Attendance

Attendance at Swing Gate Infant and Nursery School

At Swing Gate Infant and Nursery School, we are committed to ensuring every child attends school regularly and feels safe, supported, and ready to learn. We know that strong attendance is closely linked to academic success, emotional wellbeing, and positive friendships.

We work in partnership with families to remove barriers to attendance and support children in developing positive, confident routines for school.

Why Attendance Matters

Regular attendance helps children to:

• Achieve their full academic potential

• Build confidence, independence, and resilience

• Develop strong friendships and social skills

• Feel secure and part of the school community

Missing school, even occasionally, can disrupt learning and increase anxiety, making it harder for children to re-engage over time.

Our Attendance Expectations

• We expect pupils to attend school every day unless they are genuinely unwell or there are exceptional circumstances.

• If you’re unsure whether your child is well enough to attend school, please read the NHS guidance Is my child too ill for school? for helpful advice on common symptoms and when to keep your child at home

• Expected attendance is 96% or above, in line with national guidance.

• Parents and carers have a legal responsibility to ensure their child attends school regularly and on time.

• Only the Headteacher can authorise absences.

Understanding Attendance Levels

• Good attendance: 96% and above

• Persistent absence: Below 90%

• Severe absence: Below 50%

If a child’s attendance begins to fall, we will make contact early to offer support and work together to prevent difficulties becoming more entrenched.

Reporting Absence

If your child is absent, please:

1. Contact the school as early as possible on the first day of absence (before 8:30 am).

2. Continue to notify the school each day of the absence.

3. Provide medical evidence if requested.

Absences can be reported via:

• Telephone: 01442 863913

• Email: admin@swinggate.herts.sch.uk

Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) and Anxiety

We recognise that some children experience emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), where anxiety makes attending school feel overwhelming.

Anxiety can present physically as well as emotionally. Children may experience:

• Headaches or tummy aches

• Feeling sick or dizzy

• Tearfulness or panic

• Strong reluctance to separate from parents

Although keeping a child at home may feel like the best option in the moment, avoiding school often reinforces anxiety and makes returning more difficult. Research and experience show that the most effective way to reduce school-related anxiety is regular attendance, supported by consistent routines, reassurance, and trusted adults.

How We Support Children Who Find School Difficult

We take a strong pastoral and child-centred approach and offer a wide range of support for children who find attending school challenging.

Support in school includes:

• A calm and welcoming start to the day, including our fish tank by the school office and our much-loved school hamster, Moose, which support children to feel settled and regulated if they having a tricky start to the day

• Emotional check-ins with class staff

• Whole-school use of the Zones of Regulation, giving children a shared language to recognise, understand, and express their feelings

• Visual timetables and clear routines to support predictability and reduce anxiety

• Consistency, reassurance, and trusted relationships with familiar adults

• A strong focus on wellbeing and early intervention

For children who need additional or more targeted support, we may also offer:

• Support from our Family Support Workers, who can work directly with children and families and run parenting courses and workshops

• Referrals to our Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP)

• ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) sessions

• Drawing and Talking therapeutic intervention

All support is personalised and regularly reviewed. Our aim is to help every child feel safe, confident, and able to attend school consistently.

Lateness

Arriving late can be upsetting for children and disrupts learning.

• The classrooms open at 8:30 am

• Registration is at 8:35 am

• Children arriving after this time will need to go through the school office and will be recorded as late.

School Day Timings

• Nursery 8.30 am – 11:30 am

• Nursery PM 11:30 – 3:00 pm

• Reception, Year 1 and Year 2: 8:35 am – 3.05 pm

Leave of Absence During Term Time

• Holidays during term time will not be authorised unless there are exceptional circumstances.

• Requests must be made in writing using the school’s leave of absence form.

• Unauthorised leave may result in a fixed penalty notice issued by Hertfordshire County Council

Working in Partnership with Families

We understand that families may face challenges, and we are committed to working together to improve attendance. Support may include:

• Attendance meetings and individual action plans

• Pastoral and wellbeing support

• Family Support Worker involvement

• Referrals to external agencies

• Reasonable adjustments for medical or SEND needs

Early communication is essential — the sooner concerns are shared, the more effectively we can help.

Key Contacts

• Attendance and daily absence queries: School Office

• Attendance or wellbeing support: Sally Oliver

• Headteacher: Colette Marshall

Legal Information

School attendance is a legal requirement. If a child has 10 or more unauthorised sessions of absence within a 10-week period, the local authority may issue a penalty notice. Continued non-attendance may lead to further legal action.