Attendance Procedures

How we record attendance

We will keep an electronic attendance register, and place all pupils onto this register.

We will take our attendance register at the start of the first session of each school day and once during the second session. It will mark, using the appropriate national attendance and absence codes from the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024, whether every pupil is:

•    Present
•    Attending an approved off-site educational activity
•    Absent
•    Unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances
•   Any amendment to the attendance register will include:
•    The original entry
•    The amended entry
•    The reason for the amendment
•    The date on which the amendment was made
•    The name and position of the person who made the amendment

We will also record:

• Whether the absence is authorised or not
• The nature of the activity, where a pupil is attending an approved educational activity
• The nature of circumstances, where a pupil is unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances
• We will keep every entry on the attendance register for 6 years after the date on which the entry was made.
• The school day starts at 8.40am and ends at 3.10pm.
• Pupils must arrive in school by 8.40am each school day.

The register for the first session will be taken at 8.40am and will be kept open until 9.10am The register for the second session will be taken at 

Years 3 & 4 - 12.20 and will be kept open until 12.30pm

Reception & KS1 - 12.50 and will be kept open until 1.00pm

Years 5 & 6 - 1.10 and will be kept open until 1.20pm

Reducing persistent and severe absence

The school will:

• Use attendance data to find patterns and trends of persistent and severe absence
• Consider potential safeguarding issues and, where suspected or present, address them in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education
• Hold regular meetings with the parents of pupils who the school (and/or local authority) considers to be vulnerable or at risk of persistent or severe absence, or who are persistently or severely absent, to:
  • Discuss attendance and engagement at school
  • Listen, and understand barriers to attendance
  • Explain the help that is available
  • Explain the potential consequences of, and sanctions for, persistent and severe absence
  • Review any existing actions or interventions
  • Provide access to wider support services to remove the barriers to attendance, in conjunction with the local authority, where relevant
  • Consider alternative support that could be put in place to remove any barriers to attendance and re-engage these pupils. In doing so, the school will sensitively consider some of the reasons for absence
  • Implement sanctions, where necessary (see National Framework for Penalty Notices)
  • Explain any other procedures your school has for targeting unauthorised absence – for example, meetings, letters, and closer monitoring.

Absence Reporting Procedures

To report an absence:

Telephone number: 01922 710 514 

If a child is absent from school the parent/carer must follow these procedures:

• Contact the School Admin Team on the first day of absence before 9:30am (see above).
• The school has an answer phone available to leave a message if nobody is available to take your call, or you may call into school personally and speak to the office staff. Please be aware that, if you leave a voicemail to report your child’s absence, you may receive a call from the school so that we may discuss the absence before making a decision as to whether the absence is to be recorded as authorised;
• Contact the school on every further day of absence, again before 9:30am;
• Ensure that your child returns to school as soon as possible and that you provide any medical evidence, if requested, to support the absence. Medical evidence may be requested where your child is having multiple periods of absence which are reported as being due to medical reasons. When determining whether a child is too ill to attend school, both parents and school staff can consider the advice contained within the NHS and The Spotty Book Guidance - Public Health Guidance - Walsall Council

We monitor and review all pupils’ absence, and the reasons that are given, thoroughly. We will submit a daily attendance return to the Department of Education, in line with the legal expectations placed on all schools. 

If a child is absent, the following procedures are followed:

Absent Pupils Day One

Day 2

If all contact attempts have not been successful, school will contact Walsall children’s services to seek advice regarding pupil welfare. This may include contacting the Police to request a safe and well check

If absence continues we will:

• Write to you if your child’s attendance is below 96% and/or where punctuality is a concern;
• Arrange a meeting so that you may discuss the situation with a member of our attendance team and/or the Headteacher;
• Create a personalised support plan, such as an attendance contract, to address any barriers to attendance and make clear each person’s role in improving the attendance patterns of your child;
• Offer signposting support to other agencies or services, if appropriate;
• Refer the matter to the Local Authority for relevant legal sanctions, if attendance deteriorates following the above actions.

Lateness / Punctuality

Poor punctuality is not acceptable and can sometimes lead to irregular school attendance patterns. Good time-keeping is a vital life-skill which will help children as they progress through their school life and out into the wider world.

Pupils who arrive late disrupt lessons and, if a child misses the start of the day, they can feel unsettled and embarrassed and risk missing vital work and important messages from their class teacher.

The times of the start and close of the school day for all pupils at Leamore Primary School are:

Gates open: 8:30am 

Registration in class: 8.40am

Registration closes: 9.10am 

We expect parents and staff to encourage good punctuality by being good role models to our children and, as a school, we celebrate good class and individual punctuality. However, if you have arrived after the gates have closed at 08:40am, you will need to accompany your child to the school office (this is clearly signposted).