Dear Parent/ Carer,
Re: Punctuality
We would like to thank all the pupils who regularly attend school on time for registration and to each lesson. We want to remind all parents of our procedures regarding punctuality.
At Prestatyn High School registration starts at 8.40am every day. Pupils who arrive late are greatly disadvantaged because they miss starting the day with their peers and picking up important messages. Pupils who miss the start of a lesson are disadvantaged as they miss recap of prior learning and instructions for that lesson. There is a clear link between attendance and achievement. Lost learning time due to lateness is obviously something that we want to avoid.
- 5 minutes late to lessons each day means 3 missed days of school in a year
- 15 mins late each day means you will miss 10 days of school in a year
- 20 mins late each day means you miss 13 days of school in a year
It is essential that you ensure that your child arrives at school on time to prevent disruption to your child’s own learning and that of others. In order for parents to be informed of their child’s lateness to school, we will be sending out a daily message to parents to inform them of the number of minutes late they were to school that day.
We are required to monitor pupil punctuality and attendance. Lateness (after the registers close) is classified as an unauthorised absence, and therefore will be coded with a U code. You may be invited to sign a punctuality contract to prevent continued lateness. High levels of unauthorised absences or poor punctuality can result in a referral to the Educational Welfare Service and/or trigger Fixed Penalty Notice procedures.
We understand that there may be rare occasions when a pupil is unavoidably late due to unforeseen circumstances. On these occasions please make sure that you contact the school office to inform us when your child will arrive. If you have any concerns regarding punctuality, please contact your child’s Head of Year.
Yours faithfully,
Mrs C Turner
Deputy Headteacher