Attendance

Good attendance and punctuality remain a top priority for us at Icknield Primary School. We share parents and carers views in wanting the best for your child and we are looking forward to working in partnership with you.

Your efforts, working in partnership with Icknield Primary School will ensure that your child will have the best chance to achieve their academic potential and have a real opportunity in further education and the world of work. It will also enable your child to:

Access the lessons needed to achieve their expected grades
Maintain friendships and develop new ones
Explore potential life skills
Develop world habits such as good punctuality which are essential to thrive in the world of employment.

We strive to ensure your child has the best opportunities to be the best they can be, to feel safe and supported in school, and to develop a sense of belonging both with their peers and as a wider part of our school community.

To support that, regular attendance will be key.

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Attendance Newsletters

Academic Year 2025/2026

Giving your child the best start:

90% attendance may seem like an acceptable level of attendance, however in reality that means your child misses half a day of school every week, the equivalent of 19 school days (almost one whole month), during the year. Children who miss this amount of school do not achieve as well as their peers who attend more regularly.

We expect all pupils at Icknield Primary School to attend school as regularly as possible. Our ambition for every child is 100% attendance.

	Impact over 1 school year	Impact over 5 school years
100% Attendance	0 days missed	0 days missed
95% Attendance	9 days of absence 1 Week and 4 Days of learning lost	¼ year learning lost
90% Attendance	19 Days of Absence 3 Weeks and 4 Days of learning lost	½ year learning lost
85% Attendance	28 Days of Absence 5 Weeks and 3 Days of learning lost	¾ year learning lost
80% Attendance	38 Days of Absence 7 Weeks and 3 Days of learning lost	1 year learning lost
75% Attendance	47 Days of Absence 9 weeks and 1 day of learning lost	1 ¼ years learning lost

We know being a parent/carer can be challenging at times and we are here to help if there are any problems affecting your child. If you are worried about your child/children’s attendance, please speak with your child’s class teacher in the first instance. We will work with you as partners to ensure in such circumstances any identified barriers are discussed so we can best support your child’s wellbeing and education. All schools work closely with Early Help, Health and the Local Authority teams who may also be able to help if needed.

As parents/carers you can best support your child to secure regular attendance and punctuality by:

Ensuring a good bedtime routine to enable your child to get enough sleep.
Establishing a good routine each evening and each morning so your child is prepared for the school day ahead.
Making sure your child attends school every day it is open, unless there is an exceptional reason preventing this.
Ensuring your child arrives at school on time every day by 8:55am.
Arranging dental and medical appointments outside school hours wherever possible, where this is not possible ensure your child attends before and returns promptly afterwards.
Informing the school if your child is ill and too unwell to attend by calling and leaving a message on the pupil absence line (01582 534000, option 1) or sending an email to admin@ipsluton.co.uk.
Taking absence seriously – if your child is not wanting to attend, why is this?
Taking any holidays during school holiday periods, and not during term time - If children are taken out of school for a one-week holiday every year and have an average number of days off for sickness and medical appointments, then by the time they finish Year 11, they will have missed the equivalent of two entire terms of schooling.
Talking positively to your child about school and taking an interest in their school day.
Attending parents’ evenings and school events.
Praising and rewarding your child’s efforts and achievements at school.
Supporting school staff by working in partnership to best manage and support your child with any difficult or challenging behaviour or circumstances.
Discussing any problems or difficulties with the school as soon as they arise – staff are here to help.

We look forward to working in partnership with you to support your child’s education

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Sickness Absence:

We know that sometimes our pupils cannot come to school because they are really unwell - and that's the right thing to do for them and other students. Medical advice is clear however that children with mild illness will often be well enough to attend - for example if they have a cough, or cold, without a temperature. The NHS guidance 'Is my child too ill for school?' (linked below) is designed to support parents in their decision making about mild illness.

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Is My Child Too Ill for School?

nhs guidance sheet.pdf

Where can I get support to help my child attend school?

