Children’s Attendance Policy

This policy aims to ensure consistent attendance among enrolled children to promote routine, early development, and effective planning of nursery activities. Regular attendance supports children’s emotional security and helps build strong relationships with practitioners and peers.

Winston’s Place believes that good attendance is essential to ensure children are settled and able to fully access the learning and development opportunities available to them at nursery. Continuity and consistency from a young age are important contributors to a child’s wellbeing and progress.

This policy applies to all children registered at Winston’s Place, their parents/guardians, and staff responsible for recording and monitoring attendance. It is implemented in line with EYFS safeguarding and welfare requirements.

Expectations of Attendance

Parents/carers are expected to ensure that children attend all booked sessions regularly and arrive on time wherever possible (unless there is a valid reason such as illness or emergency).

Parents are encouraged to establish a consistent routine to support children’s emotional security, continuity in learning and development and effective safeguarding and welfare monitoring.

While we understand absences due to illness, family emergencies, or holidays, frequent unexplained absences may be addressed in line with this policy as a safeguarding and welfare concern where appropriate.

Attendance is not a statutory requirement; however, monitoring attendance is essential for safeguarding and promoting each child’s wellbeing and progress.

“Practitioners should be alert to the potential need for Family Help for a child who: is missing education, or persistently absent” (Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026).

The EYFS Statutory Framework 2025 requires all settings to have “an attendance policy that they share with parents and/or carers. This must include expectations for reporting child absences, and the actions providers will take if a child is absent without notification or for a prolonged period of time, for example: implementing the setting’s safeguarding procedures, following up with the parents and/or carers and contacting emergency contacts if parents and/or carers are not contactable” (EYFS Statutory Framework 2025).

Notification of Absence

Parents/guardians must:
• Notify the nursery by 9am on the day of absence
• Inform the nursery of the reason for the absence (e.g. illness, holiday, emergency)
• Notify the nursery in advance of planned absences such as holidays or appointments

Notifications can be made via:
• Telephone:
o Birkenhead- 0151 653 8307
o New Ferry- 0151 641 9574
• Email:
o Birkenhead- winstonsplace@wirralchristiancentre.com
o New Ferry- winstons.nf@wirralchristiancentre.com
• Ovivio App

Winston’s Place has a duty to follow up all unexplained absences from the first day of non-attendance in line with safeguarding requirements under the Children Act (1989/2004) and EYFS (2026) guidance. This forms part of our safeguarding duty to ensure children’s safety and wellbeing.

Illness and Exclusion Periods

Children must remain at home if they are unwell, especially if they have contagious conditions.

Nursery follows NHS guidance in conjunction with our Sickness Policy. Parents are asked to follow the nursery guidance for common infectious diseases to prevent the spread of illness within the setting. We may request that children remain at home until they are well enough to return in line with public health guidance.

Monitoring Attendance

Records of children’s attendance are accurately kept and regularly monitored to ensure that we can identify any potential problems and look for patterns. All managers and staff are alert to signs that children and learners who are missing might be at risk of abuse or neglect, this also includes “information, such as increased absence or mental health problems, which may be indicators that a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering neglect, abuse, and exploitation” (Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026). Attendance monitoring is therefore a key part of our safeguarding practice.

While we are aware that attendance is not statutory, we recognise that non-attendance could be an indicator of other concerns. All managers and staff are particularly aware of the need to monitor groups such as those who are considered to be vulnerable learners.

Non-attendance:
• If a child is absent and we are informed of their reason for absence this will be recorded on the register
• If a child is absent without an explanation a telephone call (to priority and secondary numbers, e.g. home and work) will be made to the main carer to establish the reason for the absence
• If no contact is made, then we will follow this process:
o Contact any second main carer (to priority and secondary numbers, e.g. home and work)
o Contact the first emergency contact number
o Contact the second emergency contact number.
• If there continues to be no contact and there is cause for concern, the health visiting service and/or the Children and Family service will be contacted to ascertain if family support may be needed
• In more urgent cases, the police may be contacted to carry out a welfare check in line with safeguarding procedures.

Leaving the nursery

If you decide to withdraw your child from the nursery, please see our Parent Contract and Terms and Conditions for notice periods. This will ensure that we remove your child from our systems and therefore will not expect them to attend.

If your child is transitioning to another early years provider or school, please provide us with the details of the new setting so that we can transfer essential information, such as their funding eligibility code.

Persistent or Unexplained Absence

Where there is ongoing concern:
• A meeting will be arranged with the parent/guardian
• Support will be offered to resolve any underlying issues (e.g. separation anxiety, transportation)
• Continued non-attendance without valid reason may result in a review of the child’s place at the nursery and may be escalated as a safeguarding concern where appropriate

Late Collections

Late collection (beyond agreed time) will result in late fees as outlined in the ‘Late Collection and Non-Collection of Children’ Policy.

Frequent lateness may prompt a discussion with parents to support punctuality.

Safeguarding and Welfare

“Consideration must be given to the child’s vulnerability, parent’s and/or carer’s vulnerability and their home life” (EYFS Statutory Framework 2025) which will be followed up in line with our Safeguarding Policy. If contact cannot be made with a family, we will notify the Local Authority as appropriate.

Attendance data about a child will also be shared with other professionals whom families receive additional support from including Social Care or Early Help.

Any safeguarding concerns which may arise from a concern with regards to attendance will be referred to the Safeguarding Lead/Deputy as per the Safeguarding Policy.

To support good attendance and safeguarding we:
• Ensure the nursery is welcoming and every child feels a sense of belonging
• Ensure the regular, efficient and accurate recording of attendance is completed by the staff each day. This further supports our approach to safeguarding within Winston’s Place.
• Ensure all half terms and bank holidays are given to parents/carers in advance
• Safeguarding is taken seriously, and we will always contact you if you have not made contact with us regarding your child’s absence

Attendance and Funded Places

In line with Local Authority guidance: “The provider must contact the Early Years Entitlements Team when a child has not attended for two weeks, when a child’s usual attendance pattern changes without notification, or where a child’s attendance is sporadic”.

Failure to maintain regular attendance or communicate absences may result in a review of the child’s funded entitlement in accordance with Local Authority requirements.

The nursery reserves the right to review a child’s place where attendance is persistently irregular, unexplained, or where there is no communication from parents/carers. This will always be done in line with safeguarding and contractual procedures.