ATTENDANCE & PUNCTUALITY

At St. Michael’s, we believe that every day counts, every lesson matters, and every child belongs. Regular attendance and punctuality are essential for your child’s learning, well-being, and safety. Every child has the right to an education (UNCRC Article 28) and missing school can seriously impact academic progress, social development and future opportunities.

This information aligns with our Attendance and Punctuality Policy 2025, which sets out the school’s expectations, monitoring procedures, support systems and legal responsibilities.

Our Attendance Targets

Whole-school target: 97% attendance.
Persistent absence: Below 90%; severe absence: Below 50%.
Every day counts: Missing 10% of school in a year equates to nearly 4 weeks of missed learning (19 days or 80 lessons).

Our Staged Approach to Attendance

In line with the Department for Education’s (DfE) national model, we implement a staged approach to ensure every pupil is supported to attend school regularly:

Expect: We aspire to high standards and build a culture where all children feel they belong and want to be in school, ready to learn.

Monitor: We rigorously use attendance data to identify patterns of poor attendance early so we can work together to resolve them before they become entrenched.

Listen and Understand: When a pupil's attendance raises concern, we will contact you to listen and understand any barriers to attendance and agree on how we can work together to remove them.

Facilitate Support: Where barriers are identified, we work with families and external agencies to provide targeted support—such as pastoral care, SENCO involvement, or health referrals—to help your child attend regularly.

Formalise Support & Enforce: Where absence persists and voluntary support is not engaged with, we will explain the consequences and may arrange formalised support through an Attendance Contract or Education Supervision Order (ESO). Statutory intervention, such as a Penalty Notice, is a last resort to protect the child’s right to an education.

The Attendance Pathway

This section turns the principles above into the specific actions found in your policy.

Stage 1: Early Identification (Below 95%) An Initial Attendance Concern Letter is sent. We will offer early intervention and explore potential Early Help support where needed.
Stage 2: Persistent Absence Risk (Below 90%). An Attendance Below 90% Letter is issued and a meeting is scheduled with a Senior Leader to implement a programme to remove barriers.
Stage 3: Formal Support & Review. A review meeting is held. If there is no improvement, a formal Attendance Contract is implemented and external support is reviewed.
Stage 4: Statutory Intervention. If all avenues are exhausted and support is not engaged with, the school will formally refer the matter to the Wandsworth Education Welfare Service.

Health, Safety & Reporting Absence

The 48-Hour Rule: Children must not return to school until 48 hours after their last bout of vomiting or diarrhoea (UNCRC Article 24).
Daily Reporting: If your child is unwell, please contact the school every day of absence by 8:40 am via phone, email, or the Arbor system.
Medical Evidence: Evidence (appointment letters or prescriptions) is required for absences of five days or more.

If you are unsure whether your child is well enough to attend school, please refer to our school 'Should I keep my child off school?' guidance below.

Should I send my child to school? Guidance for parents

Punctuality Matters

Being on time helps your child feel settled, confident, and ready to learn. Please ensure your child arrives during their designated window:

Years 1–6: 08:30–08:40

Reception: 08:35–08:45

Nursery: 08:45–08:50

Important Note on Registration: Registers close 10 minutes after the end of these windows. Children arriving after the register has closed will receive a 'U' code, which is recorded as an unauthorised absence and directly affects your child’s overall attendance figure.

Leave of Absence

Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Family holidays during term time will not be authorised.
Requests must be made in advance using the school’s Leave of Absence Request Form.

Support and Commitment

First-day response: We will contact parents on the first day of absence if no reason has been provided
Celebrating Success: We celebrate high attendance through weekly bulletins, 100% attendance notices on class boards, and termly thank-you letters to families.

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