Attendance/Absence policy 

Aim

We are committed to promoting excellent attendance and punctuality by working in partnership with parents and carers to establish positive habits from the earliest stages of education. We believe that regular attendance supports children's learning, development, wellbeing and school readiness, helping every child to achieve the best possible outcomes.

We encourage all eligible children to access their fully funded early education entitlement and recognise that consistent attendance enables children to build secure relationships, develop confidence and fully benefit from the experiences offered within our setting.

Rationale

The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requires providers to work in partnership with parents and carers to promote children's learning, development, wellbeing and safety.

The Department for Education's statutory guidance Working Together to Improve School Attendance (updated July 2026) promotes a culture of high expectations, early intervention and strong partnerships with families to improve attendance. Although the guidance applies directly to schools, its principles provide good practice for early years providers.

Ofsted expects providers to demonstrate how they encourage regular attendance, identify emerging concerns, work positively with families and ensure that children, particularly those who are disadvantaged or vulnerable, benefit from their early education entitlement.

Regular attendance:

• Supports children's learning, development and school readiness.
• Helps children build secure relationships with practitioners and peers.
• Promotes emotional wellbeing, confidence and a sense of belonging.
• Enables practitioners to identify emerging concerns or changes in a child's wellbeing.
• Supports safeguarding through regular contact with children and families.
• Establishes positive routines and habits that prepare children for compulsory school education.

Promoting Good Attendance

We promote good attendance by:

• Working positively with parents and carers from the point of enrolment to explain the importance of regular attendance.
• Encouraging children to attend for their agreed sessions wherever possible.
• Promoting punctual arrival and collection to minimise disruption to children's learning.
• Celebrating and reinforcing positive attendance.
• Supporting families to overcome barriers affecting attendance.
• Monitoring attendance patterns to identify emerging concerns early.
• Working with external professionals where additional support is required.

Attendance Monitoring

The setting will:

• Maintain an accurate daily register recording children's attendance and times of arrival and departure using either an electronic or paper-based system.
• Record all absences and reasons given by parents or carers.
• Follow up all unexplained absences on the first day.
• Monitor attendance, punctuality and absence patterns regularly.
• Identify persistent or recurring absence and discuss concerns with parents at an early stage.
• Maintain appropriate records of all attendance concerns, communications and actions taken.
• The latest drop-off time for the morning session is 9:45 a.m. As part of their routine, the children will be heading out on their outing after this time.
• The next drop-off will be at 1 pm.
• Please keep us informed if you are going to be late.

Responsibilities of Parents and Carers

Parents and carers are expected to:

• Ensure their child attends regularly for their agreed sessions.
• Notify the setting as soon as possible if their child will be absent.
• Inform the setting of the reason for absence and the expected return date.
• Always keep emergency contact details up to date.
• Inform the setting of any changes to contact details, medical needs or family circumstances.
• Notify the setting in advance of planned holidays or extended absences where possible.

  If a child is absent without notification:

• Registers will be checked promptly after the session begins.
• Staff will confirm that the child has not arrived elsewhere within the setting.
• Parents or carers will be contacted using the primary contact number.
• If there is no response, all emergency contacts will be contacted until an explanation is obtained.
• Voicemail messages will be left where appropriate requesting urgent contact.
• All contact attempts will be recorded.
• Where concerns remain, practitioners will consider:
• the child's age and vulnerability;
• previous attendance patterns;
• any safeguarding concerns;
• involvement of Children's Social Care, Early Help or other agencies;
• any known family circumstances.

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  Ongoing Absence

  Where a child is absent for a prolonged period or attendance becomes a concern, we will:

• Discuss attendance with parents or carers.
• Explore whether there are barriers preventing attendance.
• Offer support and signpost families to appropriate services where required.
• Develop an agreed attendance support plan where appropriate.

• Continue to monitor attendance and review progress

  Safeguarding and Welfare

  Attendance is an important safeguarding responsibility.

  Where a child is absent unexpectedly and we are unable to establish their whereabouts after reasonable attempts to contact all emergency contacts, we will complete a risk assessment based on the information available.

  Depending on the level of concern, this may include:

• contacting Children's Social Care or the allocated Social Worker;
• contacting the Family Support Worker or Early Help Practitioner;
• undertaking a home visit where appropriate and safe to do so;
• requesting a welfare check from the Police where there is reason to believe a child may be at immediate risk of harm.

• Any safeguarding concerns arising from attendance will be managed in accordance with the setting's Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy.

  Monitoring Attendance

  The Manager/Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) will regularly review attendance information to identify:

• persistent absence;
• repeated late arrival;
• repeated early collection;
• recurring patterns of absence;
• children who may be vulnerable or disadvantaged;
• children whose attendance may impact their learning, development or wellbeing.

• Where concerns are identified, early support will be offered in partnership with parents and relevant agencies.

  Record Keeping

  The setting will maintain:

• daily attendance registers;
• records of reasons for absence;
• records of first-day contact attempts;
• attendance monitoring records;
• safeguarding records relating to attendance concerns;
• records of meetings and actions agreed with parents or external agencies.

