Attendance
Attendance Information.
Frequently Asked Questions
All children start their school day at 8.30am and the whole school finishes at 3.00pm.
We expect pupils to arrive and to be collected punctually at the start and end of their school day.
Every Day Counts!
It is vital that pupils attend school, on time, every day in order to gain the greatest benefit from their education.
96% - 100% (less than 9 days absence in a year) is good attendance.
96.4% is the national average attendance rate for a child at primary school.
There is no automatic entitlement in law to time off in school time.
All requests for a leave of absence must be made in advance either in writing or by completion of the school form which can be obtained upon request from the school office.
Absence requests are only authorised in exceptional circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is a good attendance percentage?
A. 96 - 100% (less than 9 days absence in a year) is good attendance. 96.4% is the national average attendance rate for a child at primary school.
Q. What is poor attendance?
A. Anything below 90% attendance is worrying as your child has less chance of success. It makes it harder for the child to progress if they are missing key learning opportunities.
Q. What will happen if my child's attendance falls below 90%?
A. At CPS, we monitor pupil attendance on a weekly and termly basis. You may be sent a letter or you may be invited to a School Attendance Meeting at the school if your child's attendance is a cause for concern.
Q Isn't my child entitled to 10 days holiday or odd days off for long weekends?
A. No. The School may only authorise an absence in exceptional circumstances.
If pupils take unauthorised leave of absence in term time parents could be served a penalty notice by the Local Authority Education Welfare Office.
Did you know there are 175 non school days per year to spend on family time, visits, holidays, shopping trips etc?
Q. What is meant by genuine medical reasons to be absent?
A. Diarrhoea, sickness, childhood ailments e.g. measles, chicken pox, extremely high temperatures are genuine illness. Children should not stay home if they have minor coughs, colds, tummy aches and headaches. If your child is too poorly to remain at the school. The school will contact you. Please remember that even absence due to genuine medical reasons still affect a child's attendance.
Q. What should I do if my child is absent?
A. Contact the school on the first day and subsequent days of absence to explain their absence
Please click this link for an attendance overview for parents
Please follow this link to view our Attendance Policy