Attendance at Manston Primary School

Excellent attendance and punctuality is key to children making progress at school so that they meet expected attainment levels and can achieve their full potential; missing lessons leaves children vulnerable to falling behind. Children attending school every day:

• make better progress, both socially and academically;
• find routines, school work and friendships easier to manage;
• find learning more satisfying;
• enjoy a successful transition between primary and secondary school;
• progress to further and higher education;
• secure training and employment;
• are safe whilst they are not in the care of their parents/carers.

Manston Primary School is committed to all children having access to and receiving a good education. Manston Primary School recognises that this is a major contributory factor to children achieving the best possible outcomes, raising their aspirations and empowering them to have choices that will have a positive impact upon their future lives.

Our school has a dedicated governor who is responsible for attendance. Their role is to support and challenge the school on attendance levels, procedures and our policy. Currently, Tero Väänänen is our attendance governor. In this role, he has attended school attendance panels, analysed data and undertaken monitoring visits on behalf of the Governing Body.

The responsibility of parents/carers to ensure their children go to school and are ready to start the school day is central to the success of this policy. Partnership working is key with parents/carers, schools and agencies working together to ensure all children receive an appropriate education suitable to their needs.

Manston Primary's Mission Statement for Attendance 

•  Promote children’s welfare and safeguarding,
•  Ensure that every pupil has access to full-time education to which they are entitled to,
•  Ensure that pupils succeed whilst at school, and
•  Ensure that pupils have access to the widest possible range of opportunities.

3 P’s for Attendance at Manston Primary School

• PREVENTION

You can prevent your child by missing school by making sure they understand the importance of good attendance and punctuality.

Take an interest in their education – ask them about school work, and encourage them to get involved in any school activities.

Discuss any problems they may have at school, and inform their teacher or the Safeguarding and Welfare Officer about anything serious.

Do not let them take time off school for minor ailments.

• PUNCTUALITY

Ensure your child arrives to school on time.

Reception: start at 8:50AM 

Year 1: start at 8:50AM 

Year 2: start at 8:50AM 

Year 3: start at 8:50AM 

Year 4: start at 8:50AM 

Year 5: start at 8:50AM 

Year 6: start at 8:50AM 

Being continually late can have a detrimental effect on your child’s education.

• PROMOTION

Promote an education to your child; let them know that they have to make the most of the educational opportunities available to them.

Irregular school attendance seriously disrupts continuity of learning, undermines progress and leads to underachievement and low attainment.

Give your child the education they are entitles to and deserve – we want them to succeed just as much as you!

Tackling Attendance

Manston Primary tackle attendance using their own Attendance Strategy Grid which can be requested from the Safeguarding Welfare Officer or Head Teacher.

Manston Primary School have defined how it views levels of attendance (below) using a Red, Amber, Green (RAG) system. 

Classopoly

Classopoly is our monopoly style board game – you will spot it on the wall in our hall. Each class had their own monopoly piece which move around the board every week a class has 96% or more attendance. Your class gets to roll the dice to move around the board.

There is one special difference about our board though – instead of houses, the squares are all rewards; everything from an extra playtime, art activities, to lemonade, baking or a special lesson with Mr Clay!

What does support look like at Manston Primary?

Here at Manston Primary, we strive to work alongside the parent/carer to ensure your child’s regular attendance and punctuality.

If you have an issue with getting your child to school, you don’t have to struggle alone. Please ring the school office on 0113 264 5445 and we will attempt to arrange for the Safeguarding and Welfare Officer to collect your child(ren) if this is possible.

If you have an ongoing problem, please do not hesitate to arrange and appointment with the Safeguarding and Welfare Officer to discuss this further. We want to help in any way that we can!

Absence Protocol at Manston Primary School

On the day of absence, please ring the school on 0113 264 5445 to report your child’s absence, or email manston.primary@manston.leeds.sch.uk.

If you know how long your child will be absent for, please state so on the message. If not, you will need to ring every day to inform school, otherwise it may go down as an unauthorised absence.

For sickness and diarrhoea, your child cannot return to school until 48 hours after the last bout of illness. For COVID-19 illness, please follow NHS Guidance, found here: 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/. 

If you are unsure about anything, please ring the school office for further advice.

Thank you for your continued support.