Attendance
We take attendance very seriously at Harold Court. Our Whole School Attendance Target is 96 %
Our motto is...
We believe that having a good education will help to give your child have the best possible start in life. Children cannot learn if they are absent from school and success in their social, emotional and academic learning depends on good attendance. We believe that it vital for children to attend school every day, however we understand that young children can be susceptible to illness (this is reflected in our school target for every child to have at least 96% attendance). However, regular absences will seriously affect their learning and could affect their emotional well-being (sometimes young children find it hard to come to school again after a break in routine).
Setting good attendance patterns from an early age will also help your child later on. Employers want to recruit people who are reliable. So children who have a poor school attendance record may have less chance of getting a good job.
We believe that children who do not attend school regularly are more likely to:-
- Fall behind in their school work
- Find it difficult to make and keep friends
- Be unhappy at school
Ensuring your child comes to school on time every day is your legal responsibility and keeping them off school without good reason is an offence in law. Persistent absence results in a visit from the Educational Welfare Officer and may lead to you being prosecuted – which of course is something we want to avoid.
What is good attendance?
You can help improve your child’s attendance in the following ways:-
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Ensure that they arrive to school on time and not after the registers have closed.
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Arrange medical appointments, when possible, for during the school holidays. We do understand that some medical appointments do have to be taken in the school day. If this is the case, we ask that you try to arrange them for the start or end of the school day, so that they can attend school for one of the sessions and minimise any disruption to their learning.
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Make sure that before any holidays are booked, you have checked the school’s website for our term dates. HOLIDAYS IN TERM TIME WILL NOT BE AUTHORISED. Working commitments are not classed as exceptional circumstances.
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Keeping healthy so your child is able to attend school more regularly is an important part of your child’s life. Parents/Carers can also help by ensuring their children stay healthy by taking exercise, getting enough sleep and eating a healthy diet.
Our Attendance Policy can be found here
Pastoral Support at Harold Court Primary
Parents/carers whose children are experiencing difficulties should contact the school at an early stage and work together with staff in resolving any problems. At Harold Court, we have our very own pastoral leader, Mrs Ross who is on hand most mornings and evenings or contact her via the school office number if you would like some support/advice regarding your child's attendance.
Alternatively, you may wish to contact the local authorities Education Welfare Officer to ask for help or information. They are independent of the school and will give impartial advice. The contact number is 01708 431777
