In Brookland Infant and Nursery School we take children’s attendance and punctuality very seriously. Educational research shows that children who attend school regularly and arrive on time are much more likely to achieve well academically both in primary and secondary school. They will benefit from all that school has to offer and develop important habits which will support them in their future working lives.

The Attendance and Punctuality of all children is very closely monitored by the Education Welfare Officer from the London Borough of Barnet. Attendance statistics form part of your child’s annual school report which stays with them throughout their school career. The School is also held accountable for children’s attendance and punctuality and our actions in relation to attendance and punctuality are also monitored.

Attendance

The school encourages and rewards good attendance for all children at individual and class level and administers its attendance policy in line with Barnet and National expectations. However, we are aware that there will be occasional exceptional circumstances that will require individual support or alternative arrangements. As a staff team we are available and wish to encourage parents to discuss any difficulties they may be experiencing.

Holidays/planned absence during the school year

Children of school age are expected to be at school for 190 days or 38 weeks of the year and you should not remove your child from school during term time for a holiday. Requests to do so will not normally be authorised. It is expected that families make holiday arrangements during the 14 weeks of school holidays so that children’s education is not disrupted. We realise that holidays are less expensive during term time but Government guidelines do not accept this as a valid reason for absence.

Requests for exceptional leave of absence

In very exceptional circumstances permission may be sought from the Headteacher for a child to be absent during term time. Permission must be sought in writing, well in advance (3 weeks minimum) for any known absence of one day or more giving details of the reasons for your request. These requests should be made using the forms available in the school office or the school's website.

If your request is not agreed, your child must attend school, or the absence will be recorded as unauthorised and will be included in their end of year report. If permission is not sought before an absence it will be recorded as unauthorised. Unauthorised absences may result in a Fixed Penalty Notice being served (see below). Failure to return to school on the expected date will result in the extra days being recorded as unauthorised absence unless a valid reason is given and accepted by the Headteacher. If a child does not return after 10 days from the expected return date, without a valid reason being given for the continued absence, the school may remove them from the school roll.

Unauthorised Absences and Fixed Penalty Notices.

If your child has a period of unauthorised absence during term time the Headteacher may ask the Education Welfare Team in London Borough of Barnet to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice. This is a fine of £60 per parent, per child.  If the fine remains unpaid the amount increases to £120 per parent per child.

Punctuality

Punctuality is a very important life skill to have and it is important that children and parents know that arriving late to school, even by only a minute or two is not acceptable. Arriving late can be very unsettling for children as well as the class teacher, and children may miss out on important lesson instructions. 

Start of School Day

School doors open at 8.45am to enable parents/carers to drop off siblings so that children can all be in on time each morning. Doors will be closed promptly at 9.00am. Children attending morning Nursery should arrive at 9.00am and children attending afternoon Nursery at 12.30pm. The school week is 32.5 hours for children in Reception and KS1.

Late arrival

Children arriving after 9.00am are recorded as late and the time of arrival noted. Arrival after 9.20am is usually recorded as an unauthorised absence for the morning session unless a valid reason is given and accepted by the Headteacher. If you know that you will arrive later than 9.00am due to unforeseen circumstances (i.e. car break down, major travel disruption) please telephone the school and leave a message.

Appointments

If your child has an appointment during the school day which is unavoidable and will be late coming to school, please inform us in writing the day before the appointment. We are required, by the Local Authority, to verify and monitor appointments during the school day so we will also need to see the appointment details. Please try to keep medical and other appointments out of school hours or in between registration times.

End of School Day

The school day ends at 3.15pm (for Nursery children the school day ends at 3.00 p.m. and for morning Nursery children it ends at 11.30am). Children are collected from their classrooms. If someone different is collecting your child you must write this in the going home book, which you can find outside your child's classroom. If we are not sure we will ring you to verify the arrangements.

Late pick up of children at end of school day

Children not collected on time are brought to the school office at 3.25pm. The time they are collected is recorded and a valid reason must be given for the late collection. If you know you will be late due to unforeseen circumstances, always telephone the school and give an estimated time of arrival so that your child doesn’t get anxious.