Attendance
At Fiddlers Lane Community Primary School, we truly love teaching children and feel privileged to play a part in their learning and development each day. Having pupils in school regularly is incredibly important.
While attendance is a legal requirement, it means much more to us than that. Every day in school gives children the chance to learn, grow in confidence, build friendships and feel safe within a supportive environment. We genuinely want our pupils to be here, engaged in their learning and enjoying all the opportunities that school provides.
By working together with families to support good attendance, we can ensure every child benefits from the consistency, care and high-quality education they deserve.
Our attendance target is 96%
You can view our Attendance Policy here: Attendance Policy
We encourage regular attendance to ensure that our pupils have the best opportunity to learn and develop. Absences mean that children miss important learning time and it may be difficult for them to catch up on work later on.
If your child needs to be absent from school, you must:
- Inform the school office on the first day of absence by phoning 0161 921 1700
- Give an estimated date of return to school or phone on each day of their absence
- If your child is unable to return to school on the expected date, please inform school office
- Please arrange appointments out of school hours. If your child has to be absent for an appointment, please provide copies of medical appointment letters or cards so that the absence can be authorised.
Understanding types of absence
We take a morning and afternoon register. Each of these registers have an ‘attendance mark’, so a child receives 2 marks per school day. An absence from school has to be classified as either authorised or unauthorised. This is why information about the cause of any absence is always required. Absences without explanation will be marked as unauthorised.
Authorised absences must have reasons like illness, emergency, medical appointments (that cannot be arranged out of school time) or another unavoidable cause.
Unauthorised absences are those that the school does not consider reasonable, and for which no approved leave has been given.
This includes:
- Children who arrive at school too late to get a mark (after 9:15)
- Children absent from school unnecessarily or refusal to come in
- Absences that have not been properly explained
- Holidays in term time
How you can help
- Develop a good routine for the morning and the evening before school. Get everything ready for school the night before- homework, bookbag, uniform etc. this will make the morning run much more smoothly.
- Getting a good night’s sleep will ensure your child feels more awake and looking forward to school. Avoid TV and electronic devices for at least 30 minutes before bedtime to help your child drift off to sleep more easily.
- Having time for breakfast will start your child’s day in a positive way, starting their metabolism and helping them to feel ready to learn.
- Try to be here on time every day. Walking into class late can be a worrying prospect ,and will also mean that your child has missed out on some valuable learning.
- Really consider whether your child needs to stay at home for the whole day. If you cant see physical signs of illness, just let us know and we will keep an eye on them and contact you if their symptoms do not improve. This will help your child to develop good habits for the future world of work.
Punctuality
Punctuality is an important life skill. Pupils are expected to be on time for school every day.
When pupils are late, even by 2 minutes, they miss essential learning and instructions given out at the start of their lesson. This can significantly reduce achievement, regardless of
academic ability. Your child may also feel awkward arriving to the classroom when everyone else is settled. Furthermore, when one pupil arrives late, it disrupts the entire class and the teacher – everyone’s education is compromised.
Not only is this disruptive to the pupils’ education, it also inconveniences staff, who have to take pupils from the office to the classrooms and amend lunch choices.
Our school morning routine is outlined below:
| 8:30 | School gates open, pupils line up |
| 8:40 | Classroom doors open |
| 8:45 | Doors close. Register taken |
| 8:50 | Lessons begin |
Please ensure that you leave your home in plenty of time, in order for pupils to be on school grounds once the gates are open.
If there is an emergency which means you are running late, please phone school to let the office staff know.
If your child’s attendance does become a concern, you may be invited to a meeting with our Attendance Team – Mrs Lax, Mrs Hughes or Mrs Forster – to see if any support can be offered.
Thank you for your support.
Holidays during term time are not authorised. If you do decide to take your child out of school, please complete the Holiday Notification Form below.
Importance of Attendance Leaflet by Angela Hughes
Reducing Barriers to Education
Every child is unique, and we recognise that no two experiences are the same. Home lives differ, personalities differ, and every child’s brain works in its own fantastic way. From time to time, challenges may arise that make attending school feel difficult for a child. When this happens, our priority is to listen, understand, and support.
We work closely with pupils and families to identify what may be creating barriers and to put supportive strategies in place. Our aim is to help every child feel safe, confident, and ready to engage with learning, while reducing the obstacles that may be affecting their attendance and wellbeing.
