Attendance

To report your child’s absence, please email: attendance@bywelljuniorschool.co.uk.

Our school starts for all children at 8:30 am.

The gates are opened at 8:20 am.

Classroom doors close at 8:32 am.

All attendance after this time is recorded as unauthorised, and School Ping will be used to notify Parents/Carers.

We want all our children to achieve their very best and thrive in school academically and socially. There is a clear link between good school attendance and high standards. For our children to gain the most significant benefit from their education, both socially and academically, it is vital that they attend school regularly. Every child should be at school on time, every day the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable.

There are also safeguarding concerns when children have significant or frequent periods of illness, which are discussed with the local authority safeguarding team.

We celebrate strong attendance and punctuality in several ways at our school, including rewards and certificates. To support our Parents/Carers, we keep them notified about their child’s attendance on a half-termly basis. Where required, we work with individual families to create action plans to bring about improvements.

Routine appointments, such as the dentist or opticians, should be made out of school time whenever possible.

Term time holidays or any other leave of absence will be unauthorised unless there are exceptional circumstances. Authorisation should be sought BEFORE booking as per school policy.

When absence falls below 97% due to illness, evidence of medical advice should be sought and presented to the school. Without this evidence, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised.

Individual cases of repeated or lengthy absences may result in further intervention, including involvement from the Education Safeguarding Team at Kirklees Local Authority.

Children’s regular attendance at school is the responsibility of all Parent/Carers, and if they permit absence from school without good reason, they create an offence in law, which may result in prosecution.

At Bywell, we do not believe there is any such thing as a late child. Punctuality is an important life skill, and we look to our Parents/Carers to instill this in to our children.

Thank you for working with the school regarding this matter.