Attendance and Punctuality

At King’s Liverpool, we expect the highest standards of attendance and punctuality. Improving attendance is in everyone’s interest and it is everyone’s business.  

Our staff understand the link between good attendance and securing your child’s future academic achievements. Good attendance is also important as it helps to keep your child safe and healthy. We encourage each one of our students to work towards 100% attendance and set a minimum attendance target of 97% per year.  

Good attendance from your child reflects your commitment as parents to make sure that they achieve well academically. It also demonstrates your commitment to our school’s mission.  

Attending school is essential for good academic progress. Please find below a more detailed illustration of attendance and lost lessons as a result of being absent. 

98-100% 

Your child is accessing almost all learning opportunities 
96-97% 

Your child is missing very few learning opportunities  
94-95% 

There is a risk of underachievement for your child 

Up to 10 school days are missed in an academic year which is equivalent to up to 60 lessons or 300 lessons over 5 years. 
92-93% 

Your child has a high risk of underachievement 

Up to 15 school days absent in the academic year which is equivalent to up to 90 lessons or 450 lessons over 5 years. 
90-92% 

High risk of severe underachievement 

Up to 19 school days absent in the academic year which is equivalent to up to 114 lessons or 570 lessons over 5 years. 
Less than 90% 

There is a high risk of severe underachievement for your child 

This is upwards of 22 school days absent in the academic year which is equivalent to at least 132 lessons and at least 660 lessons throughout your child’s time at the school 

At King’s Liverpool, consistent regular attendance is promoted and celebrated by all our staff.

What are our daily attendance routines?  

  • Meet & greet
  • Register open and close  
  • Register check & follow up on the unexplained absence 
  • First day calling & home visits 
  • Engaging external agencies 
  • Promotion & celebration 

What to do if your child is absent 

  • Telephone the main office at the school on 0151 7271387. Select the attendance line. 
  • Contact the school on the first day of absence and every following day until your child returns to school 
  • When your child returns to school, please send them in with a note explaining the reason for their absence 
  • If appropriate, please provide a medical note or appointment card that explains the reason for their absence 
  • This communication is a vital part of our commitment to the safety of your child 
  • For our systems to be effective, you must provide the school with an up-to-date telephone number so that we can contact you during the school day 
  • Please ensure you notify the school of any changes to your contact details (particularly mobile phone numbers) as soon as possible 
  • It is very important that your child is present in lesson 1, to avoid an unnecessary call from the attendance officer 
  • In the event of an unexplained absence, you will be informed automatically by a text /home visit 
  • If we do not have a reason for the absence within 5 working days, your child will receive an unauthorised absence mark.  
  • Unauthorised absences can result in school leaders and the education welfare officer taking further action. This may include fines and court action 

 Leave of absence requests 

The Education (Pupil Registration) Regulations 2013 prevents the executive principal of King’s Liverpool from granting a leave of absence to a student. The exception to this is where an advance application has been made by the parent/carer and the executive principal considers that there are exceptional circumstances relating to the application.  

The request for a leave of absence must be made at least one month in advance by completing the ‘Leave of Absence During Term Time Request’. The form is available from the school office. Each case will be considered on merit, considering the individual facts and the exceptional circumstances.  

Please be aware that we do not permit students to take holidays during term time. This is because term-time holidays have a very negative impact on a student’s learning.  

Punctuality 

Student Responsibilities 
  • School starts promptly at 8.30am. Students should be lined up in the schoolyard for 8:30am. They will be greeted by their form teacher. 
  • The front gate will close at 8:40am. Any student who does not arrive at this time will be classed as late. Students need to ensure they speak to the member of staff who monitors late arrivals in the morning. 
  • If you arrive late after 09.00am please go to reception and sign in. You must go straight to your lesson as soon as you have finished signing in. 
  • There are sanctions in place at school for lateness. Any student who is late to school will receive a detention that day after school. Depending on how many times the student has been late that learning cycle, will determine how long they will need to stay.  
  • In addition, students who are late will receive deductions on our reward system E-Praise 
  • We will always work with students and their families to ensure that any punctuality concerns are supported and communicated. Therefore, punctuality is a student's responsibility. It is embedded in our leadership character education.