Attendance
Attendance at St Bartholomew's Catholic Primary is vital for every child’s learning, wellbeing, and progress. Regular school attendance helps pupils build strong routines, keep up with classroom teaching, and develop the confidence to participate fully in lessons and school life. Our aim is always for the children to enjoy school and look forward to attending.
We ask all parents and carers to support good attendance by ensuring children attend every day the school is open, arriving on time and following our procedures for reporting absence. Where a child is unwell or unable to attend, please contact the school promptly via telephone on 01322663119 or email at office@st-bartholomewsrc-pri.kent.sch.uk and provide the reason for absence so we can record it accurately and offer support if needed.
If you have concerns about attendance, punctuality, or barriers that may be affecting your child, please speak with us as early as possible. Our staff are here to work with families in a supportive way helping to identify solutions and encourage consistent attendance for the benefit of your child’s education.
Our Attendance Officer is Mrs D Teather
Our Family Liaison Officer is Miss Gibbs
KCSP Principles
The Kent Catholic Schools’ Partnership applies the following Attendance Principles to ensure clarity, consistency and high expectations across all schools:
- We expect 100% attendance for all our pupils
- Attendance is everyone’s responsibility – pupils, parents, school staff and the Trust
- Every day counts – learning is sequential and absence disrupts progress
- Only the school can authorise absence – providing a reason does not guarantee authorisation
- Early intervention prevents escalation – support begins as soon as attendance starts to fall
- High expectations apply to all pupils, including those with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
- Support comes first, but sanctions will be used when necessary to protect a child’s right to education
- Absence is a safeguarding concern – schools will act quickly when a child is missing in education
- Attendance decisions will be fair, consistent and aligned with statutory Department for Education (DfE) guidance. The Trust use a colour-coded attendance system to ensure consistency across all schools and to support early identification of pupils at risk of persistent absence:
| Excellent | Above 99% - 2 days of absence or less or 4 sessions (am or pm)There is a direct correlation between excellent attendance and higher progress and achievement. |
| Good | 97% - 99% - less than 5 days of absence or 10 sessions (am or pm)Fewer than 5 days missed across an academic year. Regular attendance fosters a sense of belonging and higher levels of pupil well-being. |
| Below expectation | 95%-96.9% - 9 full of absence or 18 sessions (am or pm)Students with lower than 95% attendance tend to have a lower chance of making good social and academic progress. |
| Poor | 90%-94.9% - 13-18 days of absence or 26-36 sessions (am or pm)Pupils with poor attendance have lower academic outcomes and find it hard to maintain friendships as they are not attending well. |
| Persistently AbsentMajor concern | Below 90% - more than 19 days of absence or 38 sessions (am or pm)The government classes pupils who have an attendance rate of below 90% as persistently absent. Pupils have missed more than 19 days or nearly 4 weeks of school. This is a major concern. |
Why Attendance Matters
Our Policies
Working Together to Improve School Attendance
Government School Attendance Overview