At Windmill L.E.A.D. Academy, our vision is to cultivate a positive attitude in our learners, igniting a passion for life-long learning and fostering respect for themselves, others, diversity, and the environment. We are committed to ensuring that every pupil has full access to our inclusive curriculum—a curriculum that inspires, nurtures, and develops the unique talents of all our learners.
We aspire for our children to grow into successful, honest citizens who are curious, adaptable, and ready to thrive in an ever-changing world. Regular attendance is the cornerstone of this academic success and personal growth. By attending school daily and being punctual, every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Good attendance and punctuality are vital for children to achieve their best. Regular attendance allows pupils to engage fully with the curriculum, participate actively in lessons, and develop the essential skills needed for future education and career success.
School is also a place where children build meaningful relationships with peers and teachers, nurturing social skills, empathy, and the ability to collaborate effectively. Missing school can disrupt these connections, making it harder for pupils to build and maintain these important relationships.
Consistent attendance establishes a strong routine, teaching children the value of punctuality, responsibility, and time management—essential habits that prepare them for secondary school and future workplaces.
Being part of a vibrant school community supports children’s emotional development, wellbeing, and mental health. It provides a sense of belonging and access to guidance and resources when needed. Prolonged or frequent absences can lead to feelings of isolation and make reintegration into school more challenging.
At Windmill L.E.A.D. Academy, we pride ourselves on creating a welcoming, safe, and innovative environment rooted in positive relationships. Our goal is to make school a place where pupils feel excited and inspired to attend every single day.
Melanie Jago is our Attendance, Safeguarding & Medical Officer. An important part of her role is to work with parents and carers to improve attendance. We are committed to working with you to improve your child’s attendance.
If you would like support, we can arrange a meeting, phone call or a home visit. At this meeting, an attendance improvement plan will be developed, in order to address any barriers your child may be experiencing and to look at any strategies that may support their attendance at school.
If you have any concerns about your child’s attendance you can come and ask to speak to Melanie.
Melanie’s contact details are: 07458 105645 either call, text or message via WhatsApp. Her email address is [email protected]
As attendance is statutory, we all have a duty to ensure that children are in school every day (unless, of course, they are very ill).
Ask Lion has lots of information and services to support you and your family – alternatively you are welcome to contact Melanie.
You may also find the NHS website helpful for information about when to keep your child off school – NHS – Is my child too ill for school?
Each term, individual medals and rewards are given to children for good attendance. If children have attended every day for one term, they receive a bronze medal; every day for two terms, they receive a silver medal and attendance every day for three terms (the whole school year!), will see children receive a gold medal.
Classes with the best punctuality and attendance have a special visit out of school, such as breakfast at our local community centre. These are provided to the winning children for free.
The class with the best attendance of the week is given the ‘Attendance Cup’.
If you child is too ill to come to school, please contact the school office at the earliest opportunity on 0115 9150195.
We use a text messaging service to contact you when your child is not at school. If your child is absent and we haven’t been informed why, we will send you a text message. You will be able to reply to the text message to advise why your child is away from school.
If you do not have a mobile telephone, or we are yet to have a response, we will continue to contact you by telephone. If no contact is made Melanie may attempt a home visit.
Hopefully, by supporting families to ensure that children are attending school regularly, there will be fewer referrals to the Education Welfare.
Reminders:
The table below shows the direct impact of a child’s attendance on their attainment and education. Whenever we write to you, we will include this table so that you can check where your child’s attendance falls and what impact it could be having.
Every child’s attendance and punctuality is monitored weekly, and we follow the Department of Education’s guidance to keeping parents and carer’s informed about their child attendance.
Melanie monitors each child’s attendance and punctuality, making regular contact with parents and carers when necessary, in order to support you to make improvements with your child’s attendance. The table below shows our tiered approach to supporting our children and families to improve their attendance.
Some reasons for absence cannot be authorised (according to government guidelines). Examples of these are:
If your child has continued to be absent due to illness over a period of time we may refer them to health services. We will also request that you provide medical evidence so that the absence can be authorised.
If no improvements are made, then unfortunately the school has no option but to refer you to the Education Welfare Team – to take further action, which may include a penalty notice or prosecution.
Only exceptional circumstances warrant a leave of absence. Windmill L.E.A.D academy will consider each application individually taking into account the specific facts and circumstances and relevant background context behind the request. If a leave of absence is granted, it is for the Headteacher to determine the length of the time the pupil can be away from school. As Headteachers should only grant leaves of absence in exceptional circumstances it is highly unlikely a leave of absence will be granted for the purposes of a family holiday.
Any request should be submitted as soon as it is anticipated and, where possible, at least two weeks before the absence. This must also be in accordance with any leave of absence request form, accessible via school office. The Headteacher may require evidence to support any request for leave of absence.
All unauthorised term time absences will be referred to Education Welfare Service which could result in the issuing of a Penalty Notice or prosecution.
The first time a referral is made for a Penalty Notice for term time leave or irregular attendance, the amount would be £160 per parent per child if paid within 28 days, reduced to £80 per parent per child if paid within 21 days.
The second time a referral is made for a Penalty Notice, the amount would be £160 per parent per child, with no provision for reduction.
The third time a referral is made for a Penalty Notice for term time leave or irregular attendance, a Penalty Notice will not be issued and the case presented straight to Magistrates’ Court.
Any legal proceedings would relate to section 444 or 444(1A) of the Education Act 1996. Magistrates’ fines can be up to £2500 per parent per child, and cases found guilty in Magistrates’ Court can show on the parents future DBS certificate due to a ‘failure to safeguard a child’s education’.
Finally, please help us to help your child by sending them to school every day. Every lesson counts. Even a short amount of time away from school will cause your child to fall behind in their work and it will make it difficult for them to catch up. Remember, as a parent or legal guardian you are legally responsible for making sure your child attends school every day.
