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Attendance
Here at Merrydale Junior School we are passionate about working together to improve attendance.
Our mission is to see all our pupils with above 95% attendance.
There is a clear link between attendance and achievement. Whenever a child misses school, they miss out on important learning. This time can never be caught up and disrupts a child’s learning. Regular attendance is the most important factor in a child reaching their full potential. If you have 90% attendance for a whole year that means that you have had nearly 4 whole weeks off school in a year! That equates to 19 days off in a school year or half a day every week!
Merrydale’s Promise To
- Contact you on the first day of absence by telephone if we have not been given a reason for absence
- We will contact you if we have any concerns over attendance and punctuality.
- We will notify parents every half term when their child’s attendance is above 95%.
- We will give half term class attendance rewards.
- We will support you in promoting good attendance and punctuality.
- We will be there for you if you contact us about issues that may be impacting on your child’s attendance. We will do our best to support you and find a solution to the problem.
- If your child’s absence is below 90%, we will hold a meeting to work together to improve attendance. Should attendance not improve after this period The Educational Welfare Officer will be notified.
Parent Expectations
- You will call every morning of your child’s absence before 9.15am.
- Your child will be in school ideally at 8.30am and before 8.45am.
- You will collect your child promptly at 3.20pm or 4.20pm if they are in an afterschool club.
- Any holidays will be taken during school holiday periods. Any holidays taken during term time parents will be required to complete in full the exceptional circumstances form, available at the office.
- Parents will endeavour to make appointments outside of school hours. When this is not possible, they will provide evidence of that appointment.
Attendance Matters
Children are welcome to come into school from 8.30am to begin their day with a reading session. Members of the senior leadership and the pastoral team are out on the playground to talk to every morning and at the end of the school day. If you need to talk to a member of staff, please do not hesitate to call to arrange an appointment.
Late arrivals cause disruption to the class and beginning of your child’s day. Please ensure that your child arrives at school on time.
Medical Appointments
If it is necessary to have a medical appointment during school hours please try to arrange it so that your child is absent for the afternoon.
We will also require a photocopy of an appointment letter / card in order to record the absence as medical.
Routine dental and doctor appointments should, where possible, be made after school.
Reporting an Absence
If your child is absent please contact the office on 0116 276 7708