Coming to school on time every day is a vital part of any child’s success at Mandeville. Students should be in school from 9:00am to 15:30pm - wherever possible – 5 days a week, totalling 32.5 hours per week. School life is very busy and any day of absence is missing valuable learning opportunities and the chance to meet and play with friends; a vital part of any childhood. Arriving at school late means starting the day unsettled and, most likely, missing the beginning of the first lesson. This makes it hard for children to understand what is being taught, and it is difficult for them to catch up. 

For these reasons, we ask all parents and carers to make sure that children are in school every day and to arrive on time. Children should be ready to line up and go into class at 9:00am. If your child is absent for any reason, please call the school office on the first morning of the absence and tell us why they are not in school. 

Please note that holidays during term time are very unlikely to be authorised as they significantly impact on a child’s learning. If a child is taken out of school without authorisation, this can result in a referral to the Education Attendance Service and possibly lead to the child losing their place at Mandeville. If you wish to take a child out of school for any reason, please contact the school with as much notice as possible. 

Absences and lates are recorded and will be noted on your child’s progress report. If your child has persistent lates and absences, you will be contacted by the school. In cases where this does not improve, we will inform the Education Attendance Service and this could result in a penalty notice and possible prosecution.