Attendance & Punctuality 

Attendance

Good attendance is vital if your child is to achieve and make good progress. Poor attendance can result in slow rates of progress and lower attainment, as well as missing out on learning experiences and the possibility of problems socialising with other pupils. We monitor attendance daily. Term time holidays are not authorised and could result in fines being issued.

Please notify us by phone (01274 833839) to let us know and explain your child’s absence. In order to ensure the safety and well-being of your child, we will contact you if we have not received notification from you. We monitor attendance daily and send an attendance report home with each child’s annual report to parents. If we have concerns about a child’s attendance or punctuality, we will contact you to discuss how this might be improved.

Attendance Information 

• Attendance Leaflet
• Attendance letter for families - September 2025
• Focus-Trust Attendance Policy September 2024
• Thornton Primary School Attendance Information
• Tiered Approach To Attendance

Persistent absence – attendance below 90%

The threshold for persistent absence is now 90%. This means that more children are at risk of becoming ‘persistent absentees’. A letter alerting concern will be sent to the parent of any child whose attendance is in danger of falling to 90%. Any child whose attendance is in danger of falling below 90% will be monitored closely and further action taken. It is good to work with families where specific problems can cause absence and we want to support all parents in getting their child(ren) to school on time, every day. Please contact Miss Rhodes to discuss any concerns you may have.

Punctuality

Being late for school makes it hard for your child to learn. If they are 30 minutes late each day it means they are missing a half day of school every week. If your child is late by 10 minutes a day he or she will miss the equivalent of one week’s learning in a year. If your child is late arriving at school, please take them to the main office to be signed in. If they are a few minutes late, they will receive a late mark. If they are very late, after 9:30 am, this will be classed as an absence for the session.

Punctuality is a good thing because:

It gets the day off to a good start

It establishes positive patterns for the future

It helps your child develop

It helps your child make and keep friends

It leads to self confidence and success

It is good training for adult life and work

Lateness is not good because:

It gets the day off to a bad start

It can be embarrassing for your child

It may damage your child’s confidence

It can affect friendship patterns

It disrupts learning for everyone

It can hinder your child’s achievement