Good attendance and punctuality is very important because:

• Statistics show a direct link between under-achievement and poor attendance
• Regular attenders make better progress, both socially and academically
• Regular attenders find school routines, school work and friendships easier to cope with
• Regular attenders find learning more satisfying
• Regular attenders settle into high school more easily

If your child is absent from school you must contact us in the morning of each day of their absence. 

You can do this by reporting the absence on our Parent App, calling the school office on 020 8845 4661 and pressing option 1 to leave a message. Alternatively, you can email the school via attendance@gifford.ealing.sch.uk detailing the reason for your child’s absence.

• Follow up unexplained absences by phone calls and letters as necessary
• Remind parents of the importance of regular attendance and punctuality in our letters, the school brochure, parent evenings, Home-School Agreement and pupil reports
• Publish our attendance rate in the school profile and the Governing Body’s Annual Report to parents
• Acknowledge and reward good attendance and punctuality
• Publish your child’s attendance rate on her/his annual school report
• Let you know if we have concerns regarding your child’s attendance and punctuality
• If we continue to have concerns make a referral to the Local Authority School Attendance Officer, who visits the school regularly to review and support attendance and punctuality issues

• Ensuring your child attends school regularly. Absence should only happen when your child is significantly ill and therefore unfit to attend school, or if there is an unavoidable/unforeseen reason or circumstance which is causing a difficulty

• Calling on the first morning and then daily if necessary, of any absence to give us the reason and tell us when your child is likely to return to school
• Arranging all non-emergency medical appointments out of school hours or during school holidays
• Provide medical evidence for any absence relating to illness directly before or after a school holiday
• Provide medical evidence for an absence of illness lasting more than 3 days
• Keeping us updated by telephone, letter or email if your child has any extended period of absence
• Making sure we always have your current contact numbers; this includes all telephone numbers, child minders and emergency contact details