Attendance policy

Whilst there is no legal requirement for children under the age of 5 to attend nursery, at Seymour House we encourage good attendance. This helps children build those all-important habits for the future and ensures they are able to take full advantage of all the exciting educational opportunities provided through our bespoke 5Cs curriculum.

We recognise that good attendance plays an important role not only in supporting children’s educational achievements but also supports their overall well-being and our responsibilities in safeguarding. Young children find it easier to build and sustain relationships when they attend regularly, following the agreed pattern of attendance set with parents. Children who frequently miss nursery can find it difficult to settle at the start of the day and generally feel more secure when they know what to expect and when. Attendance expectations are shared with parents during the settling in process.

Reporting and Monitoring Attendance 

• We kindly ask parents/carers to notify the nursery in advance of any planned holidays or absences. (Don’t forget to take Travelling Ted with you!) When you return, we’d love to hear all about your travels so we can build on your child’s experiences in our learning at nursery.
  
• If the absence is unplanned, we kindly ask that you notify the nursery as soon as possible on the first day of absence. If you have not notified the nursery before 10am, a member of the nursery team will contact you by telephone to discuss your child’s absence. Parents can notify the nursery using the SH App on their child’s profile page for ease, we kindly request that where a child is marked absent that parents use the notes box to confirm reasons for absence.
  
• If your child has a prolonged period of absence and you would like support with home learning, please feel free to discuss this with the Head of Early Years Practice or Nursery Manager. We are happy to help!
  
• If a child has had a prolonged period of absence and parents/carers have been uncontactable the Nursery Manager will contact the child’s emergency contacts. If contact cannot be established, after a period of absence with either parents or emergency contacts then consideration would be given as whether a home visit were required to establish all parties are safe. If contact is still not established, we would assess if it would be appropriate to contact relevant authorities, including the police, in order for them to investigate further.
  
• We understand that some children may face barriers to achieving good attendance, such as those who are vulnerable, have medical needs or an EHCP for example. Through our commitment to strong partnership with parents, we will work closely with families and any outside agencies to offer additional support.
• For parents accessing Funded Early Years Entitlement, it is a requirement of the Local Authority for providers to report any expected absences of over 4 weeks, it is the responsibility of the Local Authority to decide whether funding will be continued.
  
• As part of the role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead, the Nursery Manager will monitor and review children’s attendance and the reasons for absence on a regular basis.
  
• Any safeguarding concerns that may arise from non-attendance will be discussed with parents and, where appropriate, shared with the Children and Families Hub/Herts safeguarding children services or other relevant agencies.