Attendance
Attendance & Punctuality
At Woodland Community Primary School, we believe good attendance at school is crucial for effective learning to take place. As children grow and prepare for their next stage of education and employment they need to see good attendance and punctuality as important qualities that are valued by others and employers. We will do all that we can to work together with our families to encourage good attendance and punctuality. Our Woodland target for attendance is 94%. Where children are not conforming to our high expectations for attendance and punctuality we will put into place effective strategies to bring about improvement. In the event of this still not improving attendance sufficiently, the schools will use it's maximum powers, including the use of issuing fines.
In line with the school’s comprehensive risk assessment, children can currently be dropped off from 8.35am in their allocated zones to ensure that the number of people on the playground before school is kept to a minimum at any one time. Gates will close promptly at at 8.55am.
On the rare occasion that a child arrives later than 9.00am, please ensure that they escorted to the school office by an appropriate adult and that a late slip is completed.
As a school, we ask that parents/carers inform us fully of all absences, with telephone calls made at the earliest opportunity. If this contact is not made, parents/carers will be contacted by our Pastoral Officer Miss Williams or Child Welfare Lead Mrs Bradley.
The staff team are on hand to support any questions or queries on 01707 620305 or at office@woodland.rochdale.sch.uk If you need any help or support with your child's attendance and punctuality please do get in contact with us and we will do everything we can to try and help to support you.
Weekly, whole school celebration assemblies celebrate the classes in 3rd, 2nd and 1st place for attendance. A certificate to display on the classroom door and an attendance cup is rewarded to the 1st place class in EYFS/KS1 and KS2 every week.
Termly attendance certificates are awarded in a special celebration assembly for all pupils securing 100% attendance over this time.
The children will be encouraged to an ‘Attendance Challenge’ every term and this will mean that all those children with 100% attendance will receive a special activity/treat (such as cinema trip).
Termly badges are awarded to children whose attendance is 100%. In the Autumn Term children with 100% will receive a bronze badge. For children whose attendance remains at 100% for a second term will receive a silver badge and for those who remain at 100% will receive a gold badge.
Under the Education Regulations 2013 Amendments, holidays in term time will not be authorised by the Headteacher.
Any request for absence in term time should be submitted in writing (using the request for absence from school form) as soon as it is anticipated and, where possible, at least 2 weeks before the absence, and in accordance with any leave of absence request form, accessible via the school office. The Headteacher may require evidence to support any request for leave of absence. The school will require parent/carer to attend a meeting to discuss the request and discuss the implications for them and the child/children. The meetings will be with Mrs Caron (Assistant Head/Inclusion Lead) and Georgina Bradley (DSL/Child Welfare Lead) or Mrs Cunningham (Head Teacher).
https://www.gov.uk/school-attendance-absence
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/school-attendance-absence-and-law