Regular attendance at school promotes pupils’ well-being and gives them the best chance of learning and reaching their potential. Pupils should attend school every day the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable.

Last updated: June 2025

Contact details for attendance matters

Good attendance is important because pupils:

• get on better with learning and other children;
• cope better with school routines, work and friendships;
• find learning easier because they do not miss out;
• are more successful moving between primary school, secondary school, higher education and employment or training;
• are known to be safe and well by us.

Research shows a direct link between high attendance and doing well at school. All children have the right to an education. We encourage and expect 100% attendance for all pupils. 

We will:

• tell pupils and parents the importance of being at school;
• check that pupils are at school every day;
• follow up and check the absence of persistent non-attenders;
  • phone home on the first day of absence to check where absent children are
  • follow up an explained absence by phone call and email, and meetings for persistent absentees
• aim for an attendance rate of at least 97%. Pupils who are under school age, in Reception, are treated in the same way as all other children;
• monitor school attendance data of individual and groups and target our support towards removing barriers to attendance for individuals and groups who need it most;
• discuss poor attendance with parents to understand any barriers the pupil or family might be facing;
• facilitate support for families to help remove identified barriers to attendance. This could include support through the local authority attendance team, access to early help, such as parenting service, Wiltshire Children's Services;
• where absent persists and support offered is not being engaged with, we will communicate the consequences to parents. This may include formalising support by working with a Wiltshire Education Welfare Officer.
• when all avenues of support have been exhausted and support has not worked or being engaged with, the Local Authority can enforce attendance through a statutory intervention or prosecution to protect a pupil's right to an education;
• share and discuss attendance data with the Governing Board on a termly basis. 

Parents:

• by law, must ensure that their child attends school;
• should arrange dental and doctor’s appointments out of school hours or during school holidays, whenever possible;
• make sure that their child arrives on time between 8.45am and 9am, when classroom doors are open for ‘soft-start’;
  • or if they arrive after 9am, sign-in at the school office;
• should contact the school on the first day their child is away from school.

Pupils should arrive and be collected from school on time:

• registration is at 9am, for all children from Reception to Year 6.  Pupils can go straight to their classroom from 8.45am during ‘soft-start’ until 9am;
• registration closes at 9.10am, arrival after this time is an 'unauthorised absence' late arrival can cause children to feel anxious or upset;
• if a child is collected late, after 3.15pm, they join our After School Club.  We charge a fee for this childcare;
• we take the view there are no late children, only late parents;
• we contact parents of pupils who have patterns of lateness to talk about how to arrive and/or be collected on time. 

Please click here for our Attendance Policy.