Attendance
Every day at school matters.
At King’s Cross Academy, we want every child to attend school regularly and arrive on time. Strong attendance gives children the best opportunity to learn, build friendships, take part in the wider life of the school and feel that they belong.
Our expectation is that children attend every day unless there is a valid reason for absence. We monitor attendance carefully and, where a child’s attendance falls below 95%, we will work closely with families to understand the reasons and provide support to help attendance improve.
Understanding attendance
A few days of absence can quickly add up over the course of a school year. Attendance of:
- 100% means no school has been missed.
- 95% means around 9 school days have been missed.
- 90% means around 19 school days have been missed – almost four weeks of school.
- 85% means around 29 school days have been missed – nearly six weeks of school.
Attendance of 90% or below is considered persistent absence. Our aim is always to identify concerns early and work in partnership with families before absence becomes persistent.
Why strong attendance matters
Regular attendance helps children to:
- make strong academic progress;
- build and maintain friendships;
- feel part of their class and school community;
- develop confidence, independence and positive routines; and
- benefit from the full range of learning and enrichment opportunities available at KCA.
Regular lateness and absence can make it harder for children to keep up with learning and can affect their confidence, wellbeing and sense of belonging.
Click here to check whether your child is well enough for school.
The start of the school day
School gates open at 8:45am and close at 9:00am. Registration takes place at 9:00am.
Children arriving after 9:00am should enter through the school office and be signed in by a parent or carer.
The register closes at 9:30am. Children arriving after this time without an authorised reason will receive an unauthorised absence mark for the morning session.
Good punctuality matters. Arriving on time helps children begin the day calmly, take part in important morning routines and avoid missing valuable learning.
Where lateness becomes a pattern, we will contact families so that we can understand any barriers and work together to improve punctuality.
Reporting an absence
If your child is unable to attend school, please let us know before the start of the school day.
You can report an absence through:
Arbor
Use the attendance section of the Arbor app or parent portal to submit the details of your child’s absence.
Telephone
Call 020 7504 0533 and provide your child’s name, class, reason for absence and expected return date.
Email
Email absences@kingscrossacademy.org.uk with your child’s name, class, reason for absence and expected return date.
Please contact us on each day of absence unless you have already agreed a return date with the school.
If we have not received a reason for your child’s absence, we will contact you that morning as part of our safeguarding procedures. Should we be unable to contact you, a home visit with a member of the leadership team will be arranged.
Authorised and unauthorised absence
Schools can only authorise absence in particular circumstances.
Absence may be authorised for reasons including:
- illness;
- medical or dental appointments that cannot reasonably be arranged outside school hours;
- recognised religious observance; and
- exceptional circumstances agreed by the Headteacher.
Where possible, medical and dental appointments should be arranged outside the school day. If this is not possible, children should attend school before and/or after their appointment wherever practical.
Requesting exceptional leave
If you need to request leave during term time, please complete an Exceptional Leave Request Form, available from the school office.
Requests should be submitted, with any relevant supporting evidence, at least two weeks before the requested absence wherever possible.
Term-time holidays will not be authorised.
Working with families
We monitor attendance and punctuality every day. Where we notice a pattern of absence or lateness, we will contact you.
If attendance falls below our expectations, we may invite you to meet with our Attendance & Medical Officer to understand what is affecting attendance and agree the support or actions needed.
Depending on the circumstances, this might include regular attendance monitoring, an attendance support plan, meetings with school leaders or support from other services.
Our priority is to work with families to remove barriers and improve attendance.
Attendance and the law
Parents and carers have a legal responsibility to ensure that children of compulsory school age receive a suitable full-time education.
Where unauthorised absence reaches the national threshold, the local authority may consider issuing a Penalty Notice. The national threshold is 10 sessions of unauthorised absence within a rolling period of 10 school weeks. A morning or afternoon session counts as one session, so five full school days would equal 10 sessions.
Unauthorised absence can include:
- holidays taken during term time without permission;
- unexplained absence; and
- arriving after the register has closed without an authorised reason.
We will always seek to understand the circumstances affecting a child’s attendance and provide appropriate support. However, where attendance does not improve or unauthorised absence continues, the school and local authority may need to take further action.
Helping children establish good routines
Simple routines can make a significant difference to attendance and punctuality:
- establish consistent bedtime and morning routines;
- prepare uniform, bags and other equipment the evening before;
- build enough time into the morning so children do not feel rushed;
- encourage children to talk about anything that is making them reluctant to attend school; and
- contact us early if something is making it difficult for your child to attend.
If there is a problem, please talk to us. The earlier we know about a difficulty, the sooner we can work with you to help.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take my child on holiday during term time?
Generally, no. Headteachers may only grant leave during term time in exceptional circumstances. An unauthorised term-time holiday may result in a Penalty Notice.
What if my child has a medical appointment during the school day?
Please arrange appointments outside school hours wherever possible. Where this isn’t possible, provide evidence of the appointment and ensure your child attends school before and/or after it wherever practical.
What if my child is regularly struggling to get to school?
Please speak to us. Whether the difficulty relates to routines, anxiety about school, transport, family circumstances or something happening at school, we want to understand the barrier and help.
Who can I speak to about attendance?
Our Attendance & Medical Officer, Karen Gosling, can support families with attendance and punctuality concerns.