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Attendance
Working to ensure a high level of a ttendance is a very important part of what we do in school and it is part of Safeguarding - pupils in school are safer than those who are not.
Regular attendance and punctuality is key to pupil progress. At Pond Meadow, we take a whole-school approach to maintaining and improving attendance and it is the joint responsibility of parents/carers, pupils, and staff members to ensure that children are attending school as they should be.
- Parents and carers have a legal duty in line with the Education Act 1996 (legislation.gov.uk) to ensure that children attend school regularly/receive a suitable full time education.
- School provides a safe environment with a warm welcome and an exciting curriculum which equips pupils for life.
- The school day runs from 9:00am to 3:00pm Monday to Thursday and on Fridays 9:00am to 2:00pm.
- The Attendance Lead is Rebecca Greig rgreig@pond-meadow.surrey.sch.uk and she will be happy to support with any attendance or punctuality queries.
- The school’s policy is to offer a supportive approach to managing attendance and every effort will be made to work in partnership with parents/carers to improve attendance and address any underlying issues such as sleep, routines, ensuring appropriate support/referral to other services etc whilst working within our Safeguarding guidelines. Class teams can make resources for families, such as calendars or social stories to support transitions. Please just ask your class team or contact Rebecca Greig.
- The school day starts at 9am and pupils are encouraged to be on time for school. We can offer personalised support to assist if required and are very happy to do so.
- Families should notify school of any absence using the email pupils@pond-meadow.surrey.sch.uk or calling the main office on 01483 532239.
- When a pupil does not attend school and no reasonable explanation is given by the parent/carer we will follow up with contact to parents/carers 30 minutes after morning or afternoon registration closes to identify reason for any pupil absence, record appropriately and notify the relevant staff member e.g. teacher/Attendance Lead/Duty Manager/Headteacher as appropriate.
- If there is no response to the call/contact or the absence remains unexplained/is a concern, a member of the SLT/SMT/Duty Manager/Headteacher will be informed promptly and they will follow up with contact to C-SPA/Social Worker/Inclusion Officer as appropriate and further investigation and action will be made.
- Holidays should be taken in school holidays, except in exceptional circumstances. Requests for leave forms should be completed for any holiday/leave of absence for the headteacher’s consideration.
- Pupils are rewarded for good/improving punctuality/attendance
Other than for illness or exceptional circumstances, all absences should be communicated with school in advance using pupils@pond-meadow.surrey.sch.uk For example, if your child has an upcoming paediatric or dentist appointment, proof must be provided (letter confirmation of the appointment shown to the class teacher).
Parents/carers must also inform school transport if their child will not be attending school on a specific day, and update school transport on subsequent days if absence continues.
Parents/carers must not take their children out of school during term time. If parents/carers would like to make a special request for this, they may do so to the Headteacher using the request for leave of absence form. This will only be granted in exceptional cases.
Our Attendance Policy, application for leave of absence form and home-school agreement can be found here:
Family holidays and extended leave: More information
Family holidays and extended leave
Parents/carers should ensure that family holidays and special leave are arranged outside of school term time. Parents/carers do not have the automatic right to remove their child from school during term time for this reason.
Requests for leave from school must be made in using the form 2 weeks in advance of the leave being taken. In the case of unforeseen circumstances, such as a family bereavement, this will be taken into consideration.
Examples of these might be:
- Medical care
- Overseas Respite
All requests for authorised absence will be responded to in writing, and will, if appropriate, outline the details of when the child is expected to return to school.
Parents/carers should contact the school immediately if there will be a cause for delay from the stated date of return.
If permission is not granted, but the child is still absent, the absence is classed as unauthorised and parents/carers may be issued with a penalty notice.
Religious observance
Pond Meadow recognises that there may be times where children of different faiths observe religious festivals that fall outside of school holidays and weekends, and will allow authorised absence for these times.
Parents/carers will be aware of these dates and should give the school written notification in advance via email:
Home School Agreement
As part of our whole-school approach to attendance, we request that parents/carers agree to and sign our home school agreement.
Our home-school agreement highlights important information for supporting children's learning, including asking parents and carers to:
- Support their children in arriving to school, on time everyday - school starts at 9am
- Engage with their children’s education – support their learning and take an interest in what they have been doing at school
- Do everything they can to prevent unnecessary school absences, such as by making medical and dental appointments outside of school hours
- Use the school as a support when they or their child are having difficulties, and work to form a positive relationship with the school so that there is easy communication when a problem arises
- Keep the school informed of any circumstances which may affect their child’s attendance using the email address or telephone number below:
Sleep support
Many children and parents find bedtime difficult. Please reach out for help if you need it by contacting Rebecca Greig our Deputy Headteacher who can provide advice and support.
We also have helpful guides, made in partnership with other agencies to support with sleep/bedtime routines:
Attendance and Punctuality Support Levels
Please see the document below about the levels of support provided by school and the Local Authority:
