Arrivals, Departures
and Attendance Policy

Shine Clubs recognises the importance of having robust systems in place to ensure the safe arrival and departure of the children in our care.
 

The manager will ensure that an accurate record is kept of all children in the Club, and that any arrivals or departures are recorded accurately on the register. The register is kept in an accessible location on the premises at all times. In addition, we conduct regular head-counts during the session.
 

In the event that a child does not attend as expected we will contact parents/carers in a timely manner, normally within an hour of their expected arrival. If we are unable to contact you, we will contact the emergency contacts detailed on the registration form.
 

If we are still unable to contact anyone, we will implement our safeguarding procedures. These may include sending a member of staff to the registered address for the child, contacting the local police and ask them to undertake a welfare check at the registered address and contacting children’s services to report out concerns.
 

We will regularly monitor children’s attendance patterns and trends. Where we have repeated absences without notification, staff will use their professional judgement when deciding if their absence should be considered as prolonged. Consideration must be given to the child’s vulnerability, parent’s and/or carer’s vulnerability and their home life. If we have concerns we will make a referral to local children’s social care and may also ask the police to undertake a welfare check.
 

Shine Clubs makes clear to all staff, parents and partner organisations our expectations for reporting child absences and the actions we will take if a child is absent without notification or for a prolonged period of time.
 

We expect parents/carers to contact us promptly and let us know if the child is not attending. A reason for the child absence will be requested.
 

This policy is to be read in conjunction with our Safeguarding policy.

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Escorting children to the Club

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• The Club and school have a clear agreement concerning the transfer of responsibility for children’s safety.

• We have risk assessed the route used to escort children to the Club and review it regularly.

• The school and the Club keep an identical register of children who require escorting between locations which is updated daily.

• Early Years children will be collected directly from their classrooms, while all other children will meet in the Shine Clubs hall.

• Two members of staff will escort the children from school to the Club.

• If a child is booked into the Club but is not at the collection point, we will check whether the child was present at school that day. If the whereabouts of the child is not known, staff will immediately inform the designated contact at the school and ask the school to implement its Missing Child policy.
   

Arrivals

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Our staff will greet each child warmly on their arrival at the Club and will record the child’s attendance in the daily register straightaway, including the time of arrival.
 

Departures

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• Staff will ensure that parents or carers sign children out before they leave, including the time of collection.

• Children are collected by an adult who has been authorised to do so on their registration form.

• In exceptional circumstances, if the parent requires another person who is not listed on the registration form to collect their child, the child’s parents or carers must inform the Club in advance and provide a description of the person and a password that they will use. If the manager has any concerns regarding the person collecting he/she will contact the main parent or carer for confirmation.

• The parent or carer must notify the Club if they will be late collecting their child. If the Club is not informed, the Uncollected Children policy will be followed.

• Children over the age of eight will only be allowed to leave the Club alone at the end of the session if the Club has discussed this with the child’s parents and has received their written consent.

• Children below the age of eight will not be allowed to leave the Club unaccompanied.
   

Absences

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• If a child is going to be absent from a session, parents must notify the Club in advance.

• If a child is absent without explanation, staff will contact the parents or carers and the school to check where the child should be. If staff still have concerns about the child’s whereabouts after attempts to contact the parents and the school the manager will contact the police.

• The Club will try to discover the causes of prolonged and unexplained absences. Regular absences could indicate that a child or their family might need additional support.

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This policy was adopted by: Shine Clubs | Date: 1st September 2025 | To be reviewed: 1st September 2026 | Signed: T Charles

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Written in accordance with the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (2025): Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements: Child Absences [3.11 – 3.12], Organising premises for confidentiality and safeguarding [3.87] Information and Record Keeping [3.92].