Attendance

Why should my child attend school?

At the Point of Ayr Federation we understand the importance of school attendance on learners well-being, social skills and ability to learn. It is vital that all learners attend school regularly.

It is clear that the more children miss days from school the bigger the gaps are in their learning which causes difficulties in making connections and learning becomes disjointed. 

Attending school is vitally important, we are going to be closely monitoring attendance across the Federation in the upcoming academic year, 2023-24.

What should I do if my child is poorly?

It is important that you inform the school if you intend on keeping your child off school due to illness, this can be done via Seesaw or by ringing the school office. We ask that you inform us by 9:20am. If we do not receive a reason for your child being absent we as a school will ring home to seek a reason. 

What should I do if my child has an appointment?

It is important to inform school prior to the appointment taking place, this will allow for registers to kept up to date. Where possible, appointments should be made outside of the school day, however, we are aware that this is not always possible. 

We are running late, what should we do?

We are aware that sometimes you can be running late, however, please send your child into school. Attending the majority of the school day is better than not sending your child in at all. 

Are holidays during school time permitted?

Up to 10 days can be authorised and taken as holidays during term time however this does depend on your child's attendance record. If more than 10 days are taken as holidays these will be marked as unauthorised.  

What happens if my child's attendance is a cause for concern?

As a Federation we feel it is important to work with all families in ensuring that all children have a good attendance record.

We run weekly attendance reviews and send out letters to families where there is a decline in attendance. We request to meet with families where attendance continues to be an issue and put a plan into place to support the increase in attendance. As a Federation, if attendance does not improve after a period of meetings, planning and monitoring sessions a fix notice penalty will be issued.

If you have any concerns around attendance or need any support please contact the school office.