Children may struggle to attend school for a wide range of reasons.

If your child is struggling to attend school, both Icknield Primary School and Luton Borough Council also have responsibilities to help you to support your child’s attendance.

In most cases, if your child’s attendance level is falling, we will contact you to explore the reasons and discuss what help can be put in place to help you overcome the barriers they are facing.

If your child is struggling to attend school, you can expect us to meet with you and your child if they are old enough. Icknield Primary School will want to understand the reasons for their absence and what support you or they need to overcome the barriers to attendance they are experiencing.

If the barriers to your child’s attendance are in school – such as they are having friendship problems – we will work with you to help overcome the issues.

If the barriers to attendance you or your child are facing go beyond the remit of the school – such as a transport or a mental health issue – both Icknield Primary School and Luton Borough Council have a responsibility to help you. This includes helping you to access the wider support you might need, for example from the school nurse or from local housing or transport teams.

As part of the conversation you have with Icknield Primary School you will agree a set of joint actions we will all take to help overcome any barriers to attendance.

This agreement will often include a commitment to refer or help you to access support services in exchange for an agreement from you to engage and take part in the support offered. We will also arrange mutual convenient times for you to come together to review these and your child’s progress.

This agreement may take the form of an informal action plan, an early help plan, or a parenting contract – depending on the complexity of the reasons for your child’s absence.

DfE Guide for Parents on School Attendance

Find top tips from the NHS for looking after a child with mental health difficulties and advice for looking after your own mental health here:

Children's Mental Health - Every Mind Matters

BBC Bitesize share wellbeing tips for parents to help you support a healthy, happy childhood – with advice on food, sleep, mindfulness, as well as ways to look after you and your child’s mental health.

BBC Bitesize Wellbeing

Young Minds parents helpline offers three different services to parents and carers who are concerned about their child’s mental health.

Parents Helpline - Mental Help Health for Your Child

Young Minds A-Z guide gives you advice on how to help your child with their feelings and behaviour, as well as mental health conditions and life events.

Parents A-Z Mental Health Guide

If your child is anxious about school, or they are unable to go to school, Young Minds have advice on supporting them and working with the school and other services.

School Anxiety & Refusal: A Guide for Parents

Support With Back to School Worries:

Clinical Psychologist Dr Nihara Krause has created these top tips to help parents manage concerns their child may have about returning to school after the holidays.

1. Rebuild routine early

Children thrive on routine and during school holidays, sleep patterns, mealtimes, and daily structure become looser. This is completely normal, but this shift can make the return to school feel overwhelming.

Start resetting sleep schedules 3 to 5 days before school begins by moving bedtime and wake-up time earlier in small steps. Reintroduce familiar routines such as reading before bed, laying out clothes, or having breakfast at the table. Limit screens for at least an hour before bed, as overstimulation can affect sleep quality.

2. Plan a calm and structured first morning back

Keep mornings calm by preparing as much as possible the night before (uniforms, packed lunches, school bags, and PE kits) to reduce stress and set a positive tone for the day.

Aim to wake up 10 to 15 minutes earlier on the first day back so there’s no need to rush. Create a warm, steady routine with breakfast together, a quiet chat, and a moment to check in on how your child is feeling. Maintaining a relaxed tone yourself also helps, as children often “borrow” their emotional cues from adults.

A smooth, unhurried morning lowers stress and helps children walk into school feeling steadier and more confident.

3. Talk openly and validate feelings

Communication is key, so try to keep checking in with your child in the run up to the return to school. Listen carefully to what’s on their mind, and help them break their concerns into smaller, manageable steps you can work through together. This helps them feel supported and understood.

Don’t forget to highlight the positives of returning to school like seeing friends, their favourite lessons and enjoyable routines like after-school activities. Normalise their feelings and explain it’s very common to feel a little uneasy shifting routines from holiday mode to back-to-school.