Attendance at Blackfordby St Margaret’s CE Primary School

At Blackfordby St Margaret’s, we want every child to feel happy, settled and able to learn.
Good attendance helps children build strong routines, friendships and confidence, and ensures they get the most out of their time at school.

We work closely with families to support good attendance and to help whenever there are difficulties.

 

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Reporting an Absence

If your child is unable to attend school, please let us know as soon as possible on the first day of absence.

You can report an absence by:

• 📞 Phone: 012141 217702
• 📧 Email: office@blackfordby.risemat.co.uk

Please include:

• Your child’s name
• Their class
• The reason for absence

If we do not hear from you, we will contact you to ensure your child is safe.

 

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Absence Due to Illness

If your child is unwell, they should stay at home until they are well enough to return to school.

We ask parents to:

• Keep children at home if they have a sickness or diarrhoea bug (children should return 48 hours after the last episode)
• Inform the school office each day your child is absent due to illness

If you are unsure whether your child should attend school, please contact the office for advice.

 

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Medical and Dental Appointments

Where possible, we ask that medical and dental appointments are arranged outside of school hours.

If your child does need to attend an appointment during the school day:

• Please inform the school office in advance
• Let us know the time your child will be collected and returned

This helps us ensure registers and safeguarding procedures are followed correctly.

 

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Term‑Time Leave of Absence

Schools are required to follow government guidance regarding attendance.

Headteachers are unable to authorise holidays during term-time, except in exceptional circumstances.

If you wish to request leave of absence:

• Please complete the Term‑Time Leave Request Form
• Requests should be submitted before any arrangements are made
• Each request will be considered individually

You may be issued with a Penalty Notice if leave is taken without authorisation.

📄 Related documents:

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Working Together

We work closely with families to support good attendance and to help address any difficulties that may arise.

We understand that sometimes attendance concerns can be linked to wider issues.
If you are worried about your child’s attendance or need support, please contact the school office — we are always happy to help.

 

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Absence and Attainment – Did You Know?

• There are 190 school days in a year. This leaves 175 non‑school days for family time, holidays and routine appointments.

• Children have the best chance of success when their attendance is between 95% and 100%.

• The Department for Education defines a persistently absent child as one who misses 10% or more of school.

• 90% attendance means a child misses around one day every two weeks, which adds up to nearly four weeks over a school year.

• If a child’s attendance remains at 90% throughout primary and secondary school, they could miss the equivalent of one whole year of education.

 

 

 

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Attendance Rewards & Tracking

At Blackfordby, we celebrate and promote good attendance through simple, positive rewards. We encourage pupils to develop good attendance habits, helping to prepare them for life beyond school and improving future life chances.

At Blackfordby, we celebrate good attendance and encourage children to develop positive routines

• Weekly celebrations for the class with the best attendance

There are several ways you can keep up to date with your child’s attendance:

• You can view your child’s individual attendance record on Arbor (Login to Arbor here)
• At parents’ evenings, your child’s class teacher will talk to you about attendance
• If you would like an attendance certificate printed, please speak to the school office