Attendance
Download our latest attendance letter below:
Why is regular school attendance so important?
Coombe Road Primary School works closely with children and parents in connection with attendance so that each child can achieve their full potential. By law, all children of compulsory school age (five to sixteen) must receive a suitable full-time education. Once your child is registered at school, you are legally responsible for making sure that they attend regularly and on time. If your child fails to do so, you risk getting a penalty notice or being prosecuted. You should also consider the negative impact upon the following:
- their learning
- their friendships
- their self-esteem and confidence
95% attendance may sound good, but means that your child misses:
- one half day each fortnight
- two weeks every school year
- over three-quarters of a school year in a school career
Holiday in Term Time
As a school we cannot authorise holidays in term time, unless there are exceptional circumstances. If you are planning a holiday in term time please fill in a 'Leave of Absence from School' to request permission. Our attendance officer and headteacher will then discuss the request and write to you with their decision. Please remember that unless there are EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES it is very unlikely that we can authorise the absence from school during term time.
If the request for absence during term time has been declined and you still decide to take your child out of school then you will receive a fixed penalty notice from Brighton and Hove City Council.
Fixed penalty notices
The fixed penalty for going on holiday in term time is £60 per child per parent, e.g. Two parents take their two children on an unauthorised holiday in term time = £240 fine. If this fine is not paid within 21 days it then increases to £120 per child per parent. If the fine still is not paid then the local authority will seek prosecution for non-payment under caution.
In the event of parents who have separated. The parent/carer with whom the child lives will be fined.
Please note that money from fines is not paid to the school and goes directly to Brighton and Hove Council.
Timekeeping
Children can arrive from 08:40 (through their allocated gate) and go straight to class where one of their adults will greet them.
Gates will be closed at 08:50.
If your child arrives after 09:15, this counts as an unauthorised absence and will reduce their attendance percentage.
Children can be collected at 15:00.
How do we celebrate attendance?
At Coombe Road Primary School we like to encourage and praise children who attend school regularly. Throughout the year our Attendance Officer and our Learning Mentors work closely with families providing support to help overcome barriers in improving attendance. Here are some of the initiatives we have at Coombe Road Primary School to help improve attendance:
Weekly Class Competition
Each Monday, we celebrate the classes with the highest attendance for the previous week. In EYFS/KS1 the winning class gets to look after Bertie Bear for the week. In KS2, the winning class gets Winner the Dog. The class who achieves the highest attendance for each term gets a special treat in class.
96%+ Half-Termly Prize (with no lateness)
Every child who achieves 96%+ (with no lateness) per half term receives a prize in our special Attendance Assembly.
100% Academic Year Prize
Every child who achieves 100% for the year receives a very special treat. This changes on an annual basis and is always a well kept secret until the end of the summer term.
