Swavesey Primary School Parent Portal - Newsletter 98 (05.05.2024)

Updates from Mrs Norden

This week has been quieter for the school in terms of additional events, but a general improvement in the weather during the middle of the week saw more outside learning being possible.

Classes were maximising this as the persistent rain through the spring term had made it more difficult. It was lovely to join some of the year 1/2s exploring the school grounds through the maps they had drawn. We definitely have some cartographers, and orienteers, in the making.

The next few weeks will return to busy times, with Year 1/2 exploring the village next week, followed by Year 6 SATs, some more external sporting events and our New Intake Parent/Carer information meeting. Please check the website and our newsletter for relevant information, as well as any letters sent directly to parents and carers of different groups.

The Easter holiday camp provided by Premier Sports was well received by those who attended and so, during half term, they will be providing another holiday camp on the school premises for the week. You can find details about this through their poster here.

As you will be aware from our attendance policy, schools are duty bound by the DfE and LA to carry out attendance checks regularly and to work with parents and carers to improve the attendance of children. Last week we undertook our latest checks and this led to letters being sent to some parents and carers where certain criteria were met, such as absence being determined as 'persistent' or 'severe' based on the DfE definitions.

We often have queries after letters have been sent, and so I thought I would provide information about the common questions for everyone. We are duty bound to ensure parents and carers are made aware of when the attendance of their children reaches certain levels as laid down by the DfE and LA. We follow the LA three letter system and these detail absence levels and any next steps to support an improvement. If a child's attendance does not improve, then the next letter is sent with additional requirements which could include organising an absence meeting.

All information on our attendance protocols can be found in our policy, which has a permanent link in our newsletters in a section further down. It can be accessed today by clicking here. The policy also explains the fining systems, another area which often prompts questions. Fines may be imposed in a variety of circumstances with the money going to the local authority for administration costs - the money does not come to the school.

I hope you are enjoying the lovely weekend weather and can only hope there is an improvement to tomorrow's forecast for bank holiday Monday. We look forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday.

_{Anna-Claire Norden}

_Headteacher