Attendance & Absence Policy

We encourage good and regular attendance at nursery so that children can fully access all learning opportunities and reach their full potential. This is especially important in preparing children for school. We keep a register and record all absences, late arrivals, and late collections. Children’s attendance will be monitored closely for safeguarding reasons. If absence or lateness is a persistent problem it will be recorded as a concern in your child’s general welfare log. A meeting may be arranged at the setting with parents and a member of management. 

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Should your child be unable to attend nursery on their nominated day, we ask that you give an explanation by phone, text, or email by 10am on the day of absence. Please notify us by email in advance, if you are going on holiday and provide the dates your child will be absent. If your child is unwell, please let us know their symptoms so we can be aware of any illnesses circulating and keep an eye on them when they return. You should notify us on each day that your child is absent if this goes beyond the initial first absence.

If we do not have an explanation of absence, we will contact you or your emergency contacts that day. If we fail to make contact within 48 hours by phone or mail, or have reason to be concerned about a child’s safety, this may result in Whytebeams contacting Croydon Children’s Services via MASH (Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub). This is in accordance with the Children’s Act 2004.

If a child is reluctant to attend the setting, and struggling to settle, communication between parents and nursery is encouraged so support can be put in place. We advise against covering up children’s absence or to give into pressure to excuse them from attending. This gives the impression that attendance does not matter and may make things worse. We encourage a good partnership with parents and offer settling support where needed. We are here to help.