Attendance

Good attendance is central to raising standards in education and ensuring all pupils can fulfil their potential. Pupils need to attend school regularly to benefit from their education. Children with poor attendance tend to achieve less in both primary and secondary school.

Reducing absence from school is a key priority both nationally and locally. Suffolk County Council appreciate that the majority of parents ensure that their children attend school regularly. They are committed to providing all children with the best start in life and work hard to improve the attendance of a small but significant minority.

Dale Hall Community Primary School is committed to providing an education of the highest quality for all its pupils and recognises this can only be achieved by supporting and promoting excellent school attendance for all. This is based on the belief that only by attending school regularly and punctually will children and young people be able to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available to them.

Research also shows the positive impact that good school attendance, from school entry at 5 years old onwards, has on the academic achievement of pupils:
94% = Very good chance of 5A* - C Grade
93% = Good chance of 5A* - Grades
92% = Fair chance of 5A* - Grades
90% = Less than 50% chance of 5A* - Grades
88% = Less than 35% chance of 5A* - Grades
88% = Less than 30% chance of 5A* - Grades

Illness

If your child is unexpectedly absent from school, please contact the school office before 9.00 am on the first day of absence on 01473 251651 or email the school office direct (office@dalehall.suffolk.sch.uk). The absence will only be authorised if the school office is notified of a valid reason for the absence.

If you do not telephone us on the first day of absence, we will contact you. However, if you do not contact the school office we will need a written explanation on your child's return to school explaining the absence. If we do not receive an explanation, or if the explanation is unsatisfactory, we will not authorise the absence and this will be shown on your child's end of year report.

If your child is absent through sickness or any other stomach complaint we ask that you allow 48 hours after the symptoms have ceased before they return to school.

Other absence

For all other absences please see the Attendance Policy on the Policies page.