Attendance and Our School Day

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Primary School has high expectations when it comes to childrens attendance in school as we believe being in school provides children with the very best opportunity to be the best they can be.

We aim to encourage all children to achieve the best possible levels of attendance in order to take full advantage of the learning experiences available to them. The school will offer an environment in which children feel welcomed and valued. Our children are aware that their presence in school is important and they will be missed if they are absent or late.

Good attendance and punctuality is vital for pupils to achieve their full educational potential.

Did you know? Being 15 minutes late each day is the same as missing two weeks of school!

We encourage all children to have excellent attendance and punctuality at OLMC.

Regular school attendance brings enormous benefits to individual pupils, their families, schools and the community as a whole. Without regular attendance, levels of attainment suffer and opportunities are missed to obtain maximum benefit from education.

Persistent absence and lateness will affect a child’s achievement and progress in school. Comprehensive research shows that there is a direct link between a child’s level of school attendance and their level of school attainment.

As a parent it is your legal responsibility to ensure your child receives a suitable full-time education. It is your responsibility that your child attends school each day and is on time.

It is important to set the expectation of good attendance right from the beginning of school so children grow up with ‘good habits’.

If your child is absent from school, you must inform the school, by telephone, e-mail or by letter, giving a reason for the absence.  Absences once reported are either authorised or unauthorised by the school.

Authorised absences would include time off for religious observance, medical appointments and genuine illness. Please note that the school has the right to ask for proof of medical appointments and confirmation from a medical professional.

Unauthorised absences would include time off for birthday treats, family days out, holidays ….

In a morning our gates open at 8:45am where a member of staff will welcome the children. These will close at 8:55am. School closes at 3:30pm.

This already complies with The Department for Education request for all schools to offer at least a 32.5-hour school week by September 2023.

A range of afterschool clubs are available for our children throughout the academic year. Please see the choices on the letters sent home.