Attendance at Oak Farm

At Oak Farm Primary School, attendance and punctuality are a high priority because every day in school matters. Regular attendance gives children the best opportunity to learn, develop friendships, take part in the wider life of the school and access the pastoral support they need. Even a few missed days can quickly add up to many hours of lost learning.

We know that there can be times when families experience difficulties that affect attendance. Our approach is therefore based on high expectations, early identification and support. We want to work in partnership with families to understand any barriers and help children attend school regularly. Our Attendance Team, Mrs Hunt and Ms Fisk, are available to offer advice and support, and we encourage parents and carers to speak to us as early as possible if there is anything affecting their child's attendance.

Our graduated approach to attendance

We monitor attendance and punctuality carefully so that we can identify concerns early. Our Six Steps to Monitoring Attendance provides a graduated approach: beginning with communication, advice and support and increasing the level of intervention where attendance does not improve. Depending on the circumstances, this may include contact with parents, attendance monitoring, meetings with school staff, agreed attendance targets and action plans, and involvement from the Local Authority or other services where appropriate. Our priority throughout is to work with families to remove barriers and secure sustained improvement, while fulfilling the school's statutory responsibilities.

Parents receive regular information about attendance. We contact families when an absence has not been reported, communicate where patterns of lateness or absence are emerging, share whole-school attendance information and provide individual attendance information during the year. Where we are unable to establish why a child is absent, school staff may undertake a home visit as part of our responsibility to ensure that children are safe and well.

Every minute matters

Our gates open at 8.30am, with classroom doors opening at 8.40am for our soft start. Children should be in school by 8.50am, and registers close at 9.00am. Arriving on time helps children begin the day calmly, settle alongside their classmates and access learning from the very beginning of the school day.

If your child is unable to attend school, please contact the School Office before 9.00am and provide the reason for their absence. Routine medical and dental appointments should, wherever possible, be arranged outside school hours, and family holidays should be taken during school holiday periods.

We recognise that deciding whether a child is well enough for school is not always straightforward. Minor illnesses such as coughs, colds and sore throats will not usually require a child to remain at home, although individual circumstances will vary. The NHS provides useful guidance for parents about common childhood illnesses and when children should stay away from school.

NHS – Is my child too ill for school?

Most importantly, talk to us. If there are circumstances making it difficult for your child to attend school regularly or arrive on time, please contact us. Early conversations allow us to understand the situation, put appropriate support in place and work together to help every child be in school, on time and ready to learn.