Working Together to Improve Attendance at Woodbridge.

Dear Everyone,
At Woodbridge up until 2020 we have always had excellent attendance with at least 96% of children coming to school every day. This meant that our children were getting all the learning they are entitled to and were settled, happy and able to make good progress towards being ready for secondary school at the end of Year 6.

The last couple of years have been tough and very challenging for most people. Understandably, our average attendance at school has dropped in common with all schools across the country. At the moment our average attendance each week is between 92 and 93 percent. Our lessons at Woodbridge build on each other sequentially and attendance at this level means that there are a group of children each week who have missed their learning and, when they return, will have gaps in their understanding which make it difficult for them to understand what is being taught. Children who are regularly absent also tend to struggle with friendships as their friends get used to playing with other people during breaks. The social and emotional learning that takes place at Primary school is equally important in children’s development and in preparing them to have a successful experience at secondary school. All these factors mean that children with low attendance can be more reluctant to come to school as they are facing all the challenges mentioned above.

However, now that restrictions are lifted and the prevalence of Covid is dropping rapidly, we have an opportunity to make a fresh start and get our attendance back up to pre-pandemic levels. If the whole community -school staff, parents and children -works together

What do parents and carers need to do?
• If your child has good attendance there is nothing for you to do except keep up the good work.
• If you know a parent who is struggling to bring and collect their child from school due to their own illness, offering to bring their child in for a couple of days might be much appreciated.
• Please send us a photo via Dojo of any hospital or medical appointments that your child may have so that we can authorise these.
• Be aware that we will be fining anyone taking a term time holiday.

What will we do to improve attendance.

If your child is reluctant to come into school some days, and you are struggling to maintain good attendance, just contact me or Mrs Turner or let your child’s class teacher know and we will work with you to support your child to get into routine and address the issues that are causing your child’s reluctance.
Anyone who has legal Parental Responsibility for a child has a duty to ensure that their child maintains good attendance. At Woodbridge we are here to help you do this and will be very happy to help you -just give us a call or send a Dojo message.
Any child who achieves 100% this term from 3rd May to 22nd July (not including hospital appointments) will have a treat at the end of term.

We have put together a sheet with key facts about attendance and this is attached to this message. We will also send out a paper copy so you can keep one handy to refer to. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to get in touch in the usual ways if you would like to discuss any of this, have any ideas about improving attendance or want to ask for support around this issue.
Let’s all work together to improve attendance and give all our children the best possible chance of achieving their fullest potential and being ready for secondary school.
Thanks in advance for your support with this,

Emma Hanson

Head Teacher

Term Time Leave of Absence

To make an application for leave of absence during term time, the form can be collected from the office, completed and returned to the office in advance of the time off.

Applications cannot be granted retrospectively.

Alternatively you can print off the form at home and send it into school with your child.