At Milford School we believe that high levels of attendance contribute significantly to the success of children, not only academically but socially and emotionally too. Any days away from school interrupt teaching and learning and can hinder the progress that children make. Arriving late at school is also disruptive. Our gates open at 8:35am and pupils must arrive in school by 08:45.
We realise that from time to time, children are unwell so please ensure you inform the School Office before 9:30am if your child will be away from school for illness and please continue to update us daily if your child remains unable to attend school.
Parents must make sure their child is regularly attending school as stated in section 7 and section 444 (1) of the Education Act (1996)
Even though the legal responsibility lies with the parents, Milford School have a responsibility to manage and improve attendance. The DfE expects us to:
- Develop and maintain a whole-school culture that promotes high attendance
- Have a clear attendance policy which staff, pupils and parents can understand
- Accurately complete admission and attendance records
- Have effective day-to-day processes in place to follow up on absences
- Regularly monitor and analyse attendance data to identify pupils or groups that require extra support, and put strategies in place to support their attendance
- Build strong relationships with families to understand and remove barriers to attendance
- Share information and work collaboratively with other schools, LA and other safeguarding partners to support attendance
Milford School’s Attendance Policy can be found below. We also have a number of strategies in place to promote and encourage regular attendance:
- Providing a caring and welcoming learning environment
- Responding promptly to any concerns from pupils or parents
- Publishing and displaying attendance statistics in our weekly newsletter