At Cheetwood we know how important attendance and punctuality is to every child. They help build confidence, resilience and good habits which the children will keep for a lifetime.

The school day starts at 8.50 and learning begins straight away. The school gates open at 8.40am, but we also have a breakfast club which is open from 8am every day.

Good attendance and punctuality are also the key to children reaching their full potential in learning. Every absence results in lost learning.

 

 

 

It is important that your child’s attendance is as high as possible – every missed day counts. As a school we target 97% attendance for all children to give them the best opportunity to achieve their full potential.

We are here to work with you, to support you in reducing any barriers which may stop your child attending school. We are always happy to meet and discuss any issues you have to help you and your child/children be able to attend school every day.

If your child’s attendance drops below 90% this is classified as persistent absence.

 

Not attending and being late can really affect your child:

1. Missing lessons or being late means they often miss the beginning of lessons or whole lessons and may miss key learning that hinders them and stops them keeping up with the class.
2. Can impact how they are seen by their peers. They may be perceived as unreliable or disorganised, which impacts their ability to form and maintain friendships.
3. Can lead to feelings of stress and anxiety. This stress can build up over time and affect their overall well-being and attitude towards school. This can then lead to negative self-perceptions and a reduced sense of belonging within the school community.

The more time children are in school, the more they will learn, the happier they will be.

 

Absence Reporting:

Please remember that if your child is unwell and unable to attend school, you should contact the School Office on 0161 834 2104 to report an absence. The school office is open from 8am and prior to that there is an answer phone in operation to leave a message as needed.

Alternatively, you can email admin@cheetwood.manchester.sch.uk with the reasons for absence – although a phone call is preferable.

If the school has not received a notification of absence by 9:30am, we will attempt to contact you to establish the reason for your child's absence.

 

Our staged approach to attendance:

We want to make it as easy as possible for parents to understand our approach to attendance and the steps we take to help all children be able to attend on time and regularly to support their development.

 

 

(The full document is attached to the page for all parents to download and use as a guide)

Our staged approach is supported by six key principles:

1. Expect: a culture where all children can, and want, to be in school.

2. Monitor: analyse attendance data regularly to identify patterns of poor attendance or areas of concern.

3. Listen and Understand: working alongside parents to understand their barriers to attendance; work together to remove them.

4. Facilitate Support: empower parents by supporting them to access external support to overcome barriers outside of school.

5. Formalise Support: this could include formalising support through a Parenting Contract of Education Supervision Order if it is needed.

6. Enforce: statutory intervention or prosecution to protect the child’s right to an education.

Holiday and absence requests:

All requests for leave of absence during term time must be submitted in advance using the school’s absence request form. The Headteacher will consider each application on a case-by-case basis.

In line with statutory guidance, the Headteacher will only grant leave of absence in exceptional circumstances. Requests for family holidays, including those influenced by cost or convenience, will not normally be authorised.

Extended Absence and Deletion from Roll

The school is required to act in accordance with the Education (Pupil Registration) Regulations. Where a pupil has been continuously absent for 20 school days or more without authorisation, and the school has made reasonable enquiries but has been unable to establish the pupil’s whereabouts, the school may proceed with deletion from roll and the child’s place in the school will be lost.

This is a safeguarding measure and will be undertaken in line with statutory procedures, including notification to the local authority.

Unauthorised Absence

Absence taken without prior approval, or which does not meet the threshold for exceptional circumstances, will be recorded as unauthorised. This may result in further action, including referral to the local authority and the possible issue of a penalty notice in line with national and local policy.

Parents and carers are expected to ensure that holidays are arranged outside of term time wherever possible.

For more information please see the Attendance and Punctuality policy on the Policies page of the website (and below).