Attendance & Absence

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We set 96% attendance as our minimum expectation for all pupils at Oliver Goldsmith.
Our whole school attendance has been good for a number of years and we want to maintain and raise our standards
Our whole school attendance target for 2022-23 is 96%
In 2021-22 attendance was 93.6% (this was affected by Covid 19)
In 2020-21 attendance was 95.2% (this was affected by Covid 19)
In 2019-20 attendance was 95% (this was affected by Covid 19)
In 2018-19 attendance was 96.6% (above national)

If your child is ill and cannot attend school, please inform the office by 9 am.
Please complete a Leave of absence Request form for any leave of absence. Under DfE guidance, Headteachers can only grant leave of absence in "exceptional circumstances". Please do not ask for leave of absence for a family holiday as this will not be granted. Also, leave of absence will not be granted to visit relatives who are unwell. Term dates are published in advance so that families can arrange holidays. If you have any questions regarding leave of absence, please make an appointment with Mrs McAndrew via the school office.
Leave of absence form- Leave of absence form and letter combined.pdf

It is important that pupils arrive on time to school so that they do not miss out on any valuable learning. Lining up and registration time ensures a smooth transition to the day so that pupils are calm and prepared for their lessons.
Pupils must be in class at 8:45 am- ready for their lessons. Any pupils arriving after this time are late and need to go to the office to be marked in the late register. Any pupils arriving after 9:15am will be marked in the attendance register as an unauthorised absence.
As part of our soft start in the mornings, gates open at 8:35am so that pupils may come into school earlier if they wish. Children are able to go straight to class and start some soft start activities with their class teacher.

Each Friday we present an attendance trophy and a punctuality trophy (cuddly Panda/Python) to the class within each Key Stage-EYFS/KS1 & KS2- with the highest attendance and punctuality for the week!
At the end of each term, we reward 100% attendance and punctuality with certificates for individual pupils.
At the end of the year, there is a small special reward for all those children who have achieved 100% attendance and punctuality as a thank you from us.

At the end of each term, parents will receive a traffic light colour coded letter to help them support attendance. A GREEN letter means your child has reached above 95% attendance. If you receive a YELLOW letter, this means your child's attendance needs to improve as it below the minimum expectation of 95%. If you receive a RED letter, this means your child's attendance is a cause for concern for the school; if this is the case, the school will be in contact with parents to help improve the situation. The school will also refer and work with Brent's Educational Welfare Officer (EWO) to support families where there is poor attendance.
We send a mid-year report home to parents which always includes information on attendance and punctuality to help parents see how their child is getting on. Any issues will be discussed at the spring term parents evening.
We monitor attendance and punctuality daily and work closely with Brent's Educational Welfare Officer (EWO) to support improving attendance and punctuality for pupils causing concern.