At Bottesford Schools Federation, we believe every minute your child is in school is a learning minute. This page explains our approach to attendance and punctuality, why they matter, and how we work with families to ensure pupils get to strive every day.

The school day times

At Bottesford Schools Federation we operate a ‘soft start’ to the school day, to create a positive and calm start.

Infant School: Doors open 08:40 - 08:50. Registration 08:50 prompt. School ends 15:20

Junior School: Doors open 08:45 - 08:55. Registration 08:55 prompt. School ends 15:25

The five-minute difference between the school times to help parents/carers with siblings across both sites.

Why attendance matters

• Good attendance supports progress across the whole curriculum and underpins pupils’ long‑term opportunities.
• Regular attendance helps pupils develop life skills of commitment, responsibility and punctuality — qualities we value as part of our RISE values.
• Research shows that persistent absence increases the risk of poorer outcomes and can expose young people to negative influences; high attendance protects pupils’ wellbeing and life chances.

Our target: we celebrate and encourage excellent attendance and aim to improve whole‑school attendance from our current figure (2025-2026) of 96% at both schools to at least 97%, with many pupils achieving 100% termly and annually.

How Bottesford Schools Federation promotes and monitors attendance

• Clear expectations: We expect pupils to be in school, ready to learn, every day the school is open. 
• Daily routines: Registers are taken at the start of each session. Pupils arriving after the register closes are recorded as late and this is monitored.
• Celebration and incentives: We celebrate pupils who achieve 97%+ attendance each term and annually, recognising effort and perseverance — reflecting our values to Strive and be Empowered.
• Early intervention and support: Attendance and punctuality are monitored carefully. Where concerns arise we contact parents/carers promptly to offer support, understand barriers, and put measures in place.
• Targeted support: For pupils with additional needs or specific barriers (including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND), we tailor support, so expectations are fair and enabling, in line with our inclusive ethos and the Equality Act.

Persistent absence and official guidance

• The Government defines persistent absence (or extended non‑attendance) as attendance below 90%.
• If a pupil’s attendance reaches this threshold, we will discuss next steps with families and provide targeted support. Where appropriate and after support has been offered but not engaged with, we will follow local authority guidance on formalising actions (for example, Fixed Penalty Notices).

Practical information for parents and carers

• Reporting an absence: Please phone the school office or send an email or Arbour app message on the first day of any absence (before 09:30), explaining the reason and expected return date. Keep us updated if the absence continues. 
• Lateness: Children who miss the start of the day often feel unsettled. Please aim to arrive a few minutes early — even setting your alarm 10 minutes earlier can make a big difference (the infant register closes 08:50 and the juniors 08:55).
• Leave of absence: Requests for term‑time leave should be made in advance and follow the school’s attendance policy. Unauthorised holidays may result in sanctions.
• Who to contact: Our attendance lead (Mrs Casey) and pastoral staff (Miss Sanderson & Mrs Carpenter) are available to support families and discuss barriers to attendance. Contact details are published in the attendance policy on the website.

How we reflect our RISE values through attendance

• Respect: We treat families with empathy and work collaboratively to remove barriers to attendance.
• Integrity: We communicate honestly about attendance expectations and follow consistent procedures.
• Strive: We set high expectations for attendance and celebrate resilience and improvement.
• Empowered: We give pupils and families the information and support they need to make positive choices about school attendance.

Examples of our approach in practice

• A family facing health or transport issues is offered a meeting with our pastoral lead to create a personalised plan (flexible start times, transport advice, or liaison with external services).
• Pupils achieving 97%+ attendance are celebrated in assemblies and recognised in termly certificates — reinforcing the value of striving.

Excellent attendance is essential to your child’s learning, wellbeing and future opportunities. Working together — staff, pupils, parents and governors — we live our RISE values to create a respectful, honest, striving and empowered community where every child can reach their best.

Useful Documents & Links

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/