Mountnessing Church of England Primary School  recognises that positive behaviour and good attendance are essential in order to raise standards of pupil attainment and to give every child/young person the best educational experience possible.

For our children to gain the greatest benefit from their education it is vital that they attend regularly and be at school, on time, every day the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable.

The school gates open at 8.40am and close at 8.50am. Children are considered late if they miss the gate and have to enter school through the main office before 9.00am, this is marked in the register as an L. After 9.00am, children who are late will receive an unauthorised attendance mark in the register (U). All late children must be accompanied by an adult into the office who will be required to complete a 'late form'. 

It is a rule of this school that pupils must attend every day, unless there are exceptional circumstances and it is the headteacher, not the parent, who can authorise the absence.

Absence Procedures

If a child is absent from school the parent/carer must follow the following procedures:

• Contact the school on the first day of absence before 9.05 am. Our preferred method of contact is through Study bugs (www.studybugs.co.uk). The school also has an answer phone available to leave a message if nobody is available to take your call, or call into school personally and speak to the office staff
• Contact the school on every further day of absence, again before 9.05am
• Ensure that your child returns to school as soon as possible and you provide any medical evidence if requested to support the absence.

If your child is absent we will:

• Contact you on the first day of absence if we have not heard from you however it is your responsibility to contact us. We contact via telephone, text or message through Studybugs.
• Write to you if your child’s attendance is below 95%
• Invite you in to school to discuss the situation with our School Welfare Officer, Child and Family Support Worker or Headteacher if absences persist and complete an attendance contract.
• Refer the matter to the Local Authority for relevant sanctions if attendance deteriorates following the above actions