Punctuality

The Education Welfare Service works to raise parents' and pupils' awareness about the importance of punctuality at school.

If you have a problem getting your child to school on time:

• talk to your child;
• talk to the school;
• ask for help.

Remember its better to get help early on to stop little problems from becoming big ones.

Why is punctuality such a good thing?

Being on time:

• gets your childs day off to a good start and puts your child in a positive frame of mind, so that he / she can make the most of his / her learning;
• sets positive patterns for the future;
• leads to good attendance;
• leads to better achievement;
• leads to understanding that school is important and education is valuable;
• helps your child develop a sense of responsibility for him / herself and towards others;
• helps your child make friends and keep friends;
• reaps rewards; it leads to success and self-confidence.

Why is lateness such a bad thing?

Being late:

• gets your childs day off to a bad start;
• can be embarrassing for your child;
• will be noticed by other children who might make negative comments;
• may lead to your child losing confidence;
• may lead to your child feeling confused all day! He / she will have missed out on vital instructions, information and bits of news at the start of the day;
• disrupts the lesson for everyone;
• can cause your child to fall behind with his or her work;
• creates a bad habit that can be hard to break at secondary school and in the workplace;
• can lead to poor attendance - if your child thinks it is okay to be late for school they can soon start to think it is okay not to go to school at all.

Types of lateness:

• Late before register closes - when your child is a few minutes late;
• Late after register closes - this counts as an unauthorised absence.

Persistent lateness, after register closes, can result in Court action, by the Education Welfare Service, under Section 444 of the 1996 Education Act.

Here are some more things that help:

• Making sure you have everything ready the night before eg PE kit, books, school uniform etc;
• Getting to know your childs school timetable;
• Making sure you allow plenty of time for you and / or your child to travel to school;
• Making alternative arrangements with neighbours, family or friends if there is a difficulty in getting your child to school;
• Making sure your child has breakfast or arrives at school in time for breakfast club if your school has one;
• Making sure your child does homework the night before, not at the breakfast table!
• Establishing a good bedtime routine - this pays dividends! Even simple things like making sure the room is dark enough to enable your child to sleep well can make mornings easier and less of a struggle.
• Making sure your child gets enough rest and is not prevented from sleeping by distractions - TV, computer, playstation etc.
• Buying an alarm clock!
• Making your life easier by getting enough rest and having a good routine yourself.

For further information please contact:

Education Welfare
Tel: (01226) 773543 or 773547
Email: cypf@barnsley.gov.uk