Attendance and punctuality expectations
We are working to improve daily attendance, persistent absence from school and late comers in the mornings.
A good education gives a child the best possible start in life. We must ensure that all our pupils have an equal chance to make good use of the education that the school offers by providing a positive and encouraging atmosphere. To achieve this it is important that each child attends school regularly and punctually. When a child does not attend school regularly and on time they will have difficulty keeping up with their work and will therefore underachieve.
The school recognises that parents/carers have a vital role to play in supporting and encouraging good attendance and punctuality. By accepting responsibility in partnership with the school, we can work together to ensure the children’s right to a full education, as well as enabling parents/carers to fulfil their legal responsibility.
It is very important for all children to attend school every day and to arrive on time. School starts promptly at 8.55am and they should arrive in good time to line up in the Park at 8.45am. This is essential to ensure that children benefit fully from classroom learning and that other children’s learning is not disrupted. We therefore have a strict punctuality procedure. When a child arrives after 9.00am the parent/carer is required to wait with their child until the next break in learning. A meeting with a member of the Senior Leadership Team will be arranged to help them with strategies to prevent lateness from occurring.
To help with punctuality, there is a breakfast club in the small hall from 8.00am. Please speak to a member of the administration team to find out if there are spaces.
Not only does lateness make a bad start to the day, arrival after 9.30am is considered half a day’s absence. All lateness/attendance is recorded and monitored by the school and the Attendance Welfare Advisor (AWA). The AWA visits the school every week during the term time and checks the school’s attendance registers. If any child is absent from the school on a regular basis, is frequently late, or has a number of unauthorised absences, the AWA will meet with the parents/carers to address the concerns.
Usually, the only acceptable reason for a pupil to miss a day of school is if they are too ill to attend. If this is the case, you should ring the school office by 8.30am with a valid medical reason. If you are not sure in the morning whether your child is well enough for school, we suggest you send them in. We can always call you if they become too ill to get through the day. In some cases we will require parents/carers to provide proof of the illness.
It is not acceptable to take children out of school for birthdays, family holidays, to visit relatives abroad, family weddings or any other special events during term time and these absences will not be authorised.
In exceptional circumstances permission may be sought from the Principal and every case will be treated individually.
Medical appointments should be made out of school hours if at all possible. If your child has to see a doctor or dentist in school time they should attend school for as much of the day as possible. It is not permitted to take a whole day off school for a medical appointment unless the appointment lasts all day.
Thank you for your co-operation.
Meet the teacher meetings
All parents and carers of children in each year group are invited to attend a meeting to meet some of the adults who work with your children. The meetings will take place over the next two weeks on different days and times for each year group. Please come to the main entrance after drop off in the Park. During the meeting you will be given important information about:
- the curriculum that will be covered during the course of this year, and how this curriculum will be organised
- information on mathematics and English assessments
- ways in which you can support your child’s learning
- general information on PE, homework etc.
- There will also be an opportunity for you to ask questions.
- The meeting will start at 9am and finish promptly at 9.25am, as teachers need to be back in class teaching.
18th September – Reception
19th September – Y2
20th September – Y1
21st September – Y3
22nd September – Y4
25th September – Y5/Y6
We look forward to seeing you at the meeting/s.
Revised term dates 2017/2018
| Term | Start | End | Half- term holidays | Start | End | End of term holiday |
| Autumn 2017
|
Monday 4th September 2017(staff only, Monday 4th to Friday 8th – see Inset days below. Pupils return to school on Monday 11th Sept) | Friday 20th October 2017 | Monday 23rd October – Friday 27th October 2017 | Monday 30th October 2017 | Wednesday 20th December 2017 | Thursday 21st December 2017 – Tuesday 2nd January 2018 |
| Spring 2018
|
Wednesday 3rd January 2018 | Friday 9th February 2018 | Monday 12th February – Friday 16th February 2018 | Monday 19th February 2018 | Thursday 29th March 2018 | Friday 30th March – Friday 13th April 2018 |
| Summer 2018 | Monday 16th April 2018 | Friday 25th May 2018 | Monday 28th May – Friday 1st June 2018 | Monday 4th June 2018 | Tuesday 24th July 2018 | Wednesday 25th July – Friday 31st August 2018 |
INSET Days
- INSET 1: Monday 4th September 2017
- INSET 2: Tuesday 5th September 2017
- INSET 3: Wednesday 6th September 2017
- INSET 4: Thursday 7th September 2017
- INSET 5: Friday 8th September 2017
EID
Tower Hamlets have advised the provisional dates below for School closures for the celebration of Eid:
- Eid Al-Adha 2017 – Saturday 2nd September 2017 provisional date
- Eid Al-Fitr 2018 – Friday 15th June 2018 provisional date
- Eid Al-Adha 2018 – Wednesday 22nd August 2018 provisional date
Bank Holidays – 2017/18
- Christmas Day – Monday 25th December 2017
- Boxing Day – Tuesday 26th December 2017
- New Year’s Day – Monday 1st January 2018
- Good Friday – Friday 30th March 2018
- Easter Monday – Monday 2nd April 2018
- May Bank Holiday – Monday 7th May 2018
- Spring Bank Holiday – Monday 28th May 2018
- Summer Bank Holiday – Monday 27th August 2018
Newsletter 160617
Read to find out who has been a star pupil ! SPA Newsletter 160617