Attendance & Punctuality
Our target for 2023-24 is 97% whole school attendance
At Balby Central, we believe that high levels of attendance and a punctual start to the school day are important for all children. Promoting excellent attendance is the responsibility of the whole school community: staff, pupils, parents, carers and governors.
The school consistently promotes excellent attendance through its high expectations in pupil behaviour, attitudes towards learning and through the stimulating curriculum. The school run regular attendance incentives, sending home rewards as a symbol of recognition for the children’s attendance. As well as this, those who achieve 100% attendance for the full year are praised at the end of the year too.
How we monitor attendance at Balby Central
All children should be at school, on time, every day that the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable.
It is important that your child attends school on time and regularly so they can learning, build friendships and to have routines.
Being On Time
It is important for children to arrive at school on time ready to learn. Just 10 minutes late can have a big impact on your child’s learning
The School Day
- School gates open at 8:40am
- Gates close at 8:50am
- Gates open to collect children at 3:10pm
- School day finishes at 3:15pm
- 3:25pm school gates close and children being picked up late must be collected from reception.
If you are consistently late in a morning, you can expect an early bird call to ensure you arrive on time.
Attendance
We understand that there will be times when your child is unable to come to school. If this is the case, please call the office by 9:30 clearly stating the reason your child will not be in school.
If your child is not in school and we have not heard why we will:
- Send you a text - if we still have no contact from you
- Call you – if we still have no contact from you
- Visit your home.
Mrs Wiltshire and Ms Parker our Child and Family Support Practitioners can offer support to a family, if a child’s attendance becomes a concern for the school or if children are continually late. If your child’s attendance does not improve the following steps will be taken you may be asked to attend a meeting to discuss this further.
If your child’s attendance becomes a cause for concern, Miss Allison will contact you and discuss this with you further. If your child’s attendance does not improve, your child will be put onto an Attendance Support Plan. You will then be invited to attend regular meetings with Miss Allison, Mrs Wiltshire and Ms Parker.
Our team are always happy to discuss and meet with you to talk through any concerns or questions you may have as well as offer strategies of support.
We work closely with Education Welfare Officers and Doncaster City Council to monitor attendance with the Education Welfare Team and their procedures. More informaiton, guidance and support can be found on the Doncaster City Council website.
Attendance and Pupil Welfare Service