Attendance and Punctuality

Our Aims

At Thomas Bewick School, we recognise the importance of our pupils attending school on a daily basis, not only in raising their attainment but also on their sense of wellbeing and community. We are very mindful that due to the complex needs of our pupils, there are many factors which may affect a pupil’s attendance. Due to this, we have developed an ethos which considers each pupil’s and families individual circumstances, ensuring that we provide the strategies and support which encourage a positive attitude of regular and punctual attendance. We aim to ensure that all pupils attend school regularly and on time to enable them to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available.

At Thomas Bewick School we aspire to:

· Improve the overall attendance of pupils at school

· Support each pupil’s holistic development and attainment through good attendance

· Encourage parents/carers to ensure that pupils attend school regularly and arrive at school on time

· To make attendance a priority for all those associated with the school including parents, pupils, teachers and LAC members

How do you report your child’s absence?

If a child is absent, parents/carers should contact the school on the first day of absence as soon as possible and before 9am to inform the school of the reason for absence. Please leave a voicemail if there is no answer.

0191 229 6020 (Option 1 – Broadwood; Option 2 – Site 1; Option 3 – Site 2)

Medical Appointments and Holidays

We ask that parents/carers avoid making routine medical appointments and dental appointments during the school day. Where this is not possible, the pupil should be out of school for the minimum amount of time necessary. At Thomas Bewick School we will authorise an allowance of time for the medical appointment and a reasonable amount of time for travel to and from the appointment.

We kindly ask that parents adhere to our policy and avoid taking holidays during term time.

Punctuality Matters!

We are very mindful that there can be a lot of reasons why punctuality may be affected at Thomas Bewick School and we are here to support you and work with each family individually. Through doing this we strive to ensure our pupils arrive at school on time each day.

If a pupil arrives late to school every day, their routine is disrupted which can then lead to emotional regulation difficulties which directly impacts their ability to engage in their curriculum at school and can affect their regulation and routines at home.

Below is a graph showing how being late to school every day over a school year adds up to lost time: