We are delighted to share with you that our school’s attendance rate for the 2024/2025 academic year was an impressive 95%! This achievement is a testament to the commitment and support of our school community in ensuring that our students are present and engaged in their learning.

We are incredibly proud of this accomplishment, but we also recognise that there is always room for improvement. With this in mind, we are setting our sights even higher for the upcoming academic year, 2025/2026. Our goal is to further increase our attendance rates and create an even more positive and supportive learning environment for all our students.

Regular attendance is crucial for your child’s academic progress, social development, and overall well-being.  Research indicates a strong correlation between a student’s academic progress and the number of days they attend school throughout the academic year. Here at Southmead, we firmly believe in the principle that “EVERY SECOND COUNTS!”.

Attendance 
The table below shows the amount of lost learning a child may have by missing school.

Punctuality 

Ensuring your child arrives at school on time helps them to start the day positively and maximise their learning potential. It also helps establish good habits and routines that will benefit them throughout their lives.

Absences:

We kindly request that you schedule doctor, dentist, and medical appointments for your child outside of school hours whenever possible. Additionally, we ask that you make every effort to ensure your child attends school before and/ or after their appointment.

In the unfortunate event that your child is genuinely unwell and unable to attend school, we ask that you please contact the school office or send a message via ParentMail before 8:55am on the day of their absence. It is essential for us to have a reason for every day a child is absent from school. We understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise, and we appreciate your cooperation in keeping us informed. In the event that we are unable to reach you regarding your child’s absence, we will continue to make contact each day. After 4-5 days of unexplained absence, we may need to take further steps, which could include involving the police or making a referral to social services..

Some of these measures may seem extreme but it is our duty to ensure the safeguarding of every pupil in our school community.

Holidays and Leave of Absence: 

Please be informed that there is no legal entitlement to holidays or leave of absence during term time. A leave of absence during term time will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances. It is vital to note that holidays are not deemed to be exceptional circumstances and, as such, will not be authorised.

Should you wish to request a Leave of Absence, it is imperative that a formal request is made in writing, clearly stating the dates of the absence and providing details of the exceptional circumstances. Absence request forms are available from the school office, or you can download the form by clicking this link.

All requests must be made in advance of the absence.

It is important to highlight that taking an unauthorised absence may lead to a referral to the Local Authority, who may issue a penalty fine.

Incentives: 

Each week, the attendance for every class is published in our newsletter to keep you updated. We hold a celebration assembly every Friday where we announce the class attendance reward for the week. The top three classes with the best attendance get to keep the attendance/punctuality teddy bears in their classroom for the following week.

 Furthermore, two children who have 100% attendance for the week receive a certificate and an attendance badge during the assembly on Friday. Our Attendance officer ensures that children with 100%, above 96% attendance, and most improved attendance are recognised at termly celebrations.

 At the end of the academic year, one fortunate child with 100% attendance for the full year will win a brand-new bike or scooter as a special reward for their commitment to attending school regularly.

 We also wanted to remind you about the bronze, silver, and golden attendance certificates that we introduced last year. These certificates are awarded each term to children with 100% attendance, further recognising their dedication to attending school consistently.

Autumn Term:               Bronze Certificate (100% Attendance in Autumn)

Spring Term:                 Silver Certificate for 2 terms (Autumn and Spring.)              

Summer Term:              Gold Certificate for 3 terms (Autumn, Spring and Summer.)

 We believe that regular attendance is crucial for your child’s academic progress and we appreciate your support in helping us achieve high attendance rates. If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.              

If we have concerns about your child’s attendance, Miss Collier will contact you so that we can offer support and work together to make sure your child’s attendance improves. We employ an Education Welfare Officer (EWO) Charlotte Beesley who will also work with families if there is concern about school attendance.