Attendance

Our Whole School Approach to Attendance

At Westbury Infant School, we want the very best for your child. Children only have one chance at school, and attending regularly and arriving on time helps them make the most of every learning opportunity.

It is an obvious, but important point to make, that if a child misses a significant number of lessons then it is likely that their education will be greatly affected. We therefore have a strict policy on attendance and punctuality.

We expect and encourage pupils to have good attendance and to arrive at school on time and will work closely with parents and carers should attendance or punctuality give cause for concern.

Click here to view our Attendance Policy.

Excellent punctuality is important because:

When pupils arrive late they disrupt lessons
When pupils arrive late they can miss key learning opportunities
When pupils are late it can be embarrassing for them
Good time keeping is a vital life skill that will help children as they progress through their school life and out into the wider world

Excellent attendance is important because:

Children may be at risk of harm if they do not attend school regularly
There is a direct link between under-achievement and poor attendance
Regular attenders make better progress, both socially and academically
Regular attenders find school routines and schoolwork easier to cope with
Regular attenders are more likely to find learning satisfying and to build strong friendships with their peers
Regular attenders have an easier transfer to secondary school, having developed
positive habits in attending school every day
Creating a pattern of regular attendance establishes a positive habit for life

Please note that permitting absence from school without a good reason creates an offence in law under the Education Act 1996, and may result in prosecution.

The expected level of attendance for all children is 96% or better
Children who have attendance less than 90% are classed as 'persistent absentees'
If your child's attendance is less than 96% you might receive letters and/or be invited to a school attendance meeting with the Head Teacher to discuss any underlying reasons for absence and if any support is required to improve your child's school attendance.

What to do if your child is unwell...

Contact the school on the first day of absence by 8:30 am through telephone 01373 822716 or email admin@westbury-inf.wilts.sch.uk or submit an absence report using the Arbor Parent App
Contact the school on every further day of absence.
Ensure that your child returns to school as soon as possible and you provide any medical evidence, if requested, to support the absence.
When reporting an absence, please include your child’s name, class and the reason for their absence. This information helps us determine whether the absence is authorised or unauthorised.
If a child has more than 10 days of illness (not consecutive) during an academic year parents/carer are required to provide medical evidence such as a note from a GP or a copy of a prescription. Failure to do so may result in the absence being unauthorised.

How to report an Absence using the Arbor Parent App

1. Open the Arbor Parent app and log in to your account.

2. Select your child (if more than one child is linked to your account).

3. Navigate to Quick Actions or the Attendance section.

4. Tap Log Absence

You will see a green Log absence button on the Attendance page

5. Enter the absence details

Select the start and end time (this will usually default to a full day)

Provide the reason for the absence (e.g. illness, symptoms, medical appointment etc)

6. Submit the absence by tapping Log Absence

The school will review the information and mark the absence as authorised or unauthorised.

You can view the status later in the Attendance section of the app.

When to keep your child off school

Children should stay at home for some infectious illnesses until they are no longer infectious and meet the recommended return times.

Children do not usually need to stay off school for conditions like head lice, hand, foot and mouth, tonsillitis, or slapped cheek, but the school should be informed.

This guidance follows UK Health Security Agency (NHS) advice to help prevent the spread of infection in schools. See below information leaflet for reference.