Swiss Gardens Primary School

The school gate is open from 08:35 and children can enter classrooms from 08:40-08:50. Registers will close at 08:55. If a child arrives between 08:55 and 09:00, they will be marked in the register as late. Staff on duty will aim to close the gates between 08:50 and 08:55. The senior leadership team can often be caught outside until gone 9am and this impacts their working day. The office will buzz you in if no staff are outside and then children should enter through the office. If a child arrives after 9am, it will be marked as unauthorised. This is inline with other schools locally. As a group of headteachers, we have discussed our collective stance on this to make sure it is consistent across all Adur schools. If a child receives more than 10 unauthorised marks in 10 weeks, it can be referred to West Sussex Council for a fine. This isn't something we would do lightly but we do have persistent lateness from some. Again, this is a collective stance from Adur headteachers. We know that traffic, heavy rain, transport can cause lateness at times and this is not penalised. We will are always here to talk through issues and struggles you may be having but we do need to remind you of our timings. Children who consistently arrive late are disadvantaged because they miss starting the day with their peers and the beginning of lessons. This means that they are often unsettled and confused about tasks. Their teacher will not always be able to re-explain work. It is also very important that children establish good routines and habits in preparation for the rest of their lives. Punctuality is a life skill that they need to develop whilst they are young. It is essential that you ensure that your child arrives at school on time to prevent disruption to your child’s own learning and that of others.