Attendance Matters
At St Osmund’s Catholic Primary School, it is our ongoing Mission to show:
Love for God ~ Love for Each Other ~ Love for Learning
To succeed in this mission, which underpins an ethos of…
We can…
I have come that you may have life and have it in all its fullness (Jn. 10:10)
… our children need to be in school. It is by being in school, experiencing a high quality, holistic, Catholic education, that our children can enjoy every chance of achieving their potential.
All parents/carers of pupils at St Osmund’s School of mandatory school age have a statutory responsibility to ensure that their children attend school.
More important than that, attending school is essential for children’s development, wellbeing and achievement. 95% or better attendance (our target is 96.1% which was the national average before the pandemic) is essential for achievement and development, and we are grateful to parents who ensure that attendance remains above this level.
Attendance at school is vitally important but we also understand that families want to take time to visit relatives and have a break! This is why for two years now, we have made a 2-week long October half term in order to provide an opportunity for you to take a holiday if you wish.
We ask that you do not take holiday at other points during the school terms.
Absence from school should only occur in extreme circumstances.
Holidays in term time will not be authorised.
What is excellent attendance?
The graph below clearly shows what all schools expect in terms of excellent attendance. 90% attendance is not good enough; it needs to be 95% and above.
Punctuality
Being punctual for school is as important as good attendance. Arrival after the closure of the register will be regarded as unauthorised absence and as above, this may result in meetings or even penalty notices.