Attendance

There are positive benefits to be gained from regular attendance; this includes not only coming to every booked session, but also being there on time. It is important that all staff understand why good attendance by children and good attendance practice among staff need to be maintained.

Benefits include the following:

Good habits:

• It builds in young children the idea that getting up and going to a setting is simply what you do.

• Children who attend every booked session develop a feel for the rhythm of the week and gain a sense of security from some regular elements, even when the actual pattern or focus of their learning or activity may vary widely from week to week.

  Secure relationships :

• Young children find it easier to build and sustain a range of social relationships when they regularly attend their childcare setting. Regular attendance helps to develop secure attachments within the setting.

• For some families, particularly at times of stress, the child’s regular attendance at a setting allows parents to get other things done and helps them enjoy spending time with the child when he or she is at home.

  Self-esteem:

• Children who rarely miss sessions at an early years setting and come on time are more likely to feel good about themselves. This is because they know what goes on and what to expect, feel more confident with the adults and the other children and have more opportunities to be valued and praised for their own special contribution. Children who regularly miss sessions or are generally late, can frequently experience a sense of having to try a little bit harder just to
  understand what is going on and what other children are talking about or doing. Regular attendance, on time, helps many young children to separate from their parents or carers at the start of the day and settle more readily into daily life in their setting.

Learning and Development:

• Staff carefully plan every session for each child in their care and want to take every opportunity to help them thrive. Experiences gained in one session are often developed further in the next session, whether or not these are consecutive days.

• Children learn in many different ways through play with others and through being in the company of staff who actively support their learning and development.

• Underachievement is often linked to lower attendance. For some older students this is linked to a steadily deteriorating trend in attendance which is traceable right back to their Early Years setting.