Attendance
Why regular attendance is so important
At South Camberley Primary and Nursery School, we are proud to be an inclusive community where every child is encouraged and supported to achieve their very best. Regular attendance gives children the strongest possible start in life, which is why we aim for every child to be in school 100% of the time.
Being in school each day helps children to develop:
- Friendships
- Social skills
- Team values
- Life skills
- Cultural awareness
- Career pathways
- Overall wellbeing
When a child is frequently absent, they miss out on important experiences that help them learn and grow. Good attendance is therefore essential in helping children become confident, successful learners. By being in school every day, children are more likely to thrive academically, build positive relationships, and feel connected to the wider school community.
Learning is a continuous journey, with each day’s lessons building on the last.
Our classes include rich learning experiences—discussions, demonstrations, experiments and hands-on activities—that bring learning to life. When a child is absent, these valuable moments can’t be fully replaced, making it harder for them to stay connected and confident in their learning.
Being in school makes a difference to your child’s future.
Attendance matters to every child, every day.
Punctuality
Being late can have a bigger impact than you might think.
When a child arrives after the rest of the class has settled, they can miss important instructions and feel anxious or embarrassed about walking in late. It also disrupts the flow of learning for everyone else.
To help every child start the day calmly and confidently, we operate a soft start. We offer a breakfast club at 8:15am where children can have toast, crumpets, fruit and fresh milk. Children can arrive from 8:30am and go straight to their classroom to begin their early morning activity. This gentle start to the day helps them settle in, connect with their teacher, and get ready for learning.
| Nursery James Road & France Hill Drive | 8.35am - 11.35am (Morning Nursery) 12.05pm - 3.05pm (Afternoon Nursery) 8.35am - 3.05pm (All Day Nursery) |
| Reception and Key Stage 1 James Road | 8.45am - 3.00pm (Gates open from 8.30am) |
| Reception and Key Stage 1 France Hill Drive | 8.45am - 3.00pm (Gates open from 8.30am) |
| Key Stage 2 | 8.45am - 3.15pm (Gates open from 8.30am) |
Children should be in their classroom at their allotted registration time (see above). Any child arriving after this time will receive an L mark (late).
Arriving 30 minutes or more after registration is recorded as an O code, which counts as an unauthorised absence for that morning. This affects both your child’s attendance record and their punctuality.
Leave of Absence Requests
Leave of absence in term time and Penalty Notice Information (5 days or 10 sessions or more)
Please be aware that The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 state that Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. The Headteacher will determine the number of school days to be authorised. In the small number of cases in which leave is granted, proof may be required to validate your request.
In order to request a Leave of Absence we require you to submit a Leave of Absence form stating your exceptional circumstances. This form can be found at the bottom of this page or at the school office at each site.
In accordance with the above Regulations, requests for leave of absence are treated sympathetically, but only in exceptional circumstances can they be approved. Government Regulations state that parents who take their child out of school during term time, without the authority of the Headteacher, will each be liable to receive a penalty notice. Penalty Notices will be issued by the Local Authority and in Surrey it has been agreed that Penalty Notices will only be issued where 5 days unauthorised ‘leave of absence’ is taken. These absences do not have to be consecutive but could be accumulated over a 3 month period.
Penalty Notices
Penalty Notice relating to Exclusions
If a child is excluded from school, Section 103 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 places a duty on parents/carers to ensure that their child is not in a public place without justifiable cause during school hours. This duty applies to the first five days of each exclusion. Failure to do so will render the parent/carer liable to a Penalty Notice. (Alternative education provision will be made available from the sixth day of any exclusion.)
Amount Payable for a Penalty Notice and Consequences for repeat unauthorised absences
- If you have not incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children in a rolling 3 year period since 19 August 2024, then the penalty notice will be charged at the rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. This will be reduced to £80.00 if paid within 21 days of receipt of the notice. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.
- If you have incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children since 19 August 2024, the rolling 3 year period will be activated from the date of the first penalty notice and the second penalty notice will be charged at the flat rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. There will be no reduction for payment within 21 days. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.
- If you have incurred 2 penalty notices relating to this child/children in the rolling 3 year period since the first penalty notice was issued, then you will NOT receive a third penalty notice – Surrey County Council will have no option but to consider a prosecution, per parent/carer per child, in the Magistrates Court under s 444 Education Act 1996.
Surrey County Council is not responsible for authorising pupil absence and therefore cannot withdraw any Penalty Notice requests without the written permission of the Headteacher.
Advice and support is available from an Attendance Advice Officer by contacting Surrey Attendance Service as follows :
North West - Tel: 01483 518130 South West - Tel: 01483 517179
North East - Tel: 01372 833588 South East - Tel: 01737 737777
Attendance Incentives
We love celebrating great attendance, and every week our classes compete for the title of Best Class Attendance! It’s a fun way to recognise teamwork, positivity, and everyone’s effort to be in school, ready to learn.
- KS1 – Meet the Attendance Bear!
Our KS1 classes compete to take home the adorable Attendance Bear for the week. The winning class gets to keep the bear in their classroom—he joins in with lessons, watches over activities, and reminds everyone how brilliant their attendance has been! - KS2 – Who Will Lift the Trophy?
In KS2, the top-attending class is awarded the Attendance Trophy. It takes pride of place in their classroom for the whole week, celebrating their hard work and encouraging everyone to keep it up.
These rewards help make attendance something to look forward to and celebrate, bringing excitement, pride, and a real sense of achievement each week.
Each term, we also celebrate individual and class achievements in attendance. Pupils with the highest attendance receive a special personalised certificate, recognising their fantastic commitment throughout the term.
The class with the best overall attendance earns an exciting reward – an extra 10 minutes of playtime with a member of our Senior Leadership Team. It’s a brilliant treat that the children always look forward to!
We also make sure to celebrate those who have shown real determination. Pupils with the most improved attendance are recognised for their hard work and perseverance.
At the end of each term, we hold a special attendance assembly to celebrate everyone’s efforts. Pupils who achieve 100% attendance for the term will receive a badge, a certificate and their names are entered into a raffle for the chance to win a Grand Prize at the end of the year!
Attendance Statistics
We are proud to share our whole-school and year-group attendance figures.
- 2023–2024: 94.9%
- 2024–2025: 94.4%
Year Group Attendance (2024–2025):
- Year 1: 94.7%
- Year 2: 93.9%
- Year 3: 94.8%
- Year 4: 94.4%
- Year 5: 94.9%
- Year 6: 94.6%
Congratulations to Year 5, who achieved the highest attendance for the 2024–2025 school year!
Who will take the top spot this academic year?
Discover more in our Attendance Newsletter, a new half-termly series bringing you key updates, competition information and important dates.