ATTENDANCE & PUNCTUALITY POLICY
Policy Statement:
Regular attendance and punctuality are vital for student success, impacting academic achievement, personal development, and positive learning attitudes. Dhruv Global School maintains high expectations for attendance, while acknowledging that unavoidable absences may occur. Even occasional absences can significantly disrupt learning, as confirmed by research from the UK’s National Foundation for Educational Research. Parents are expected to ensure their child attends school daily and arrives on time and must inform the school in advance of any absence, tardiness, or early departure.
At Dhruv Global School, we believe that regular attendance and punctuality are the foundation of academic success and personal growth. When children attend school consistently and arrive on time, they gain the full benefit of classroom learning, develop strong social connections, and build confidence in their abilities.
We understand that, at times, unavoidable situations such as illness or emergencies may arise. In these cases, we kindly ask that you inform the school in advance of any absence, late arrival, or early pickup— either by phone or email—to ensure we can support your child’s learning as effectively as possible.
Research by the UK’s National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) highlights a strong link between attendance and student achievement. Even a few missed days can add up, impacting a child’s academic progress and classroom engagement.
We encourage all parents to help their children arrive at school by 7:50 AM each day. Arriving on time ensures they don’t miss essential morning routines, registration activities, and early learning opportunities. If your child is unwell, please notify the school before 8:30 AM and provide a brief explanation or a doctor’s note where needed.
By working together to maintain strong attendance and punctuality, we can ensure every student has the opportunity to thrive.
At Dhruv Global School, we ask that all parents ensure their child attends school every day of the academic year, except in cases of illness or other unavoidable circumstances. Regular attendance is essential for consistent learning, engagement, and academic success.
If a child is unwell, parents must notify the school before 8:00 a.m. on the first day of absence by calling the school reception or emailing the form tutor. A written explanation—either in the school planner or by email—is also required. In cases of extended illness (more than 48 hours), a medical certificate must be provided. Absences without appropriate documentation will be marked as unauthorised. Requests for non-medical leave must be submitted in writing to the Head of Primary or Head of Secondary in advance.
Parents, the students and the school must work together to improve and maintain high attendance rates.
The responsibilities of the school include:
- Sharing and implementing a school policy on attendance and
- punctuality which stresses that attendance for all students is mandatory
- on all the days the school is declared open.
- Clarifying to parents and students the definition of a school day, the start of registration process in the morning, the school’s expectations in relations to punctuality all through the school day, the definition of absenteeism and a list of what is considered excused and unexcused absenteeism.
The responsibilities of the parents include:
- Reading, ratifying and implementing the school’s policy on attendance and punctuality.
- Promoting their child’s attendance and punctuality and abiding by the timings set by the school for the start and the end of the school day.
- Understanding and upholding the school’s policy, which states that, continued tardiness and absenteeism will result in disciplinary measures and will affect the students’ chances of enrolment for the upcoming academic year.
In case of repeated tardiness and absenteeism the following applies:
Offence Frequency Implications Tardiness – this refers to The fifth incident of Written warning to student
being late in coming to school at the start of the school day and to instances of being late to lessons within the school day without a valid reason.
tardiness in a short period of time such as a month or an academic term and notify parents. Tardiness will be noted in the students’ progress report. Up to an additional three(3) instances of tardiness in a short period of time, such as a month Parents and student to be called to a meeting with the principal or a designated person by the principal. Parents and student to sign a written pledge not to repeat the offence. Tardiness to be noted in students’ progress report.
Any additional incidents to the above At the discretion of the school, decision might include: Community hours at the school. Detention during school hours. A written notice announcing refusal to re-enroll the student in the school for the following academic year.
These decisions are endorsed by KHDA and consequences resulting from continued tardiness and absenteeism will be upheld by the Authority.
Punctuality is equally important. Students must arrive on time each day, as late arrivals lead to missed registration, morning routines, and lesson time. The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) set the following attendance benchmarks:
Student Expectations
We expect all students to:
- Attend school regularly and participate in all lessons
- Arrive on time to school and every class
- Be fully prepared and equipped for daily learning
- Engage actively in lessons
- Follow school procedures for attendance and punctuality
- Complete any assigned work during authorised absences
Parent/Guardian Expectations
We ask all parents and guardians to:
- Prioritise school attendance and academic success
- Avoid taking children out of school unless absolutely necessary
- Schedule medical appointments outside of school hours where possible
- Refrain from planning holidays during term time
- Inform the school of any challenges or concerns affecting attendance
- Cooperate with the school to address any attendance or punctuality issues
- Ensure children arrive punctually or log in on time for virtual lessons
- Communicate absences promptly, preferably before 8:30 a.m., by phone or email
- Notify the school immediately in the case of illness and injury that may lead to prolonged absence, and continue updating the school as needed following KHDA and/or DHA protocols (wherever applicable).
Class Teacher’s Responsibilities
We ask all parents and guardians to:
- Mark your own attendance by 7:30 a.m. Be in class by 7:35 a.m.
- Record student attendance accurately by 7:50 a.m.
- Mark students as late if they arrive after 7:55 a.m.
- Encourage regular attendance and punctuality through discussions and reminders.
- Monitor absence emails and record reasons.
- Contact parents on two days of unexplained absence.
- Notify the Head of Section if a student is absent for two or more days without valid communication.
- Review student records for patterns of lateness and frequent absence across other lessons.
- Escalate unresolved attendance or punctuality concerns to the Head of the Phase.
- Document all interventions taken.
- Celebrate excellent attendance through displays, certificates, and letters home, following the Stepped Response Policy.
