At St. Martin's we know that good attendance supports learning, the development of social skills and friendships as well as building good habits which are essential for school life.

Research has shown that children who attend school regularly (95% or more) are shown to achieve at a higher level than those with lower attendance.

Our gates open, with a friendly welcome, each morning at 8:20 am and children are expected to be in class and ready to learn by 8:30 am. If your child is arriving after this time, they will need to report to the school office and will receive a late mark.

“We’re only 5 minutes late!...” Did you know that, if your child is 5 minutes late for school every day - that amounts to 15 hours of school missed each year?

In order for us to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our children, it is essential that you phone the school to notify us of any absence, including illness.

We understand that there may be times when your child is too poorly to attend school. However, we ask that children return to school as soon as they are able to. If you are unsure about whether to send your child in, please refer to the NHS for further guidance. Is my child too ill for school?

In order to request time off in advance, including for holidays, you will need to complete an S2 form which is available from the school office.

Once children become statutory school age, time off is only authorised in very exceptional circumstances and we adhere to strict criteria from the local authority regarding this.

A child can miss up to 6 days of school over the year through illness and still have attendance of almost 97%.

90% attendance is equivalent to missing a day of school each fortnight.

Attendance Champion

My role is a supportive one which aspires to work in conjunction with families to overcome any barriers to poor attendance.

I'm here to help so please contact me through the school office if you have concerns as a parent/carer which you feel may impact your child's attendance at school.

Melanie Turl

Deputy Head

There are many ways that we promote good attendance. Here are just a few:

Attendance Bear

Each week, together as a school, we celebrate the top 3 classes with the highest attendance!

The class with the highest attendance wins Attendance Bear. The children love collecting the bear and having him in their classroom.

100% attendance

Every half term, we recognise and celebrate children with 100% attendance.