Attendance matters

Attendance Counts, Moments Matter - Regular school attendance is one of the most important factors in your child’s academic success and overall wellbeing. Children who attend school consistently are more likely to achieve higher, build positive relationships, and develop the routines that support lifelong learning.

Absences—whether frequent or occasional—can lead to gaps in understanding, increased stress, and a sense of disconnection from peers and school life. By encouraging good attendance, you’re not only supporting your child’s learning, but also helping to build their confidence, resilience, and social development. Together, we can ensure every child has the best chance to thrive—both academically and personally.

Monitoring children's attendance is highly beneficial and offers several key advantages for the child, the family, and the school.

Ensuring your child’s regular attendance at school is your legal and parental responsibility and we work very closely with the Royal Borough of Greenwich Attendance Advisory Service to monitor the attendance of the children at Foxfield.

In order to ensure that your child’s attendance is recorded accurately, you must contact the school on your child’s first day of absence. You can do this by:

● Phoning the school office by 8.30am via telephone 0203 260 7500

● Emailing the school admin@inspirefoxfield.co.uk with the subject Absence

● Using the Arbor in-app messaging

Please do ensure that you are providing medical evidence for your child’s absence. We accept the following :

● Medical/doctors appointment letter

● A screenshot of the e-Consult submission form

● Prescription of your child’s medication (This can be the prescription form or the medication itself) with the date shown

Poor punctuality is not acceptable and can contribute to further absence. Good time-keeping is a vital life skill which will help children as they progress through their school life and out into the wider world. Pupils who arrive late disrupt lessons and, if a child misses the start of the day, they can feel unsettled and embarrassed, miss vital learning and important messages from their class teacher. Every minute a child is late to school can add up to a lot of learning time over the year.

Penalty notices

Penalty Notice Fines for School Absence Have Changed

A National Framework for enalty Notices, has been introduced by the Department for Education and came into effect on the 19th August 2024.

There is Now a National Threshold

There will be a single consistent national threshold for when a penalty notice must be considered by all schools in England, of 10 sessions (usually equivalent to 5 school days) of unauthorised absence, within a rolling 10 school week period.

For example:

• a 5 day holiday in term time (term time leave), would meet the national threshold.

• 5 days of unauthorised absence due to irregular school attendance, would meet the national threshold

The 10 school week period can span different terms or school years.

Who May Be Issued with a Penalty Notice?

Penalty Notices are Issued Per *Parent, Per Child

Penalty Notice Fines are issued to each parent who allows their child to be absent from school.

Amazing attendance

We want to sincerely thank our families for your incredible support in prioritising attendance this term. Consistent attendance is a true team effort, and we recognise the dedication it takes at home to ensure your child/children are present, punctual, and ready to learn each day. Showing up matters, it builds routine, reduces learning gaps, and maximises your child's opportunity for success. Thank you for your continued commitment; your support makes a profound difference in your child's educational journey!

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