- Each child’s attendance is summarised in line with KHDA guidance as:
Outstanding Attendance is at least 98%
Very Good Attendance is at least 96%
Good Attendance is at least 94%
Acceptable Attendance is at least 92%
Weak Attendance is less than 92%
Very Weak Attendance is less than 90%
As there are typically 182 days in a school year, each day accounts for 0.55%. If a student has just 4 days off per term, their attendance will be less than 94%
Note: Co-scholastic teachers and optional subject teachers (Islamic Studies/Value Education teachers and Hindi/French teachers must also mark attendance accurately in their record books.
Procedure
- The school expects all students to be in the respective classroom by 7:50 a.m. Students entering the class after 7:50am will be marked late and late call will be sent to the parents. Registration is between 7:50 a.m.‐8:15 a.m. The school gate closes at 7:50 a.m.
- Teachers will fill in the attendance register at the beginning of each day by 7:50 a.m. at the latest.
- The register must then be closed. If this timing is not adhered to, Heads of Section must be informed. Any child arriving after 7:50 a.m. is required to log in at the security and has to report to main reception.
- The child will be escorted to the School Counsellor’s room to mark the late attendance to school. An email will be sent by Class Teacher/Counsellor to the parents keeping the Class Teacher and Head of Section in copy.
Head of Section Responsibilities
- Lead efforts to promote high attendance and punctuality across the year group.
- Ensure consistent application of the Attendance and Punctuality Policy by all teachers.
- Review attendance data monthly to identify trends such as:
Unauthorized and/or frequent absences
Recurring short-term absences (e.g. same day each week)
Chronic lateness
Intervention Measures:
- Mentor sessions with Teachers
- Individual student meetings
- Counsellor support
- Concern letters or calls home
- Parent meetings documented via the online Attendance/Lateness form
- Escalation to Principal if no improvement, with further documentation
- Ongoing tracking of progress post-intervention
- Ensure absence requests (e.g., for holidays) are submitted in advance
- Discourage term-time holidays, following the Stepped Response protocol.
Attendance Rewards
Students showing improved or exemplary attendance and punctuality may receive:
- Certificates
- Recognition in assemblies
- Appreciation emails or letters to parents
- Special rewards for classes with the highest attendance, as decided by the Head of Section.
All Parents are required to sign a KHDA parent contract upon joining the school and have an obligation to adhere to the measure put in place with regards to attendance and punctuality. In managing tardiness and absenteeism, the school will demonstrate sensitivity to the particular needs of Students of Determination and their parents. Below is the implemented procedure for management of absenteeism and tardiness.
Persistent Absenteeism: A student becomes a ‘persistent absentee’ when their attendance record is a cause for concern. Absence at this level is doing considerable damage to the child’s educational prospects and we need parents’ fullest support and co-operation to tackle this. Some of the actions that may be taken by the school are:
As per the UAE Ministry of Education regulations, students who miss 25 days or more in any school year may be at risk of not being promoted to the next grade unless they have been legitimately excused from school as a result of special circumstances. These special circumstances must be clearly communicated and agreed upon with the school.
| Frequency/Offence | Action/Implications |
|---|---|
| Unauthorized Absence | |
| First four (4) instances of Absence within a Term without a valid medical or family related excuse | Written Warning 1 sent to parents and student Highlight concern for current report detailing % of late arrival and total days late. Communicate KHDA requirements and school policy Communicate parent responsibility |
| Additional three (3) Instances | Parent notified and may be called to meeting |
| within a Term | Written undertaking to be signed by parent to improve on
Attendance Instances noted on each occasion. |
| Late Arrival/Tardiness Tardiness refers to being late in coming to school at the start of the school day and to instanc es of being late to lessons within the school day | |
| First five (5) instances of Tardiness within a Term | Written Warning I sent to parents and student Highlight concern for current report detailing % of late arrival and total days late Communicate KHDA requirements and school policy Communicate parent responsibility |
| Additional Three (3) Instances within a Term | Parent notified and may be called to meeting Written undertaking to be signed by parent to improve on Punctuality Instances noted on each occasion. |
| Any further incidences | Meeting with SLT/Principal Community Hours at school or outside Detention during school hours (where appropriate) Final written notice to announce re‐enrollment risk |
Early Pick-ups
Should a student need to leave school before the end of the school day, parents are required to inform the school in advance either by email/telephone call. Parents are required to sign their child out with the reception staff prior to leaving. Early leave is recorded by the reception desk and informed to the teachers and the Head of Section. Any early pickups authorised by the school clinic are recorded on the clinic log. Parent lanyards must be worn for identification purposes. If a parent lanyard is not available, then the parent will be required to provide a valid UAE ID at the security gate. In the absence of prior notice being provided to both the teacher and the reception staff, parents will be required to wait in reception until a member of staff is available to fetch the child and bring them to reception. An authorisation letter with the Emirates ID details of the person must be shared with the school reception and the class teacher, should the parent authorize any guardian to pick their ward from school.
Late Pick-Ups
- Children should be picked up no later than 3:00p.m. from the respective collection area. If parents fail to pick‐up till 3:05 p.m., a call is made.
- Parents who pick up after 3:10 p.m. are asked to log in the late register. If it continues, the School Counsellor will meet the parents personally.
- Parents who are persistently late will be rung by the School Staff.
- Parents will meet with respective Head of Section if they are persistently late to pick up. This may lead to non ‐ reenrollment for the next academic year, by recording and issuing written warning letter and after approval from KHDA.
Policy Review: This policy is to be reviewed annually. Any changes made to it will be notified to the Parents/Guardians and the School Staff.