Starting school on time
Children are expected to be punctual for school, arriving to school on time. We attach great importance to making a prompt start to the day. Lateness is extremely disruptive to the teachers, the class and your child.
- The gates are open between 8:30am and 8:45am. Teachers provide learning tasks from 8:30am in class.
- If you arrive after the gates have closed, you must enter through the school office and inform office staff of your lunch choice.
- Pupils arriving through the office will be marked late.
- Pupils who arrive after 9:20am will be marked with a U on the register which is the same as an absent mark for the morning session.
Attendance
Our expectation is that every child is in school every day. Being in school has many benefits for a child’s social, emotional and academic progress. When they are not attending school, it can have a significant impact on their learning and development.
What should I do if my child is absent?
- Inform the school by phone or email by 9am.
- Give a specific reason for my child’s absence.
- Call the school back every day my child is absent to provide an update.
- When my child returns to school, I may be asked to provide evidence of the absence, e.g prescription medication, Dr appointment confirmation.
What happens if I don’t inform the school of absence?
- School will attempt to contact parents/carers by phone, text and/or email.
- If by the 3rd day of absence no response is received, staff may visit the home to carry out a welfare check.
- If no response is received at home, pupils will be reported to ‘Children Missing Education’ (CME) at the Local Authority.
- Your child’s place at the school may be at risk.
If your child’s attendance is below 90%, it will be carefully monitored. If there are problems or difficulties affecting the attendance of your child/ren, please contact the school office. It is the duty of parents to ensure their child attends school on a daily basis. Failure to do so may in extreme cases result in court action. For further information please visit our ‘Policies’ section under ‘About Us’.
Term Time Holidays
Please note, holidays must not be taken during term time as it disrupts a child’s learning. If you need leave for exceptional circumstances, please complete a form with is available from the school and an appointment can be made to speak to the headteacher, Ms Hasker. Leave taken without permission from the headteacher may result in a Fixed Penalty Fine.
Collection at the end of the day
Children must be collected on time at the end of the day by their parents or an adult known to the school. If someone different will be collecting your child, you MUST inform the office before the end of the day. If there is an emergency and you think you will be late, it is important that you let school know in good time by contacting the Office. Your child/ren will not be put into After School Club unless you have booked on the app in advance/ called the office to request that they do so.
Parents of Year 6 pupils can make arrangements with the school for their child to travel home independently by completing a Walking Home Alone form shared by the teacher. Please note, after October half term, Year 6 pupils attending after school sports clubs will not be allowed to walk home alone, as it gets dark earlier.
Nursery and Reception pupils must be collected by an adult at all times. Children not collected on time can become very upset and distressed. Year 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 pupils may be collected by a family member aged 16 and over by prior agreement.
Celebrating Good Attendance
We acknowledge and celebrate good attendance in several ways at Woodlands.
Weekly:
- In assembly, we celebrate weekly whole class attendance figures, with the highest percentage receiving the attendance cup for the week and golden time.
- Pupils who had 100% attendance the previous week will be on the attendance wheel, which is spun in assembly. If their name is selected at random, they will join the ‘Golden Games’- an opportunity to enjoy indoor games at lunchtime with a friend of their choice (who also has 100% attendance for the previous week)
Half termly:
- Pupils who reached the target of 96.5% or more will be awarded a certificate in our celebration assembly. Pupils have a chance to collect 6 of these certificates throughout the year.
Termly:
- Those who achieved the target for the whole term will receive a certificate and 20 dojos. Pupils can collect 3 of these certificates throughout the year.
Yearly:
- All those pupils who reached the 96.5% target at the end of the academic year will receive a Golden Ticket invite to join ‘Gold Day’ (a special celebration in school) in the final week of school.
100 club
- Those children who had 100% attendance for the first half term (Autumn 1) will join the 100 club and their name will be added to the corridor display. If they stay on 100% for the whole year, they will be awarded a special prize.