Attendance and Punctuality at Sandy Lane

At Sandy Lane, we know that every day in school counts. There’s a strong link between regular attendance, good progress, and children feeling happy and confident in their learning. When children arrive on time and attend consistently, they’re more settled, they enjoy school more, and they build stronger friendships.

We want all of our pupils to have the very best chance to succeed — to enjoy the exciting curriculum we’ve carefully planned, and to take part in the wonderful opportunities and fun experiences we offer throughout the year. From engaging lessons and trips to theme days and community events, there’s always something to look forward to — and we’d hate for children to miss out.

We're grateful that many of our families prioritise good attendance and punctuality — thank you! However, we do know that for some, this can be more of a challenge. That’s why we regularly review attendance and punctuality data so that we can identify where support might be needed. If your child is struggling to get to school on time or is missing more days than expected, we will always reach out with care and offer help to get things back on track.

We also want to remind families that:

• Holidays during term time cannot be authorised, and unfortunately we are now required to issue Penalty Notices where unauthorised absence meets the local authority guidance.

• Children should still attend school with minor illnesses such as a cough, cold, or sniffle — just as we adults often go to work with these. Of course, if your child is very unwell, we completely understand that they need time to rest and recover at home.

We work closely with our Educational Welfare Officer (EWO) and other services to support families and find positive ways forward. Our aim is always to work together to ensure every child can enjoy all that Sandy Lane has to offer.

School Day Timings

• Our doors open at 8:35am and the school day begins promptly at 8:45am for all year groups.

• Registration closes at 8:50am. Children arriving after this time will be marked as late.

• After 9:20am, a child is recorded as absent for the morning session.

If your child arrives after 8:45am, please sign them in at the school office so we can ensure their safe arrival.

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We’re here to help and support every family, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’re experiencing difficulties with attendance or punctuality. Together, we can ensure that your child gets the most out of every school day.

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Here is a link to Bracknell Forest Council’s website page on school attendance - please click here

Bracknell Forest Council leaflet on Fixed Penalty Notices for unauthorised absence:
family-holidays-during-term-time

Our attendance policy can be found here.