Attendance
Our Attendance Culture at Heath Mount Primary School
At Heath Mount Primary School, we believe that children achieve their best when school, families and the wider community work together.
We want every child to be happy, safe and successful, developing into a confident and independent learner. Our inclusive school community welcomes and values everyone, and we encourage our children to enjoy learning, celebrate achievement and take responsibility for themselves and others.
Our Community
Heath Mount Primary School is proud to be part of the wider community. We recognise that supporting children also means supporting families and building strong links with organisations and services around us.
Our Community Links page provides families with information about local and wider support, including:
- Mental health and wellbeing
- Food banks and food clubs
- Activities for children and families
- Domestic violence support
- Early help and family support
- Children’s services
- Speech and language support
Explore our Community Links and Support Page
We encourage parents and carers to contact school if their family needs support. We will work with you and, where appropriate, help you access other services.
Our Curriculum Offer
We want every child at Heath Mount Primary School to experience a broad, balanced and challenging curriculum.
Our curriculum develops children’s knowledge and essential skills while encouraging curiosity, confidence, communication and positive attitudes towards learning.
Parents can explore our curriculum information, including curriculum road maps, subject overviews, knowledge organisers and information for individual year groups.
Explore the Heath Mount Curriculum
Our wider offer also provides children with experiences beyond their everyday lessons.
Explore the Excelsior Entitlement and Heath Mount Primary Guarantee
Our School Targets
Attendance Target: 96% or above
Our whole-school yearly attendance target is at least 96%.
Regular attendance gives children the best opportunity to learn, make progress, develop friendships and participate fully in school life.
Every school day matters.
Persistent Absence (PA)
A child whose attendance is 90% or below is considered a Persistent Absentee.
When attendance falls below an acceptable level, our pastoral team works with families to understand the reasons and identify the right support.
We use School Attendance Passports to support children whose attendance has fallen below the expected level. The passport is designed to be a positive and encouraging way for school, parents and children to work together to improve attendance. It helps us celebrate progress, recognise good attendance and understand any difficulties that may be making it harder for your child to attend school regularly. Our aim is to work in partnership with families so that every child has the best possible opportunity to learn, thrive and enjoy being part of school.
If there is a genuine difficulty getting your child into school, please talk to us as early as possible. Our aim is to work with families so that children can attend regularly and succeed.
Punctuality
Children who arrive between 8.45am and 9.15am will be marked as late (L) in the register. Although this code means that your child is present in school, they have missed the start to their learning for that day and will immediately have to catch up.
Children arriving after the register has closed at 9.15am will be marked with the (U) code. This is an unauthorised absence code, and means that your child will be marked as absent for that whole session. This will obviously affect your child's attendance percentage, but more importantly, means that they have missed a significant part of their learning for that morning and will have to catch up.
Our Attendance Process
Every Day Counts
At Heath Mount Primary School, we want every child to attend school every day and arrive on time, ready to learn. Good attendance supports achievement, friendships, routines and wellbeing.
We understand that there are times when children are genuinely unable to attend. Our approach is to work in partnership with parents and carers, identify concerns early and provide support where it is needed.
The school’s current parent information asks families to telephone the school before 8:30am on every day of absence, explain the reason, and provide medical evidence where appropriate.
⏰ Arriving at School and Registration
School starts at 8:35am for all pupils. Children should arrive in good time so that they are settled, prepared and ready for the start of learning.
Being just a few minutes late each day can add up to significant lost learning over the course of the year. The school’s parent newsletter reinforces the expectation that pupils arrive on time every day.
AM register: 8:45am
PM register: 12:55pm
First Day of Absence
If your child is going to be absent, parents and carers must:
Call the school on 0121 464 1691 before 8:30am on each day of absence.
Please tell us the reason for your child's absence and how long you expect them to be away from school. Where appropriate, school may ask for medical evidence such as appointment cards or letters.
If we have not heard from you, school will contact you to check that your child is safe and establish the reason for their absence.
Home Visits
Safeguarding is our priority. If we are unable to make contact with a family, or if there are concerns about a child's attendance or welfare, a home visit may be carried out.
The school's published absence process specifically explains that where contact cannot be established, a member of staff may make a welfare home visit.
Home visits are part of our commitment to ensuring children are safe and helping families overcome barriers to regular attendance.
⭐ Attendance Champion and Team
Our attendance team works closely with children and families to promote excellent attendance, identify concerns and provide appropriate support.
Attendance Champion: Miss Taylor
Pastoral/Attendance Team: Mrs Samuel and Miss Taylor
Our team is here to support, listen and work with you. If there is a problem affecting your child's attendance, please contact us as early as possible.
How We Monitor Attendance
We monitor attendance every day. This allows us to recognise good attendance and respond quickly when attendance begins to fall.
We may:
- Check your child's attendance each day and monitor patterns of absence or lateness.
- Contact you to discuss your child's attendance.
- Invite you into school for an attendance meeting if we have concerns.
- Work with you to identify barriers and agree actions or support.
- Carry out a welfare home visit if contact cannot be established.
Every day in school is another opportunity to learn, belong and achieve.
Good Attendance Matters
At Heath Mount, Fred Friday, our attendance mascot, helps children understand the importance of being in school and arriving on time.
We recognise and celebrate good attendance while also understanding that there can be genuine reasons why attending school becomes difficult.
If your child is struggling to attend because of illness, friendships, routines or another concern, please speak to us. Early conversations allow us to understand what is happening and work together to find the right support.
“Don’t delay! Hop to school and learn today.” – Fred Friday
Together, we can make every day count.
Regular attendance + arriving on time + strong home-school partnership = more opportunities for every child to achieve and excel.
Celebrating Attendance
We would like every child to become an attendance HERO!
HERO means “Here Everyday, Ready & On time”.
Every week, children will have an attendance record card and will recieve a sticker for 100% attendance for that week. To achieve this, your child must be in th classroom by 8.45am.
At the end of the half term, all records will be analysed and the children can redeem their stickers for prizes in the attendance shop.
Class Awards
EYFS & KS1 - Be like Freddie!
The class with the highest attendance will be awarded a certificate and asked to look after Freddie the Frog for the week. Certificates will be displayed outside the classroom.
KS2 - Stars in a Jar
The class with the highest attendance (96% or above) will be awarded a star for their class jar. Once the jar is full, the children will have the opportunity to choose a prize for their class. Certificates will also be awarded to the class with the highest attendance, these will be displayed outside the classroom.
Family Prize
On the final school Friday of each month , we have draw for a chance to win a £20 Aldi shopping voucher. To enter the draw, children must have either 100% for the month or they must have improved their overall attendance from the previous month. Draws will be made on the middle playground at 1:00pm on the final Friday of each month.
