Attendance

 Attendance Matters! 

 At St Francis' Catholic Primary School we work in partnership with parents and the Local Authority to improve school attendance. We would like to congratulate the many parents who make sure their children attend school regularly.

Absence disrupts the education of the individual pupil and the whole class. Please be aware that those children who do not attend regularly:

• Do not achieve well in exams;
• Find it difficult to maintain friendships;
• Are more likely to have gaps in their learning.

Our weekly aim - Each class needs to achieve at least 96%.

96% and above is good attendance. Well Done to all of those children who came  to school every day and on time! You are amazing!

Attendance This Week 

Week ending 13th February 2026

Whole school attendance this week was 95%. This is 1% higher than last week, let's see if we can achieve our school goal next week. There are a number of classes whose attendance percentage has been impacted by lateness.

PARENTS; Please help and bring your child to school EVERY day.

Well done to most classes who reached our goal of 96% or over this week.. 

Can each class achieve our goal of 96%?

Class	Percentage  Attendance
RW	96%  Come on RW Well done you did get- Well done parents too!
RK	85% Come on RK you can do this!
1M	94% Come on 1M you can do this!
1T     Well Done   Attendance Card   Winner	97% Well done 1T you did it! Well done parents too!
2P	94%  Come on 2P you can do this!
2W	92%  Come on 2W you can do this!
3Z	94% Well Done 3Z you have achieved  our school target!
3A	96%  Well Done 3A you have achieved  our school target!
4BM	96% Well Done 4BM you have achieved  our school target!
4R	94% Not quite there yet. Let's see if you can make it next week!
5T   Well Done   Attendance Card   Winner	97% Well Done 5T you have achieved  our school target!
5CR	94%  Not quite there yet. Let's see if you can make it next week!
6R	94%  Well Done 6R you have achieved  our school target!
6M	96% Well Done 6M you have achieved  our school target!

My child is not poorly but does not want to attend school.

We understand that sometimes children do not want to come to school.  It is natural for children at one time or another to feel overwhelmed or worried about coming to school and as an adult caring for a child, it is difficult to see them upset .   There are many reasons why children could be worried about attending school such as:

• Friendship issues
• Class work
• Feeling worried about being away from home
• Stressful events at home or school
• Family or peer conflict
• Noise
• Lunchtime / playtime routines
• Particular lessons that they find difficult. 

 What can you do as a parent ?

• Talk to school - tell us what your child is telling you and we will put things in place to support your child. 
• Be consistent.  Although it is tempting to allow your child to stay off for a day if they are worried about attending, try to encourage them to come into school and talk.   It is important that children receive the same messages from adults that school is important for them and their development. 
• Have routines in place at home for key points of the day e.g. bedtimes and mornings.   
• Be mindful of your child picking up on any of your own worries and concerns. Try not to discuss these infront of your child.
• Show your child that you understand and listen to any concerns.
• Keep calm and reassure your child.
• Try not to bargain with your child.
• Praise  your child when they attend.

Attendance and Punctuality

At St Francis Catholic Primary School we place a high priority on attendance and punctuality. The national average is 96% and we aim for all children to at least reach this every year. Parents are reminded to not book holidays during term time to avoid children missing out on important learning. 

Attendance Incentives

At St Francis, we know the importance of children attending as much school as possible so that they can be confident and proficient learners. This is why we have rewards for good attendance. Each week the class who has the best attendance, will receive a star onto the display in the hall. The class that receives the most stars at the end of the half term will receive a prize. 

Punctuality 

It is important that pupils are punctual so that they do not miss the start of the day. Pupils have to be on time to receive an present mark for the session. 

If a pupil is repeatedly late, their learning starts to suffer and they are often missing the beginning of the same subject everyday.