Attendance and the school day

School opening hours:-

Morning

• Doors open at 8.35am
• Registration will be taken at 8.50am

Lunchtime 

• 60 minutes (12.00pm-1.00pm)

Afternoon

• Gates open at 3.10pm.
• School finishes at 3.15pm.

The school week is 32 hours 30 minutes in total.

To show how important we think good attendance is, we congratulate our children by presenting a half-termly certificate for 100% attendance.

You can help us by:

• Telephoning school before 8.30am to let us know the reason for your child's absence;
• Only taking your child out of school for the minimum amount of time for a medical appointment - please bring them back to school after the appointment together with proof of the medical appointment if possible;
• Only allowing your child to be absent from school due to exceptional circumstances.

Please ensure you inform us of any of the above and please refer to our 'Attendance Policy' below.

Punctuality

We believe good attendance and a prompt start to the day are very important in order to make sure that your child gets the education they deserve.

Your child will be expected to enter school at 8.50am as legal registration takes place at 9.00am. Please note if your child arrives after 9.00am they will be marked as late on the register. If your child arrives after the legal registration has closed (i.e. after 9.30am) this will be recorded as an unauthorised absence.

Attendance Below 92%

This is the procedure we follow when your child's attendance falls below 92%:

• Step 1: Parents/Carers made aware of attendance concerns. 
  Attendance shows no sign of improvement and remains below 92%.
• Step 2: Parents/Carers are invited to a meeting at school with the Attendance Officer.
  Attendance continues to be a concern with no significant improvement.
• Step 3: Parents/Carers are issued with a Notice to Improve. 
  Attendance is monitored for a period of 30 school days. 
• Step 4: Parents/Carers are issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice from the Local Authority. 
  Attendance continues to be monitored.
• Step 5: Parents/Carers requested to attend a School Attendance Meeting with the Local Authority
  Attendance Officer and Attendance Officer to agree and sign an action plan
• Step 6: Attendance fails to significantly improve. Legal intervention considered.

Nova Primary Academy strongly discourages any term-time absences. Holidays should be taken during the school holiday period only and not during school time. If you feel you have exceptional circumstances to take your child out of school, a 'Leave of absence form' must be completed and handed to the office. A copy of this can be found below. 

If your child has to attend an appointment during school hours, eg, doctor, dentist or hospital, the school must be informed and must be provided with proof of the medical appointment.

If your child is absent, you must notify the school office by 8.30am on the day of absence.

Our attendance policy and Leave of Absence forms can be viewed using the links below.