At Clifton, we want every child to attend school regularly, arrive on time and make the most of every school day.

Regular attendance is important for children's learning, friendships, wellbeing and sense of belonging. Missing school regularly can make it harder for children to keep up with their learning and can mean that they miss important experiences with their classmates.

We know that there can sometimes be genuine reasons why attending school becomes difficult. If your family is experiencing difficulties that are affecting your child's attendance or punctuality, please speak to us. We want to work with families as early as possible to understand any barriers and help children attend school regularly. This reflects the DfE's current emphasis on support and early intervention. GOV.UK

If Your Child Is Unwell

Children should attend school whenever they are well enough to do so. However, if your child is too unwell to attend, please contact the school on the first day of absence and each subsequent day, explaining the reason for their absence.

If we have not received a reason for your child's absence, we will contact you. This is an important part of our safeguarding procedures as we need to know that children who are expected to be in school are safe. Schools are expected to follow up unexplained absence. GOV.UK

Children can often attend school with minor illnesses such as a mild cough or cold if they are otherwise well enough. If you are unsure whether your child should attend school, please contact us for advice.

For information about specific illnesses and when children should remain at home, please see our Medical Information page.

Medical Appointments

Wherever possible, routine medical and dental appointments should be arranged outside school hours.

We understand that this is not always possible, particularly for hospital and specialist appointments. If your child needs to attend an appointment during the school day, please let the school office know in advance and provide evidence of the appointment where requested.

Children should attend school before and/or after their appointment wherever it is practical for them to do so.

Punctuality Matters Too

Arriving at school on time helps children have a calm and positive start to their day. When children arrive late, they can miss important teaching and routines and may find it harder to settle into learning.

Our school day for Reception to Year 6 begins at 8:45am. Gates open at 8:35am and close at 8:45am.

If you are experiencing difficulties getting your child to school on time, please speak to us so that we can understand what is happening and offer support where possible.

If Getting to School Becomes Difficult

There may be times when family circumstances, health, anxiety or other difficulties make regular attendance more challenging.

Please contact us as early as possible rather than waiting for attendance to become a significant concern. We will listen, work with you to understand what is preventing your child from attending regularly and consider what support may help.

Where appropriate, we may work with other professionals and the Local Authority to provide additional support.

Leave During Term Time

Parents and Carers should arrange holidays and other planned absence during the school holidays.

A leave of absence during term time can only be authorised by the Headteacher where the circumstances are considered exceptional. Holidays are not generally considered exceptional circumstances. GOV.UK

If you need to request leave during term time, you must complete a Leave of Absence Request Form in advance, explaining the circumstances of your request. Each application will be considered individually.

Unauthorised absence, including unauthorised term-time leave, may result in a penalty notice or other legal action. Under the national framework, a penalty notice must be considered when a pupil reaches 10 sessions of unauthorised absence within a rolling 10-school-week period. GOV.UK

Why We Contact You About Absence

Knowing where children are is an important part of our safeguarding responsibility.

If your child is expected at school but does not arrive and we have not received an explanation, we will try to contact you. Where we are unable to establish the reason for an absence or have concerns about a child's welfare, we may take further steps in line with our safeguarding and attendance procedures.

How We Monitor Attendance

We monitor attendance and punctuality regularly so that we can identify concerns early.

Where attendance begins to fall, we will contact families and work with them to understand the reasons and identify any support that may be needed. Where concerns continue, we may arrange an attendance meeting and work alongside the Local Authority or other services.

A pupil is considered persistently absent when they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions, regardless of whether those absences are authorised or unauthorised. Our aim is always to identify difficulties early and work with families to improve attendance before absence becomes persistent.