School Attendance

At Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, we foster a welcoming, faith-based community where every day brings new opportunities for pupils to learn, flourish, and achieve.

Our Attendance Policy promotes a culture that celebrates the vital link between regular attendance, personal well-being, and academic success.

Our Core Commitments:

• Promote Regular & Punctual Attendance: Encourage daily, on-time arrival so pupils get the most from their education.

• Guarantee Full-Time Access: Ensure every child receives the full-time education they deserve.

• Partner with Families: Build strong relationships to offer targeted support when attendance challenges arise.

• Intervene Early: Proactively address absence patterns to reduce persistent and severe absenteeism.

Why is regular attendance at school important?

Regular school attendance gives your child the best foundation for a successful future. Attending school every day helps children build strong friendships, increase happiness, learn more effectively, and unlock greater long-term opportunities.

Attendance Benchmarks & Expectations

• Government Minimum Standard: 95%

• Holy Trinity Target: 97%+

Every day in school counts. Missing days means missing crucial learning and support—please help us ensure your child receives the full education they deserve.

 

How does your child compare?

The table below shows % attendance and how this translates into days, weeks and lessons missed. 

Attendance	Days Absent	Weeks Absent	Lessons Missed
95%	9 days	2 weeks	50 lessons
90%	19 days	4 weeks	100 lessons
85%	29 days	6 weeks	150 lessons
80%	38 days	8 weeks	200 lessons

We are always happy to work with families to support and improve attendance.

Absence reporting procedures

If your child is absent from school due to illness, please telephone school on 01765 602858 and inform the office staff no later than 8.45am. If your child’s illness lasts for more than one day, you must phone school daily and inform us why your child is still absent. If your child’s illness lasts longer than 48hrs and you have not already done so, we advise you to seek medical attention.

Home Visits

If your child is absent from school, you do not inform school and we cannot make contact, a member of the leadership team may visit your home to check all is well and ask why your child is absent from school.  It is very important that you contact school and inform us why your child is absent. If we do not hear from you, we will be concerned and may make a referral to outside agencies.

Term - time absence

Head teachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Unauthorised absence of this nature will be subject to a fine. The Executive Headteacher will determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if the leave is granted. Should there be any exceptional circumstances, please make an appointment to discuss them with the Executive Headteacher before making any bookings.

Punctuality

As you may be aware, the law treats some persistent lateness in the same way as irregular attendance and parents may be prosecuted by the local authority if late arrival is not resolved.

Poor punctuality can lead to your child…

• Feeling embarrassed in front of their friends
• Missing the beginning of vital lessons
• Missing important instructions for the rest of the school day
• Learning bad habits which could affect their employability in the future

A pupil who arrives late:

• Before the register has closed, it will be marked as late, using the appropriate code.
• After the register has closed, it will be marked as absent, using the appropriate code.
• The school will use the [U] code for arrivals after 30 minutes from the start of the session. The U code will affect your child's attendance and this could lead to a monitoring process.

For more information on attendance at school please read our Attendance policy below.

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Downloadable Documents