• Attendance information will be stored securely in accordance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

  Children / Families accessing free entitlement places

  Attendance records of funded children should be monitored. This attendance guidance supports the free entitlement claims process and should also be used in line with your safeguarding policy and attendance / absence procedures if a child’s attendance is becoming a concern.

  What should I do if a child registers for a free entitlement place and he/she does not show up on the first day?

  If you have claimed free entitlement for a child who does not attend on the first day, contact the parent/carer to ask if the child will still be taking up the place. Find out the date they intend to start instead, if at all, and then make the appropriate adjustment via the claims process later in the term.

  However, if the parent/carer keeps giving you a start date (or you are unable to contact them) and they do not show up by the end of the second week, you must write to the parent/carer to inform them that their free entitlement place has been withdrawn. Copies of all correspondence should be kept in the child’s records (in compliance with United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK-GDPR)). Ensure that make an adjustment via the claims process.

  The steps we will take for unnotified absences of children with a free entitlement place?

  In addition to the procedure above

• Ask the parent/carer for the child’s expected return date.
• If the child still does not return on the expected date, we will follow up with another telephone call and if the family are known to services, we will inform the support worker that the child has still not returned.
• Work with the support worker to try and re-engage the child again.
• If the child still does not return, we will agree with the support worker what the funding end date should be. This is to give services any additional time they need to try and re-engage the family. Once the date has been agreed, we will send a letter to the family to inform them that the free entitlement place has been withdrawn.
• If we do re-engage with the parent, we will discuss/ consider a reduction in the number of sessions per week or a change in the session times if it would help with the child’s attendance. We will make every effort to encourage and support improved attendance.
• The parent/carer will be advised that any further absences may result in the funding being withdrawn. We will continue monitoring attendance and contact the support worker if the absence continues or the attendance remains low.

• If no support worker is in place, a provider should take the following steps:

• If you are concerned about the child or family and you do not know if the child is known to Social Care, contact Children’s Services on 0208 8583 6600 (option 2) to check if the child is known by any other agencies to make a referral for support. Additionally, you can contact your allocated Professional Lead adviser for Standards and Inclusion to discuss your concerns and, if it grants a welfare check, this would be completed.
• If you find out that the child is known to other agencies, contact them to discuss their attendance and follow the steps above (please refer to your Information Sharing policy and comply with UK GDPR guidelines).
• If there are no concerns, contact the parent/carer by telephone on the first day of an un-notified absence. (Appendix 3 Flowcharts)
• If there is no response to your telephone call keep trying to make, contact at regular intervals and contact the child’s emergency numbers in line with your Attendance/ Absence process.
• Make sure everyone on the emergency contacts list is telephoned at least twice. Explore any internal intelligence within the nursery exploring if anyone knows the family.
• Seek advice from Children’s Social Services or Police and request a welfare check. If there is still no response, please contact a member of the Early Years Funding Team to discuss the funding end date.
• You will then need to write to the parent/carer to advise them on the entitlement place end date. (Appendix 2)
• You must make an adjustment via the claims process. (Appendix 4) 
• If there is a response to your telephone call, ask the parent/carer the child’s expected return date.
• If you do re-engage with the parent/carer, it may be worth discussing a reduction in the number of sessions per week or a change in the session times if it would help with the child’s attendance.
• In addition, the parent/carer should be advised that any further absences may result in the place being withdrawn.
• Please keep monitoring and if attendance patterns become a concern send a letter to the family to advise them that the entitlement place will be withdrawn if they do not attend regularly. (Appendix 2)
• If an absence continues, please contact Early Years Funding Team to discuss the funding end date.
• You will then need to write to the parent/carer to advise them on the entitlement place end date.

• How much will I be paid if a funded place ends without notice?

  You will be paid a two-week notice period from the date the Early Years Funding Team decides to withdraw the entitlement. You must add two weeks to your adjustment claim via the provider portal. (Appendix 4)  

  What is an acceptable number of weeks a child may take a holiday and still receive the entitlement?

  Term time (non-stretched offer) – It is not acceptable for a child to take a holiday during term time just as it is in schools.

  All stretched offer) – it is acceptable for a child to take up to 6 weeks holiday over a twelve-month period. year round

  If there is an exceptional circumstance, please contact Early Years Funding Team to discuss. Please email earlyyearsandchildcare@hounslow.gov.uk

  Children’s Services:

• If the child/ren have an open case with Children’s Services and have an allocated Social Worker, call 020 8583 6600 (option 2 followed by option 1)
• If you are worried about a child and want to report your concerns, call 020 8583 6600 (option 2 followed by option 3)
• Email: Childrensocialcare@hounslow.gov.uk
• Out of hours (after 5pm weekdays or weekends) call 020 8583 2222 and ask to speak to the duty social worker

• For further information please contact:

  Early Years Funding Team

  Earlyyearsandchildcare@Hounslow.gov.uk

  Early Years Education 

  Earlyyearsadvisory@Hounslow.gov.uk