At Dalmain we recognise the importance of regular attendance and punctuality in children’s attainment.

All parents have a legal responsibility to make sure that their child attends school every day and should ensure that their child/children is only absent if they are too ill to come to school, or have a medical appointment.

The NHS gives advice about common ailments and when to keep your child off school.  For specific illnesses we have compiled a list of guidelines which shows how long children should be kept off school in each case.

Each day begins with intensive teacher instruction, and it is vital that children do not miss this part of the day. We monitor lateness and send letters to parents whose children regularly arrive at school late.  Please note, the school day begins at 8.45am and ends at 3.15pm. If your child arrives after 9.00am, they need to be issued with a late card at the Reception Desk before they go to their class.

We ask parents to contact us by telephone or in person on the first day of a child’s absence from school. This is very important as we will try and contact parents if their child is away from school and no reason has been given.

Family holidays should always be taken during school holidays, and we will only authorise absence during term time in exceptional circumstances. On these occasions permission must be sought in advance from the Headteacher.

Absence request forms are available from the school office, or click here to print the form.

At Dalmain we ensure that children are aware of the importance of these issues and we reward children with good attendance and punctuality.

The attendance target set by the Governing Body for 202-23 is 96%. We expect all pupils to try and achieve this target.