Late/Absence Procedures

The Godolphin Junior Academy Attendance Information

• Children should arrive at school no later than 8.45am. Learning in the classroom begins at 8:50am and so we expect students to be on time to encourage a calm and responsive start to lessons.
• We wish for every pupil to aim for 100% attendance. There is a direct correlation between high attendance and high academic attainment.
• Children are required by law to attend school 190 days per year. The Government states that every pupil's attendance should be at least 97%. For pupils and parents this can be translated into the following missed learning time.
• Pupils who have good attendance often make friends quicker and sustain friendships well.

Why is attendance so important?

Pupils who fall as low as 90% attendance will miss almost 4 weeks of school every year. This is over 100 hours of learning.
 
If you need help getting your child to school, please ask us, we are happy to help and in some cases if needed collect your child.

Evidence shows that if a child does not attend regularly:

• They cannot keep up with their class work.
• They do not achieve the results they need
• They miss out on the social side of school and can have problems maintaining friendships.

 
My child has 90% attendance, that is good isn’t it?

• No, in relation to the amount of days absent over a year it would equal 19 days absence, nearly four weeks off school.

My child has odd days off now and again, surely they are not going to miss too much?

• These odd days can surprisingly add up and during this time they could be missing out on crucial learning.

My child is only absent when she is ill.

• If your child is ill you need to contact school to let them know. If your child is persistently absent due to illness we may request medical confirmation e.g. Doctor’s certificate.

What difference does it make if my child is a few minutes late?

• Arriving late causes disruption and can be embarrassing for the child. e.g. Walking into class when everyone is working.
• By arriving late they can miss the initial teacher input which would make it difficult for them to understand the lesson.

I would like to book a holiday in term time, am I entitled to 10 days holiday?

• No. Holidays will not be authorised during term time
• Please don’t let your child miss out on the education they deserve. Every day in school counts

Tips for good attendance

• Make sure school uniforms and bags/lunches/homework are ready the night before to avoid panic/ lateness in the mornings.
• Find out who else lives nearby, so if you or one of your children are unwell they may be able to travel to school with another family.
• As far as possible, make all doctors, dentists or other appointments for after school or at the week-end so as not to affect their attendance. An absence for an appointment is still an absence.
• Think carefully about whether your child is really too ill to attend school. If you are unsure, let the school make the decision - bring your child to school and if they are unwell the school will contact you to collect them.

If you are worried your child does not want to attend school talk to them and the school to check there is nothing else going on or any issues that can be resolved.

Please see Slough Borough Council’s website for further information.
 

We want to make every lesson count, please help us to do just that by aiming for a high percentage for attendance.

Well done to this week's top classes.