Attendance & Punctuality

Being in school is important to your child’s academic achievement, wellbeing, and wider development.  There is evidence to suggest that regular school attendance is a key mechanism to support children and young people's educational, economic and social outcomes. School can facilitate positive peer relationships, which is a contributes to better mental health and wellbeing.

Attendance at school is crucial to prepare young people for successful transition to adulthood, and to support their longer term economic and social participation in society. There is also evidence that the students with the highest attendance throughout their time in school gain the best GCSE and A level results. 

At Lionel our attendance target for every pupil is 96%. 

This means that your child must not have more than 8 days absence throughout the year.

We will work with families to support children coming to school.

We do this by:

- promoting good attendance within our school community

- working with families to understand barriers and then working together to remove them

- sending home attendance summaries at the end of each term

- working with outside agencies to support good attendance and punctuality

School begins with a soft start from 8.50am to 9.00am.

Year 5 and 6 children who have permission to walk home alone are dismissed at 3.30pm.  All other children can be collected from their classroom / corridor door at 3:30pm.  

Parents / Carers can support their child/ren by ensuring that they attend school every day and arrive on time.

If your child arrives after the bell rings at 9.00am please bring them to the reception so that they can be registered before they go to their classroom. 

Children throughout the school attend for a total of 32 hours and 30 minutes each week.

If your child/ren are unable to attend school please call the Reception desk on 0208 560 5323 to report the absence or alternatively you should report the absence via Parent Mail. 

TOGETHER WE CAN DO IT!

Help to give your child the best start in life. It is important to support your child and make sure he/she comes to school every day.

Missing days means gaps in learning which seriously affects progress.

It is a legal duty to send your children to school every day and we ask you to commit to this.

High attendance leads to higher achievement and ensures your child’s well-being, setting up positive habits for future studies and working life.

Let's work together for the best possible outcomes for every child.

Acceptable Reasons for Being off School

• Illness  e.g measles, chicken pox, sickness and diarrhoea

• Medical appointments that have to be arranged in term time require evidence e.g a hospital, therapies letter 

• One off exceptional circumstances will be considered by the Headteacher

These absences will be recorded as authorised.

Unacceptable Reasons for Being off School

 Holiday during term time

 Shopping

 Birthdays

Days out

Getting up late

Family visits/Social gatherings

 Being off when brothers and sisters are ill

Using children to look after other children or relations in the house

These absences will be recorded as unauthorised.

Please see NHS guidance for further information:

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/#maincontent

Lateness

School time is too valuable to miss!

When a child is late for school he or she may feel:

      Confused               Upset            Embarrassed           Angry           Left Out 

Anxious               Scared               

Punctuality is important throughout life – this is one of the basic expectations in our professional lives.

It is unacceptable to be late due to oversleeping or general traffic.

Being late can mean missing the vital introduction to a lesson.

At Lionel Primary School lessons begin  at 9.00a.m. every school day.

Issues with Attendance or Punctuality?

Our attendance officer, Mrs McMillan, is happy to help if you need advice or support. Please call the school  - 020 8560 5323 or email: attendance@lionel.hounslow.sch.uk

Weekly Attendance Cup Winners

Autumn Term 2024/2025