Attendance

attendance_policy_summer_24.pdf
Here at Laithes Primary School we believe that good attendance and punctuality play a vital role in children doing well at school and being successful in life.
In school we have a number of rewards for good attendance.
These include:

• Letters and texts to parents
• Extra playtime or activity chosen via pupil voice. 
• Certificates and stickers
• Termly raffle prizes for children attending every week in that term
• Yearly raffle prize for children reaching our school target.

Last year our attendance was 95.5%
This year we have set our sights on reaching our target of 97%
Laithes Attendance policy can be accessed here.
Here are the attendance policy's Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 sections.

Snow Plan
INFORMATION FOR PARENTS & CARERS
Aim of the plan
This plan covers the contingencies made for a heavy snowfall which may result in enforced school closure or restricted opening.
This plan aims to prevent:
1. The stranding of pupils and staff
2. Unnecessary risks travelling to and from school through good communication
3. Excessive impact on children’s education
4. Accidents in the school through good risk assessment
Policy
It is policy that the school will open on all normal school days even when some poor road conditions exist. However, in the event of a heavy snowfall, we cannot guarantee that staff will be able to attend school and a decision to close or restrict school opening may have to be made.
If the school is closed, a member of staff (where possible) will be available at school to ensure that messages and communication are maintained for the first few hours of closure.
If there is an enforced school closure, we cannot look after children. However, those already delivered to school prior to a decision being made will of course be looked after until they can be collected.
Decision
If the weather conditions are severe enough to force closure or restricted opening, this decision will be communicated to parents by the following means:
• Text messaging service   
• BMBC website   
• Restricted opening – where school is open but some staff and pupils may be unable to attend due to weather conditions:
• Parents are asked to exercise extreme caution when bringing their children to school and walk up through the school grounds with great care. We will do our best to remove all snow and ice, but this is not always possible. We will relax our normal high expectations of punctuality and no child will receive a late mark.
• At the end of the day, the children should be collected as usual but there will be no after- school clubs or staff meetings. Parents who wish to collect their children early due to the road conditions may do so.
• On such days, children’s access to the school playground and outdoor areas may be restricted.
• Parents are reminded to ensure their children have warm clothes and suitable footwear.
• Communications
• As above, once a decision is made. The school phone is likely to be very busy and it may not be possible to get through, so we would ask parents to use the means of communication outlined above instead. THEREFORE PLEASE DO NOT PHONE THE SCHOOL TO ASK IF WE ARE OPEN.
Q&A – snowy days when school is open
Will I be contacted in the event of snow?
There will be communication via of the methods outlined above.
Do I need to contact school?
If you decide not to travel to school because of the road conditions, please inform us so that we know the children are safe. Please leave a message on the absence line – you do not need to personally speak to a member of staff or report absence via Studybugs (our attendance app). 
Should I travel to school or not?
Always check the BMBC website and your text messages. Parents and staff have to decide whether it is safe for them to make the journey to school. Please remember that you are responsible for the safety of your child/children until they enter the school building. Please wait with them until a member of staff arrives to open the cloakroom doors.
Will there be after-school clubs or lessons?
The after school care clubs will not run on a snowy day.  Please keep the school informed if you are delayed on your way to collect the children.  As always, we will look after the children until you arrive.
When should I collect my child?
Children should be collected at the usual time unless the weather conditions worsen in which case the school will contact parents via the communication systems outlined above.
Impact on education
On days when the school has restricted opening, children may not be taught by their usual teachers or in their usual classes, as we may not have our full quota of staff. However, we will ensure that we have an educationally valid day. If there is a prolonged closure of the school, staff will advise work that may be completed at home via Seesaw.
Internal safety measures/checks
Fire escapes and routes – to be cleared and salted as a priority.
Salting – the Site Manager will ensure sufficient stock. Salting in and around the paths for access to the school will commence at 7. 30 am each day as necessary and during the day if conditions require.