Attendance
Attendance Matters at Jacksdale!
At Jacksdale Primary & Nursery School, we know that great attendance is key to helping our children to be the very best that they can be - whether that's with their friend, peers, adults or learning. Being in school every day means our pupils get the best possible chance to learn, build friendships, and develop important life skills.
We aim high when it comes to attendance and punctuality, and we work closely with families to ensure every child gets the support they need to be in school, on time, every day. As a Nottinghamshire maintained school, we work under the NCC policies and procedures which are based on the national attendance guidance issued by the DfE.
Why is attendance and punctuality so important?
🔹 Every school day counts – Even missing a few days can make it harder for children to catch up.
🔹 Good habits start early – Attending school regularly sets children up for success in the future.
🔹 Learning is fun – We want all children to enjoy their time at school and make the most of every opportunity.
🔹School starts at 9:00 - being late is uncomfortable for the children who have to walk into their class late. They may also miss vital teaching input and at Jacksdale all of our English and phonics lessons begin promptly at 9:05am, following the register and dinner register being taken at 9:00 as soon as the gates are closed and the school day has started.
What can you do?
✔️ Make sure your child arrives on time – school starts at 9:00 am.
✔️ Call us before 9:00 am if your child is unwell and unable to attend.
✔️Update us every day your child is absent from school, not just on the 1st day of absence.
✔️ Try to book medical appointments outside of school hours where possible.
✔️ Avoid term-time holidays – we can only grant leave in exceptional circumstances (where parents / carers have no control over an event e.g. a funeral or an immediate family member's wedding.
Keep in touch if your child is absent or going to be late
We have looked at a variety of ways that parents / carers can inform us of children's absences so whichever way works for you, works for us...
Submit a website absence form - available on the quick links area of the home page.
Phone the school office - 01773 783930
Email the school office - office@jacksdale.notts.sch.uk
Report using the Scholarpack parent app
What will we do as a school?
✔️Daily contact - If we don't receive any contact about a child's absence, we will try to phone and text requesting contact. If contact is not received we will do a home visit to complete a safe and well check.
✔️This forms a really important part of our safeguarding procedures. If you know that children are going to be absent in advance please complete a leave of absence form and return it to school.
✔️Mrs Blacknell, our Attendance Officer will monitor pupil attendance on a weekly basis. If children are regularly late or have multiple episodes of absence (more than 3 per term), then she will contact parents / carers to offer support.
✔️If attendance falls below 90%, then formal monitoring will be put into place. Parents may be asked to attend an attendance support meeting where we can work together to see what support can be offered or understand barriers to children attending school.
Working Together
We understand that sometimes, attendance can be challenging. That’s why we’re here to help! If you need support, our Attendance Officer, Mrs Blacknell, is available to chat.