Working together to promote good attendance and punctuality
We expect all children on roll to attend every day, when the school is in session, as long as they are fit and healthy enough to do so. We do all we can to encourage the children to attend, and to put in place appropriate procedures. We believe that the most important factor in promoting good attendance is development of positive attitudes towards school. Research commissioned by the Department for Education shows missing school for even a day can mean a child is less likely to achieve good grades, which can have a damaging effect on their life chances.
To this end, we strive to make our school a happy and rewarding experience for all children. We will reward those children whose attendance is very good. 'We announce the weekly Attendance Champions (highest attenders in Infants and Juniors) in our Friday Celebration Assembly. They get to keep the attendance trophy for the week, and receive a '£10' token towards an end of year treat. Each term we give out our bronze, silver and gold pin badges for our 100% attendees. We text and write to parents who have improved their attendance following our support. We also make the best provision we can for those children who, for whatever reason, are prevented from coming to school.
Attendance at Moss Park Primary is consistently above average. I am proud to say that we have increased the attendance of our 'infant department' following our amalgamation in summer 2023 so that is now on a par with our 'old' Junior School. Previously, Moss Park Infant School absence was 5.9% overall (4.9% MPJS) with 22.5% persistent absence (11.7% MPJS). We are now consistent across key stages and we are so proud of our school! We have received several certificates from the Fischer Family Trust (FFT) that recognise our attendance as being in the top 10% of all FFT primary schools and of all FFT primary schools in similar circumstances. This is based on the proportion of FSM pupils from the January 2024 school census.
Handy advice for you is attached at the bottom of the page - a 'traffic light' poster to help you work out if your child is well enough for school, a bite size leaflet that summarises our Attendance and Punctuality policy and guidance on term time absence requests.
At Moss Park, our first aiders are authorised to give pupils non-prescribed medicines such as Calpol (and other brands of paracetamol) to pupils for coughs, colds or minor illnesses. We just ask that your fill in the form. You can find a form attached here, or fill in a paper copy from the office. The Headteacher, Mrs Nunwick and the Attendance Officer, Miss Sherratt, can support you with all aspects of attendance as part of our robust drive to improve attendance.
We report our attendance data daily to the Department for Education. You can access some advice from the DFE here: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2024/01/improving-school-attendance/