Attendance
The Importance of Good Attendance
At Silloth Primary School, we believe that every day in school counts. Regular attendance is vital to ensure children reach their full potential — both academically and socially. We will always try to work closely in partnership with our families to support their child's learning and to overcome any barriers to prevent good attendance. Research shows that children with good attendance are more likely to:
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Achieve higher results in reading, writing and maths.
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Develop positive friendships and social skills.
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Build resilience, confidence and good habits for life.
Poor attendance, however, can significantly affect life chances. Missing even a few days each term quickly adds up to large gaps in learning, making it harder for your child to keep up and succeed.
Punctuality
Arriving on time is just as important as attending every day.
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Doors open: 8:30am
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Registration begins: 8:35am
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Registration closes: 8:45am
Children arriving after 8:45am will be marked as late. Persistent lateness not only disrupts your child’s learning but also affects the class as a whole. Patterns of lateness are monitored and reviewed half-termly alongside attendance.
Monitoring Attendance
We are required to keep and monitor records of attendance, absence and lateness and this data is submitted to the Local Authority.
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Weekly checks: Attendance is monitored weekly by school leaders.
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Half-termly updates: Parents are informed of their child’s attendance and punctuality every half term, either via ParentMail or a letter home.
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Support first: Where attendance or punctuality begins to cause concern, we will contact you to discuss how we can work together to improve it.
Fixed Term Penalty Notices (FPNs)
In line with government legislation and Cumberland Council guidance, Fixed Term Penalty Notices may be issued where there are 10 sessions (equivalent to 5 school days) of unauthorised absence within a 10-week period.
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Only the Headteacher may authorise absence in exceptional circumstances.
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Holidays during term time, days out, or absences without valid reason will not be authorised.
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If 10 or more unauthorised sessions occur within a 10-week period, the Local Authority may issue a Fixed Penalty Notice of:
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£80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days.
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£160 per parent, per child if paid between 22–28 days.
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Non-payment may result in prosecution.
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A Shared Priority
The Government, Cumberland Council and Silloth Primary School all view school attendance as a high priority. We ask that you work with us to ensure your child attends every day, on time, and ready to learn.
In particular, we need to stress how important it is that you don't take holidays in term time as it disrupts your child's learning. In keeping with the Local Authority directive we will not authorise term -time absence unless you can evidence exceptional circumstances.
Together, we can give your child the very best chance to succeed — now and in the future.
If you are experiencing difficulties that may affect your child’s attendance or punctuality, please contact us. We are here to support you.
If your child cannot attend school, please telephone the school office before 8:45am on each day of their absence on 016973 31243.
For more information, please read our attendance information leaflet and attendance policy below.
Attendance Champions!
Celebrating Improved Attendance! 🎉
We would like to thank our parents and children for making a conscious effort with attendance this half term. Your commitment has made a real difference, and we are pleased to share that our school attendance at 96.2% is now above the national average!
For reference, the national average attendance for primary schools in England for the week of 13–17 October 2025 was 95.1% (FFT Primary national average). Thanks to everyone’s efforts, our children are making the most of their learning opportunities.
However, we would also like to remind families that 80 days of learning have been missed this half term due to unauthorised absence, such as holidays during term time. Every day of school counts, and consistent attendance helps children achieve their best.
Thank you again for your continued support in making sure our children are in school, learning, and thriving!
