Every day matters

At North Mead, attendance is a real strength.

We believe that every child, every lesson, every day matters. Regular attendance gives children the best chance to achieve well, build strong relationships, feel part of the school community and benefit fully from everything North Mead has to offer.

Our approach combines high expectations, early support, strong relationships with families and close monitoring.

The result is sustained improvement over time.

Attendance at North Mead

A strong and improving picture

In 2026:

• 8% Whole-school attendance
• 2% Persistent absence

Compared with:

• 7% National attendance
• 5% National persistent absence

Over five years, North Mead attendance has increased from: 93.2% in 2022 → 95.8% in 2026 while persistent absence has reduced from: 24.8% in 2022 → 8.2% in 2026.

This improvement reflects the commitment of our children, families and staff, alongside a consistent whole-school approach to attendance.

Attendance over time

 

Year	North Mead Attendance	National	North Mead Persistent Absence	National
2022	93.2%	93.8%	24.8%	17.7%
2023	94.3%	94.3%	14.2%	16.2%
2024	95.2%	94.5%	12.7%	14.6%
2025	95.4%	94.7%	11.0%	15.0%
2026	95.8%	94.7%	8.2%	13.5%

Attendance has improved every year since 2022, while persistent absence has reduced by more than two thirds.

Why attendance matters

Children who attend school regularly are more likely to:

• make strong academic progress
• develop secure knowledge and skills
• build friendships and positive relationships
• establish good routines
• feel confident and connected to school
• take part in trips, enrichment and wider opportunities
• be ready for the next stage of their education

Missing school means missing learning, relationships and experiences that cannot always be recreated later.

Our approach

Strong attendance does not happen by accident.

At North Mead, we:

• set clear expectations for attendance and punctuality
• monitor attendance closely
• identify concerns early
• speak with families before difficulties become entrenched
• listen carefully to the reasons behind absence
• provide practical support
• recognise and celebrate improvement
• work closely across attendance, pastoral, SEND and safeguarding teams
• involve external services where appropriate

Our approach is both supportive and persistent.

We want to understand barriers and remove them, while maintaining the expectation that every child attends school as regularly as possible.

Early help makes a difference

We know that attendance difficulties can have many causes.

These may include:

• illness
• emotional wellbeing
• anxiety
• SEND
• family circumstances
• housing difficulties
• routines
• behaviour
• transport
• relationships
• wider challenges outside school

Families do not have to manage these difficulties alone.

Support may include:

• attendance meetings and individual plans
• Family Support Worker involvement
• Behaviour Mentor support
• ELSA and pastoral support
• individual check-ins
• support with routines
• bilingual support
• SEND advice and reasonable adjustments
• home visits
• liaison with health professionals
• referrals to external services
• support to re-establish regular attendance following a difficult period

The earlier we understand a barrier, the more effectively we can help.

Who supports attendance?

• Miss Kirsten Holland

Vice Principal – Inclusion Leader

• Mrs Zainab Meman

Attendance

Our wider Inclusion and Pastoral Team also works closely with children and families where additional support is needed.

If attendance is becoming difficult, please speak to us early.

Persistent absence

A pupil is considered persistently absent when they miss 10% or more of the sessions available to them.

At North Mead, persistent absence has reduced significantly: 24.8% in 2022 to 8.2% in 2026.

We are proud of this improvement, but we remain ambitious.

Every child who is persistently absent represents learning and opportunities being missed, so we continue to work individually with pupils and families to improve attendance.

Punctuality

Attendance also means arriving at school on time.

Being late can mean children miss:

• important teaching
• retrieval and morning learning
• class routines
• key instructions
• a calm start to the day

Regular lateness can also make children feel unsettled and disrupt learning.

If punctuality becomes a concern, we will work with families to understand the reason and improve routines.

If your child is absent

If your child cannot attend school, please contact us on the first day of absence.

Telephone: 0116 276 7761

Email: [email protected]

Please explain the reason for the absence and continue to keep us updated if your child remains away from school.

If we do not know why a child is absent, we will contact the family.

When is a child too unwell for school?

Children should attend school unless they are genuinely too unwell to do so.

Minor coughs, colds or headaches do not always mean that a child needs to stay at home.

If you are unsure, please contact us. We are happy to discuss whether your child is well enough to attend.

Where appropriate, we will also make reasonable adjustments to help children remain in school.

Medical appointments

Where possible, routine appointments should be arranged outside school hours.

When this is not possible, please try to minimise the amount of school time missed and return your child to school as soon as the appointment is complete.

Evidence of appointments may be requested.

Leave during term time

Children should not normally be taken out of school during term time.

Leave can only be authorised in exceptional circumstances.

 

Family holidays are not normally considered exceptional circumstances.

Parents should contact school in advance and complete the relevant request form.

Unauthorised absence may result in further action in line with statutory and local authority procedures.

Attendance and SEND

Some children with SEND may experience additional barriers to regular attendance.

Where this happens, we consider:

• the child’s individual needs
• reasonable adjustments
• pastoral support
• SEND provision
• health advice
• family circumstances
• the views of the child and family

The aim remains to support the child to access school as regularly and successfully as possible.

Attendance and safeguarding

Attendance is also an important part of safeguarding.

Unexpected absence, repeated absence or significant changes in attendance can indicate that a child or family needs additional help.

Our attendance, pastoral, inclusion and safeguarding teams work closely together to make sure concerns are identified and acted on promptly.

Children missing education

We have a responsibility to know where our pupils are and to follow up unexplained absence.

Please tell us if:

• you are moving house
• your child is changing school
• you are leaving Leicester
• you are moving abroad
• your contact details have changed

Where we cannot establish where a child is receiving education, we follow the appropriate local authority procedures.

Working with families

Our strongest attendance improvements have been achieved through partnership.

We will:

• communicate early
• listen to families
• identify barriers
• provide appropriate support
• agree clear next steps
• review progress
• celebrate improvement
• remain ambitious for every child

Where attendance does not improve despite support, further action may be necessary in line with statutory attendance guidance.

Our commitment

At North Mead, attendance is about much more than a percentage.

It is about making sure every child is present, included, learning and benefiting from everything school has to offer.

Our improvement from 93.2% attendance and 24.8% persistent absence in 2022 to 95.8% attendance and 8.2% persistent absence in 2026 shows what can be achieved when school and families work together.

Every Child. Every Lesson. Every Day.

External Resource/Organisation	Link
Working Together to Improve School Attendance	DfE school attendance guidance
Leicester City Council school attendance	Leicester school attendance

Please see policy page for latest Attendance Policy. 

 

Link to application form for exceptional pupil leave

 

Related North Mead Pages

• Pastoral Support
• SEND
• Safeguarding