At Mosspits we consider maintaining high attendance very important. We do this because good attendance is important to the achievements, wellbeing and wider development of pupils. We are committed to supporting all pupils to attend well and have set a target of 97% attendance for pupils and the whole school. 

School timings and punctuality

School gate and classroom doors open: 8:45am

School gate closes and lessons begin: 8:55am

Please ensure that your child arrives at school by 8:55am at the latest each morning.  It is important that children come to school on time every day so that they don't miss out on learning.  Continual punctuality is important because if, for example, a child arrives 15 minutes late at school each day, they lose almost 2 weeks of education a year!

Holidays during term time

Term time leave for holidays will not be authorised at our school. We ask that all families take their holidays during the school holiday periods. Parents who choose to take their child out of school without written permission from the school may be issued with a fixed penalty notice from the city council.  Only in exceptional circumstances may the Designated Attendance Lead grant permission for leave.

Reporting absence

If your child will be absent from school, please report this to the school office (0151 722 1716), preferably by 8:30am. It is important to identify the reason for absence, including any symptoms that your child is experiencing. 

You may be asked to provide school with medical evidence if it is felt that your child's absences are excessive or sporadic. We are committed to supporting families in this instance and we may be able to make referrals to the school nurse or other agencies, if it is felt appropriate. 

Is my child too ill for school?

There is a helpful webpage published by the NHS (namely 'Is my child too ill for school?') which can support decision-making about whether your child is too ill to stay off school. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is a good attendance percentage?
A. The school’s attendance target for all our pupils is a minimum of 97%.

Q. Why is attendance important?
A. If your child is of compulsory school age and is registered at a school, it is essential that they attend. Excellent attendance at school is important to allow a child to fulfil their potential.

Q. What is poor attendance?
A. Anything below 97% attendance is worrying as your child has missed more than 8 days of school, resulting in a lower chance of achievement. It makes it harder for the child to progress if they are missing key learning opportunities.

Q. What impact will low attendance have on my child?|
A. Low attendance will impact on your child in many ways; educationally and socially. Pupils who have low attendance are more likely to become isolated from their social group and underachieve academically.

Q. What will happen if my child’s attendance falls below 97%?
A. Mosspits Lane Primary School monitors pupil attendance throughout the year. You will be sent a letter to inform you of the attendance percentage and you may be invited to a School Attendance Meeting at the school.

Q. Isn’t my child entitled to 10 days holiday days a year?
A. No. The School can only authorise an absence in exceptional circumstances. Remember there are 175 non-school days per academic year to spend on family time, visits, holidays and appointments etc.

Q. What is meant by ‘genuine medical reasons’?
A. Diarrhea, sickness, childhood illnesses e.g. measles, chicken pox, extremely high temperatures, are genuine illnesses. Children should not stay home if they have minor coughs, colds, tummy aches and headaches. If your child is too poorly to remain at the school, the school will contact you to collect them.

If your child has a specific hospital appointment, the appointment letter should be brought into school in advance. However, where possible we ask if you could arrange appointments out of the school day. Please remember that even absence due to genuine medical reasons still affect a child’s attendance.

Always supply medical evidence wherever possible, for example: prescriptions or medication issued via GP, Walk in Centre, Pharmacy and Care of the Chemist. These may be via letter, text, email or even an appointment card/slip.

Q. What should I do if my child is absent?
A. Contact the school before 8.30am on the first day and every subsequent day of absence to explain their reasons.

REMEMBER EVERY SCHOOL DAY COUNTS TOWARDS YOUR CHILD’S SUCCESS

Please visit this Department for Education page on attendance using the link:

DfE Attendance

Leave of Absence Form

Can be obtained from the school office.

DID YOU KNOW…

...a child with 95% attendance has missed 10 days of learning in a year.

…a child with 90% attendance is the equivalent of missing half a day of learning every week - which is 4 weeks in a year.

... a child with 85% attendance has missed 29 days of learning a year which is the equivalent of the 6 week summer holiday.

…a child who is absent a day of school per week misses an equivalent of two years of their school life

HAVE YOU EVER…

• Arrived to a movie when it has already started?
• Turned up at a party late?
• Come to a gym class when everyone has got the routine?
• Walked into a meeting late?

Just take a minute to think about how that feels… you feel like you don’t know what’s going on, you are playing catch up, your colleagues/friends are discussing ideas and plans you were not part of arranging. This feeling is the same for your child when they arrive even 10 minutes late for school. Friends have formed groups to work in and are busy discussing ideas and being on task. They have missed the very important lesson input and they are playing ‘catch up’ academically and socially.

Why is it so important, its only the odd day…What could happen?

•  they can fall behind in work
• affect their motivation and their enjoyment of learning
• lead to poor behaviour
• affect their confidence
• mean they miss out on the social life of school and extra curricular opportunities and experiences
• affect their ability to have or keep friendships.

Mosspits Lane  Primary School is a happy, successful school and you child is part of that. We aim to give them the best opportunities for a great future. We aim to improve our attendance by Making Everyday Matter and working on recognition of good practice and celebrating this through letters home to parents, acknowledgement from staff and a genuine motivation to learn and grow academically and socially. We aim to remove barriers by supporting our families in achieving their potential

TIPS FOR GOOD ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY:

Children should go to bed early enough: Tired children are hard to wake up and find it difficult to learn. Going to bed at a reasonable time makes things easier for them and you.

Be in school regularly an on time: It is settling for children and helps them get into a routine. The more regularly they are in school and on time the more they get used to it.

Get up early enough: Avoid rushing and feeling stressed. Get up early enough and give yourself enough time to get ready.

Limit TV or game time in the morning: Avoid arguments and lateness by limiting how long they are allowed to watch TV or play games in the morning. If it regularly causes problems think about banning it completely in the mornings.

Get things ready the night before: If uniforms, packed lunches, etc. are ready the night before it saves a lot of time in the mornings.

Make time for breakfast – or come to Breakfast Club at school: Making time for breakfast can help to keep things calm in the morning and saves time rather than having to stop at the shops on the way to school. Or come to our school Breakfast Club where children have time to eat, play and get ready for the school day.