Mayfield School Attendance

Our Commitment to Attendance

Mayfield School is committed to promoting a whole-school culture and ethos that values good attendance and punctuality. An inclusive and child centred approach enables us to break down barriers and provide support that is tailored to meet the individual needs of all families. All interventions are exhausted before any formal procedures are considered. As with safeguarding, attendance is a protective factor and everyone’s responsibility.

Why Attendance Matters

School attendance is crucial for pupils’ progress and outcomes, social development, and mental wellbeing. Regular attendance boosts attainment and fosters crucial social and emotional growth. It nurtures self-confidence and helps pupils develop essential life skills supporting a positive attitude towards learning. These habits better prepare our young people for adulthood.

Good school attendance also supports:

• Fostering a range of relationships
• Resilience building
• Improvements in health and physical development
• Increased opportunities

Our Main Aims

The main aims are:

• Promoting good attendance and its importance in attainment and well being

• Reducing absence, including persistent and severe absence

• Ensuring every pupil has access to the full-time education to which they are entitled

• Acting early to address patterns of absence

• Building strong relationships with families to ensure pupils have the support in place to attend school

Key Staff Members

Our dedicated attendance team is here to support you:

• Attendance Champion: Caroline Mace
• Attendance Officer: Sana Salim

There is also a range of other professionals within school who are available to support:

• Pastoral Managers
• HLTA’s
• Special School Nursing team
• Speech and Language, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapy teams

We understand that there can be many reasons why a child may struggle with attendance. Our team works with families to identify and address barriers, which may include:

• Health issues (physical or mental health)
• Special educational needs or disabilities
• Family circumstances
• Anxiety or school-related concerns
• Transport difficulties

We are committed to working in partnership with you to find solutions that work for your family and ensure your child can access their education.

Our Approach to Managing Attendance

• Proactive and Preventive Approach

We put in place early interventions, and reviews these as required with parents/carers and professionals internally and externally.

• Targeted Intervention and Support

For pupils with complex and severe attendance problems, we work with external agencies such as the local authority (LA).

• Shared Decision Making

We believe in a collaborative approach involving:

• Parents, pupils
• Health and social care professionals
• School professionals: teachers, pastoral, HLTA’s

This approach brings several benefits:

• Holistic understanding of factors contributing to attendance barriers 
• A sense of ownership among all stakeholders, fostering a shared commitment to address attendance challenges 
• Development of tailored attendance support strategies based on the unique needs of each pupil
• Pupil empowerment to take responsibility for their attendance through school council and EHCP my views
• Partnership with the wider community to address attendance issues collectively

How to Report an Absence Clear communication between home and school is vital. Please follow this procedure:

Reporting an Absence

Parents must call or message the school on class dojo before 08:40am on the first day of the absence with a reason for absence. Parents should advise when their child is expected to return. In some circumstances the attendance team and or pastoral team will keep in touch as part of the schools safe and well process and procedures and to offer any support.

If parents are unable to call due to work and other commitments, please ensure a message is sent via ClassDojo to either the school attendance officer, Sana Salim, the class teacher for your child or pastoral managers at your relevant site.

First Day Calling

If your child is absent and we have not received a reason from you, we will implement our first-day messaging procedure to contact you. This is a vital safeguarding measure. 

Important information regarding attendance.pdf

Illness related absence

Deciding whether your child is well enough for school can feel tricky, when children are unwell, their symptoms can vary from mild and manageable to something that genuinely requires rest and recovery at home.

As a parent or carer, it can be difficult to judge what is best for both your child’s health and their learning.

The guidance below is designed to make this decision clearer by outlining common childhood illnesses, what to look out for, and the steps you should take. Our aim is to support you in making confident, informed choices that keep your child healthy and ensure they can attend school safely and consistently.

Important and useful links:

Is my child too ill for school? – NHS

Managing specific infectious diseases: A to Z – GOV.UK

Medical Appointments

Where possible, please arrange medical and dental appointments outside of school hours. If your child has an unavoidable appointment during the school day, please show the appointment card or letter to reception when the pupil returns to school.

If this is a text message, this can be shown to the receptionist or alternatively screenshot and send this to either the class teacher, pastoral managers at your relevant site or attendance officer – Sana Salim.

Authorised Absence

The school, not parents, decides if an absence can be authorised. We follow Department for Education guidelines and will only authorise absences in exceptional circumstances. 

Family holidays will not be authorised during term time unless under exceptional circumstances.

Leave of absence in term time.pdf

Returning to School

After any period of illness, please ensure your child returns to school as soon as they are well enough. We will provide any necessary support to help them catch up on missed learning.

Punctuality

The school day starts at 09:10am. Pupils arriving after this time must sign in at the school office and will be marked as late.

Persistent lateness will be addressed as part of our attendance strategy. 

Rewards and recognition

Rewards and recognition are personalised to the individuals. We value feedback and during 2026 will be gathering ideas for how the school can offer rewards that are inclusive and mindful of all our pupils and families circumstances to ensure that we celebrate all success together now matter how small.

Need Support?

If you have any concerns about your child’s attendance, please do not hesitate to contact:

Attendance Officer – Sana Salim (across both sites) – also accessible via ClassDojo

Pastoral Managers – Heathfield Rd:

Maddison Smith

Shahna Aowlad

Pastoral Managers – Wheeler St

Charlotte Starkey

Nicolle Birkin

Additional Information

Legal Framework

In England, all children of compulsory school age (5-16 years) must receive suitable full-time education. Parents and carers have a legal duty to ensure their child attends school regularly. Schools are required to record attendance twice daily and report concerns about attendance to the local authority.

What is Persistent and Severe Absence?

• Persistent absence is defined as missing 10% or more of school sessions (approximately one day per fortnight)
• Severe absence is defined as missing 50% or more of school sessions

Both types of absence can significantly impact a child’s educational progress and wellbeing, which is why we take early action to support families.

How does your child compare?