their future success, and they will benefit in several ways:

Academic Achievement:

Regular attendance ensures that your child does not miss out on critical lessons and activities that build on their knowledge and skills, it helps them keep up with the curriculum and perform better throughout their years at school.

Social Development:

Being in school every day and starting the day promptly allows your child to interact with their peers, build friendships, and develop essential social skills. These interactions are important for their emotional and social well-being.

Routine and Discipline:

Attending school regularly helps establish a routine and instils a sense of discipline and responsibility in your child. These habits are beneficial not only for their schooling years but also for their future endeavours.

Engagement and Participation:

Daily attendance fosters a sense of belonging and encourages active participation in school activities. This engagement can enhance your child’s enthusiasm for learning and boost their confidence.

“Attendance is the essential foundation to positive outcomes for all pupils and should therefore be seen as everyone’s responsibility.”

How you can help

Four key principles of supporting your child’s attendance and helping them be the best versions of themselves:

Set a routine Communicate Stay informed Encourage and support

Let your child know that you think school is important.
Make sure your child goes to school regularly and arrives on time.
Take an interest in your child's schoolwork.
Set a regular bedtime schedule and routine.
Provide your child with plenty of time to get ready for school.
If your child starts to miss school due to not wanting to go, speak to the school. We understand that parents and carers worry about their children’s mental health. Rather than keeping your child off school, let us know about your concerns. Hallam Fields are passionate about supporting the mental well-being of our children ensuring they feel safe and valued.
Have regular communication with the school.
If your child is ill, contact the school and explain the reason for the absence. This link Is my child too ill for school? - NHS may help if you are in any doubt when a child should not be in school due to an illness.
Set good examples and enforce rules.
Post the school calendar and notes on the refrigerator, or another prominent location.
Balance time with extracurricular activities.

Most importantly, please note there are 175 non-term days in which family holidays and excursions can be made. We understand the challenges of the cost of holidays taken out of term time but please understand that under the new legislation from the Government, holidays in term time will not be approved unless there is proof of exceptional circumstances. Unfortunately, penalty notices are likely to be issued to each parent for each child for unauthorised holidays taken in term time.

How we help

At Hallam Fields we acknowledge that attendance is the essential foundation to positive outcomes for your child. Therefore, we ensure it is seen as everyone’s responsibility within the school community and follow the same four key principles of supporting your child’s attendance, helping them be the best versions of themselves:

Set routines Communicate Keep you informed Encourage and support

Hallam Fields have the routine of following a set timetable daily and weekly, therefore if your child is regularly late or usually absent from school on the same day each week, they will be consistently missing the same lessons.
Our curriculum is planned so skills and knowledge are built upon progressively throughout the course of the year and throughout each school year. Therefore, if a week of education is missed this will be a building block of knowledge missed by your child for their education.
Our positive school environment offers a nurturing, calm, safe and supportive atmosphere, helping children feel safe, comfortable and ready to learn
We strive to build strong, positive relationships with families which will help us understand your needs and concerns, enabling us to offer support to help your child attend school.
Through close monitoring and weekly meetings, we aim to address issues early and implement early intervention and support where required.
We will communicate promptly and effectively with parents and carers to address any attendance issues that may arise
At Hallam Fields Junior School we work hard in building a sense of community and belonging to help enhance the children’s motivation and attendance.
We encourage family engagement through involving parents and carers in school activities and events wherever possible
At Hallam Fields we offer a strong pastoral support system helping families overcome attendance barriers and difficulties.

“Attendance is the soul of success.”

We understand that sometimes circumstances arise that can make attending school difficult. If you ever face any challenges in ensuring your child’s regular attendance, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We are here to support you and your child in any way we can.

Click here to download a copy of our attendance policy

Click here to download a copy of the attendance letter from DCC

Click here to download a copy of the attendance information booklet for parents

Click here to download a copy of our leave of absence request form
(paper copies are also available outside the office)

Our welfare and attendance officer is Miss Attenborough, she can be contacted for any support with attendance on 0115 9322568 or missattenborough@hallamfields.derbyshire.sch.uk

She is also on the gate each morning to talk to.

What does good attendance look like ? 95% or above.