At Smith’s Wood Primary Academy, we ask that pupils strive to achieve achieve at least 96% attendance. We recognise that for some this may be a challenging target, therefore we will provide additional support to pupils and their families to encourage excellent attendance. However, our belief remains that if your child is a regular attendee at school, then they will make rapid progress!

Parents/Carers have a legal responsibility to ensure that children of compulsory school age attend school regularly.  Pupils should be at school, on time, every day the school is open, unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable.

To view our attendance policy, please click here

For further guidance on attendance, please click here for the link to the DfE attendance overview

Punctuality

Pupils are expected to arrive between 8:45am and 8:55am each day, but no later.  Persistent lateness has a significant detriment on pupils learning and their start to the day.  Punctuality is an important part to a child’s success.

Absence

If a child is absent from school parents/carers should contact the school on the first day of absence to inform the school of the reason for absence. Parents are expected to maintain contact with the school throughout the absence. At 9.30am school registers are checked for any absences where there has been no contact by parents and reason given. School staff will send text messages to parents to ascertain a reason for the child absence from school.

For further information relating to school absence, please click here for the link to the Solihull education enforcement code of conduct

It is imperative that up-to-date contact numbers and details are provided to school.

Illness

Not all illness requires an absence from school. For minor childhood ailments such as coughs, colds, ear aches we would not expect children to be absent. However, when a parent makes the assessment that their child is unfit for school they should follow the above absence process.

Medical appointments

Parents/Carers should avoid making routine medical appointments and dental appointments during the school day. In the majority of cases, appointments can be made outside of the school day/during the school holidays.

Where appointments have to be taken during the school day, only the time for the appointment and travel to and from will be classed as an authorised absence. Pupils are expected to return to school for the remainder of the day/attend school prior to the appointment.

Parents/Carers are required to provide a copy of the appointment letter or card prior to the day of the appointment