Attendance
Every day matters. Every child matters.
At Phoenix, we recognise the clear link between good attendance, wellbeing and achievement. We want every child to feel safe, happy, included and ready to learn, and it is important to us that we see our children in school every day.
Being in school regularly gives children the best opportunity to learn, build friendships, develop confidence and feel that they belong to our Phoenix community. Regular attendance and good punctuality also help children to establish positive routines and make the most of every opportunity that school has to offer.
To gain the greatest benefit from their education, children should attend every day that school is open, unless there is a genuine reason for absence. We encourage the highest possible levels of attendance and punctuality and set an aspirational target of 100% attendance, with an expectation that pupils achieve at least 97% attendance. At Phoenix, we define regular attendance as 97% or above.
Children should arrive on the school site by 8:45am, ready for registration at 8:50am. Arriving on time helps children to have a calm, settled start to their day and ensures that valuable learning time is not missed.
Attendance and our Phoenix Values
Good attendance also helps our children live out the values that are at the heart of Phoenix:
🌱 Resilience – overcoming difficulties and getting back into positive routines.
⭐ Responsibility – understanding that coming to school every day and arriving on time matters.
❤️ Kindness – listening, supporting and understanding when a child or family is experiencing difficulties.
🚀 Ambition – being in school, learning and making the most of every opportunity.
We also understand that attendance is not always straightforward. Children become unwell, families experience difficult circumstances and sometimes there are barriers that make getting into school harder.
If attendance is becoming difficult, please talk to us as early as possible. We want to understand what is happening and work with you to help.
Our approach to attendance
At Phoenix, attendance is about much more than a percentage.
Our approach is to:
1. NOTICE
Spot changes and patterns in attendance and punctuality early.
2. LISTEN
Talk to children and families so we understand what might be making attendance difficult.
3. SUPPORT
Work together to remove barriers wherever possible and agree what might help.
4. REVIEW
Keep in touch, review the support in place and look at whether things are improving.
5. CELEBRATE
Recognise improvement, effort and positive change — not simply perfect attendance.
We want to understand the story behind the attendance figure.
Every child and every family is different, and the support we provide will reflect this.
Why does every day matter?
Every day in school gives children opportunities to:
- learn and build on what they already know;
- develop friendships and a sense of belonging;
- build routines, confidence and independence;
- access support from trusted adults;
- develop socially and emotionally;
- enjoy trips, clubs, celebrations and wider school life; and
- achieve their potential.
When children miss school regularly, gaps in learning can quickly develop. They can also miss important experiences and time with their friends.
That is why we monitor attendance carefully and try to offer support early, before a small difficulty becomes a bigger one.
Understanding Attendance
We want every child to attend school every day that they are well enough to do so.
Our school ambition is for children to achieve 97% attendance or above.
100% – No school days missed
97% – Around 6 school days missed
95% – Around 9–10 school days missed
90% – Around 19 school days missed
85% – Around 29 school days missed
A child who misses 10% or more of the school sessions available to them is considered nationally to be persistently absent.
This is why we may contact you before attendance reaches 90%. We would much rather have an early conversation and offer support than wait until attendance has become a significant concern.
If your child is absent
If your child is unable to attend school, please contact us on the first morning of absence.
Please tell us:
- your child's name and class;
- the reason for the absence; and
- when you expect them to return, if known.
Please continue to keep us informed if the absence continues.
If we haven't heard from you, a member of our school team will contact you.
If we cannot establish why a child is absent, we may contact other named adults and/or carry out a home visit.
Why do we do this?
Because attendance is also about safeguarding.
When a child should be in school and we don't know where they are, we have a responsibility to establish that they are safe.
Home visits and our same-day passcode
Sometimes members of the Phoenix team may visit a child's home because we have been unable to make contact or need to establish the reason for an absence.
If nobody is available when we visit, we may leave a Home Visit – No Contact letter containing a unique same-day passcode.
If you receive one, please telephone the school office on the same day and quote the passcode.
This provides us with an important record that contact has been made following our visit.
Home visits are not intended to punish families. They are part of our attendance and safeguarding procedures and help us make sure that our children are safe and accounted for.
When attendance becomes difficult
Please talk to us early.
You do not need to wait for school to contact you.
If mornings are becoming difficult, your child is reluctant to attend, there has been a change at home or something else is affecting attendance, please tell us.
Depending on your child's circumstances, we might offer:
- support from your child's teacher or a trusted adult;
- pastoral or Thrive support;
- help with routines or transitions;
- appropriate support or reasonable adjustments for SEND;
- an Attendance Support Meeting;
- an individual Attendance Support Plan;
- regular check-ins and reviews;
- work alongside professionals already supporting your family; or
- help accessing wider family support.
