At Park Gate Primary School, we believe that every day in school matters. Excellent attendance gives children the best opportunity to achieve their full potential, build strong friendships, develop confidence and enjoy all that school has to offer.

Learning takes place every day, and each lesson builds on previous knowledge and skills. Missing school can make it more difficult for children to keep up with their learning, participate in class activities and feel fully connected to school life.

We have high expectations for attendance and expect all pupils to attend school every day unless they are genuinely too unwell to do so or there are exceptional circumstances. We work in partnership with parents and carers to ensure that children develop positive attendance habits from the very beginning of their school journey.

Our attendance expectation is at least 97%, with the aim that every child achieves the highest attendance possible. We carefully monitor attendance and will contact families where attendance begins to cause concern so that we can offer support and work together to improve it.

We celebrate good and excellent attendance here at school and reward children and classes. 

Parents and carers play a vital role in ensuring good attendance by:

• Establishing consistent morning and bedtime routines.

• Arriving at school on time every day.

• Booking medical appointments outside school hours wherever possible.

• Taking holidays during school holidays rather than in term time.

• Keeping school informed if their child is absent due to illness.

Is my child well enough for school? 

We understand that it can sometimes be difficult to decide whether your child is well enough to attend school. In most cases, children with minor illnesses can and should continue to attend school.

As a general guide:

Your child should stay at home if they:

• Have a high temperature (fever) of 38°C or above.
• Are vomiting or have diarrhoea. They should remain at home until they have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 48 hours.
• Are too unwell to take part in normal activities.
• Have a contagious illness where the recommended exclusion period has not yet passed.

Your child can usually attend school if they have:

• A mild cough or cold.
• A runny nose.
• A sore throat without a high temperature.
• Mild tummy ache that does not prevent them from taking part in learning.
• Headache that improves with appropriate treatment and they are otherwise well.

If your child develops a high temperature during the school day, we will contact you to arrange for them to be collected.

If you are unsure whether your child should attend school, we recommend following the NHS guidance, Link:

Is my child too ill for school? - NHS

By working together, we can ensure every child has the best possible chance to succeed, thrive and make the most of every opportunity at Park Gate Primary School.