September 2026

Working Together to Support Your Child’s Attendance & Wellbeing

Dear Parents and Carers,

At Yorkswood Primary School, our primary focus is to ensure every child feels happy, safe, and supported so they can thrive in all areas of school life. Following up on our recent ClassDojo post, we want to reiterate our commitment to working closely with our families to build strong, regular attendance across our entire school community.

Daily attendance is vital not only for academic success, but also for children’s Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH). Being in school every day allows children to build strong friendships, establish reassuring routines, grow in confidence, and feel a real sense of belonging. Looking at our school data from last year, children with good attendance (over 95%) achieved consistently higher educational outcomes across every year group. When children are here, they flourish through the dedicated teaching and support our team provides.

Introducing Jade Crammond, Our Education Welfare Officer (EWO)

To help us offer the best possible support to our school community, we are delighted to welcome Jade Crammond, our dedicated Education Welfare Officer (EWO).

Jade will be working alongside us one day every week to support our families and school team. Her role is rooted in early help and collaboration—working with parents to understand any barriers to attendance, providing advice, and finding positive solutions so every child can attend school regularly and comfortably.

In line with updated Department for Education (DfE) guidance (Working Together to Improve School Attendance), we operate a "Support First" approach. Whenever attendance becomes a concern or challenges arise, our fundamental starting point is always: "Is there anything we can do to help?"

Daily Attendance Guidance & Procedures

To help our morning routines run smoothly and maintain clear safeguarding procedures, please note the following essential guidance:

• Reporting Absences by 8:30 AM: If your child is unable to attend school, please notify the school office by 8:30 AM on each day of absence.

• Providing Specific Symptoms: When calling, please give specific details regarding your child's symptoms rather than leaving a general "unwell" or "ill" message.

• Minor Illnesses & NHS Guidance: Following official NHS advice (Is my child too ill for school?), children with minor coughs, colds, or sniffles can and should attend school as long as they do not have a high temperature. We keep plenty of tissues in class and will monitor them closely throughout the day.

• Punctuality & Register Closing Times:

  • School begins and registers close at 8:55 AM.

  • Children arriving between 8:55 AM and 9:25 AM will receive a Late mark ('L').

  • Arrivals after 9:25 AM are recorded as an Unauthorised Late ('U'), which legally counts as an unauthorised absence for the morning session.

• Medical Appointments: Please arrange routine dental and medical appointments outside of school hours wherever possible. If an appointment during the school day is unavoidable, please provide an appointment card or letter to the office. Children should attend school before and/or after their appointment so they lose as little learning time as possible.

Early Help & 'Safe and Well Checks'

We understand that every family experiences difficulties from time to time, and getting to school every day can sometimes feel challenging. We offer a range of support pathways to work alongside you:

• Early Help Support Meetings: If your child’s attendance falls below 95% or if they experience school-related anxiety, Jade Crammond (EWO) and our Family Support team will reach out to invite you to an Early Help conversation so we can put tailored support in place.

• 'Safe and Well Checks': In line with DfE statutory guidelines, if a child has 3 consecutive days of absence, members of our staff may perform a home visit known as a 'Safe and Well Check'. These visits are purely supportive—our goal is simply to check in, see that your child is safe, and see how we can assist you.

Planned Term-Time Absences

Under national DfE regulations, Headteachers are strictly prohibited from granting leave of absence during term time unless exceptional circumstances apply.

• Submitting a Request: If you need to request leave for exceptional reasons, an official request form must be submitted at least 4 weeks in advance.

• Unauthorised Absences & Penalty Notices: Holidays during term time cannot be authorised. Amassing 10 or more sessions (5 school days) of unauthorised absence within a term may lead to a referral to the Local Authority for a Penalty Notice fine.

We are incredibly proud of our children and value the strong relationship we hold with our parents and carers. By working in partnership with Jade, our school team, and your family, we can ensure every child at Yorkswood gets the most out of their education.

If you have any questions or feel you would benefit from extra support with your child's attendance, please feel free to contact the school office or reach out to Jade Crammond during her day with us.

Warmest regards,

Yorkswood Primary School Leadership Team