There isn't one solution that works for every child.
We want to understand the barrier, not simply the percentage.
Illness – should my child come to school?
We know that children become poorly and there will be times when your child is genuinely too unwell to attend.
However, some minor illnesses do not necessarily mean children need to stay at home.
The NHS provides useful guidance to help parents decide whether their child is well enough to attend school.
NHS – Is my child too ill for school?
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
If you are unsure, please contact us.
Medical and dental appointments
Where possible, routine medical and dental appointments should be arranged outside school hours.
We understand that this isn't always possible.
If an appointment needs to take place during the school day, please provide evidence of the appointment.
Where practical, children should attend school before and/or after their appointment, rather than missing the whole school day.
For repeated or prolonged absence because of illness, we may ask for appropriate medical information. This helps us understand your child's circumstances and consider what support or adjustments may be required.
Holidays and leave during term time
We understand that holidays during school holiday periods can be expensive and that families may have different circumstances.
However, there is no automatic entitlement to take a child out of school for a family holiday during term time.
Schools must follow national attendance regulations and Liverpool City Council's attendance procedures.
Requests for leave must be made to the Headteacher in advance.
The Headteacher can only authorise leave where the circumstances meet the criteria to be considered exceptional. A family holiday would not normally meet these criteria.
⚠️ Who decides about fines?
We want to make this particularly clear because we know there can sometimes be confusion.
The Headteacher does not choose to fine parents for taking their child on holiday.
There are two separate decisions.
1. School decides whether an absence can be authorised
The Headteacher must consider the circumstances of a request and decide whether they meet the legal criteria for exceptional leave.
The Headteacher cannot simply authorise a family holiday because a parent has requested it.
2. Liverpool City Council issues Penalty Notices
Where unauthorised absence meets the relevant national threshold, Phoenix must consider the case in accordance with the national attendance framework and Liverpool City Council (LCC) procedures.
Where appropriate, attendance information is provided to Liverpool City Council.
Any Penalty Notice is issued by Liverpool City Council – not by the Headteacher and not by Phoenix Primary School.
Phoenix does not receive the money from Penalty Notices.
This is not a rule created by Phoenix or a personal decision by the Headteacher to financially penalise a family. We are required to operate within national attendance requirements and Liverpool City Council's local arrangements.
Punctuality matters too
Being on time gives children a calm and positive start to their day.
Children should arrive on the school site by 8:45am, ready for registration at 8:50am.
Regular lateness can mean children miss important instructions and learning and can make the start of the school day more unsettling.
A few minutes every day can quickly add up.
If getting to school on time is proving difficult, please talk to us. We would much rather understand the problem and see how we can help.
Persistent absence
A child is considered persistently absent when they miss 10% or more of the school sessions available to them.
This means attendance of 90% or below.
If your child's attendance is falling towards this level, you are likely to hear from us.
Our response might include a conversation with you, an attendance letter, an Attendance Support Meeting, an Attendance Support Plan, regular reviews or home visits.
Where appropriate, we may also work alongside other professionals.
The purpose is not to label or blame families.
It is about recognising when a child is missing a significant amount of their education and working together to improve things.
Celebrating attendance and improvement
Attendance isn't only about noticing when something is wrong.
We want to notice when things are getting better too.
At Phoenix, we celebrate:
🌟 Great attendance
📈 Improved attendance
⏰ Improved punctuality
💪 Children overcoming barriers
🤝 Families working positively with school
🎉 Classes making positive improvements together
For one child, success might mean maintaining excellent attendance.
For another child who has experienced significant barriers, moving from persistent absence towards regular attendance may represent an enormous achievement.
Progress matters.
The Phoenix Way
Our four values are at the heart of everything we do — including attendance.
🌱 RESILIENCE
We keep going.
Returning after illness, anxiety or a difficult period can take courage. We support children to rebuild positive routines and recognise every step forward.
⭐ RESPONSIBILITY
We understand that our choices matter.
School and families work together to help children attend regularly and arrive on time.
❤️ KINDNESS
We listen and support.
We don't make assumptions about what a child or family is experiencing. We listen, understand and offer help wherever we can.
🚀 AMBITION
We want every child to succeed.
Every day in school is another opportunity to learn, grow, build relationships and achieve.
Every day matters. Every child matters.
Good attendance at Phoenix isn't simply about achieving a number.
It's about knowing our children, noticing when something changes, listening to our families, offering support, celebrating progress and making sure every child has the opportunity to belong, learn and thrive.