We are thankful that working together, we have good rates of attendance and key to this is our vision of a learning community where everyone feels safe, valued and respected to become everything God has created them to be At Prestbury CE Primary School, we believe in developing good patterns of attendance and set high expectations for the attendance and punctuality for all our pupils from the outset. It is a central part of our school’s vision, values, ethos and day to day life. We recognise the strong connections between attendance, attainment, safeguarding and wellbeing.
The name and contact details of the Senior Attendance Champion (the senior leader responsible for the strategic approach to attendance in our school) is Mr Capener (and from Easter 2025, Miss Townes as well), supported by Sarah Pittham SBM head@prestbury.cheshire.sch.uk
Attendance is important because Every Second Counts:
· 5 minutes late each day means three whole days lost each year.
· 17 days missed from school each year equates to a whole GCSE grade.
· Attendance affects learning, future earning, wellbeing and a sense of belonging.
The way that schools function today means that even if a child misses one or two days, s/he may miss out on key learning and find it difficult to ‘pick up’ from where the other children are, due to missing the teaching input and the build-up. Certainly, if a child is absent for a week s/he will miss a unit of English and Maths and may miss a whole unit (topic) in other subjects such as history which s/he will not be taught again.
In KS2, pupils not meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths had an overall absence rate of 4.7%, compared to 3.5% among those meeting the expected standard. Moreover, the overall absence rate of pupils not meeting the expected standard was higher than among those meeting the higher standard (4.7% compared to 2.7%).
For our children to gain the greatest benefit from their education, it is vital that they attend regularly and be at school, on time, every day the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable. It is a rule of this school that pupils must attend every day, unless there are exceptional circumstances, and it is the headteacher, not the parent, who can authorise the absence.
We understand and appreciate that for a variety of reasons attendance can sometimes be a challenge for a child/family, and where this is the case, it is essential that we work together, to enable each child to attend school full-time, with the relevant support being put in place.Â
The school policy on this page outlines our procedures. Also to be found on this page is the form to request Application for leave during term time.
We can provide paper copies of any information free of charge upon request.
Prestbury CE Primary School
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