School Attendance

At Havelock Primary School, we are proud of our strong attendance record and are committed to ensuring that every child attends school regularly and on time. Every day in school matters. Regular attendance helps children make the most of their learning, build positive relationships with friends and staff, and develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed.

We would like to thank all our pupils, parents and carers for their continued commitment to excellent attendance. We have seen positive improvements in attendance across the school and look forward to working together to maintain this success.

At Havelock, we believe in working in partnership with families. Our aim is always to support pupils and parents to overcome any barriers to attendance and ensure every child has the best possible opportunity to thrive.

Important Information About Attendance

• Absences can only be authorised for reasons such as illness, medical appointments or recognised religious observance.
• Children should not take holidays during term time. Requests for leave during term time will only be considered in exceptional circumstances.
• Parents and carers should inform the school of the reason for any absence as soon as possible.
• Absences without a valid reason, or where no explanation has been provided, will be recorded as unauthorised.
• Children who arrive after the registers have closed (10 minutes after the start of the session) without an adequate explanation may receive an unauthorised absence mark.
• If your child is absent for an extended period due to illness, please speak to your child's teacher so that suitable work can be arranged.

Working Together to Improve Attendance

If we have concerns about your child's attendance, we will contact you to discuss how we can work together to improve it. This may include letters, phone calls or meetings with school staff to identify any support that may be needed.

We work closely with Ealing's Education Welfare Service, whose role is to support families in ensuring children attend school regularly. Where attendance concerns persist, the Education Welfare Service may become involved to provide additional guidance and support.

Under the government's Working Together to Improve School Attendance guidance, schools and local authorities have a responsibility to monitor attendance closely. In some circumstances, parents may be issued with a penalty notice for unauthorised absences, including where there are 10 or more sessions (equivalent to 5 school days) of unauthorised absence within a 10-week period. Please see the policy Working together to improve school attendance: July 2026

Our priority is always to work with families first and provide support wherever possible. If you are experiencing difficulties that may affect your child's attendance, please contact the school as early as possible. We are here to help and will do our best to support you and your child.

Together, we can ensure every child benefits from being in school every day and achieves their full potential.

Click here to view our Behaviour and Attendance policies for more information.