Attendance Policy

AIMS

 

• To emphasise the importance of, and ensure  pupils have maximum attendance at school to enable them to take full advantage of their educational opportunities;

 

• To make explicit to all stakeholders the school’s expectations about attendance levels;

 

• To promote a consistent approach across the school to all matters relating to attendance;

 

• To clarify the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders with respect to attendance;

 

• To communicate to all stakeholders  the legal position with respect to attendance and the categories of absence which are deemed “authorised”;

 

• ·    To emphasise the need for home and school to work in close partnership to achieve high attendance.  

 

Regular attendance at school is vital. Without it the learning process is disrupted and absence means missed learning. It is also a legal requirement that pupils of compulsory school age receive full-time education and this, with the exception of those educated at home or elsewhere, means regular attendance at school. Irregular attendance leads to pupils missing important lessons and therefore not fulfilling their true potential; it also places children at risk and may result in their being drawn into patterns of non-attendance. Therefore we take the issue of attendance very seriously and do all we can to obtain very high attendance from all our pupils. 

 

Attendance is a national priority and all schools have to submit data electronically every term.

What is an acceptable attendance rate?

 

The vast majority of our pupils achieve over 95% attendance and this is what we expect from all our pupils as a minimum. What we look for are unbroken weeks (ie those where the pupil is marked present on all ten sessions); pupils should NOT have more than one or two broken weeks in the course of an academic year. Regular broken weeks are a cause for concern and will be followed up by the school.

Authorised Absences

The Government has issued guidelines to all schools detailing valid reasons for authorised or justified absences:

(i)       When a child is ill or receiving medical attention;

(ii)      Days of religious observance notified in advance;

(iii)     Absence due to family circumstances (e.g. bereavement, serious illness).

There are other absences, where the Headteacher’s discretion will need to be used to determine whether the absence can be authorised.

We expect absences to be kept to a minimum: routine medical and dental appointments should be arranged out of school hours wherever possible.

 

If an absence is expected and meets the criteria above then an absence request form should be completed by the parent and given to the head teacher.

 

Unauthorised Absences

 

Unauthorised absences are those where:

• no letter or acceptable explanation is provided by parent(s)/carers;

 

• the reason for the absence does not fall into one of the categories of authorised absence above.

 

The Government guidelines state that the following activities would classify as unauthorised:

• minding the house;
• caring for relatives;
• awaiting repair people;
• shopping;
• a birthday or family celebration.

 

We ask parents to notify the school well in advance of any proposed special occasion to ascertain whether the school would view the reason for absence as valid or not.  This request must be made on an absence request form.

The Government guidelines make it clear that, it is the school that judges whether an absence is authorised or not.

 

Holidays

 

We discourage holidays from being taken in term time as learning is disrupted and the lost time is detrimental to the educational progress of the child, however the school recognises that family holidays do offer children an enriching experience.

The School will only authorise absence for holidays, requested in advance using the absence request from, if the child currently has attendance of over 95%.  A maximum of five days can be authorised each year.

Holidays will not be authorised for children who have attendance below 95%. The school asks parents who feel it is absolutely unavoidable to take their annual holiday in term time to complete an absence request form and give to the Headteacher at least four weeks in advance.  The head teacher will consider the request considering the following exceptionally circumstance:

• if the timing is due to the parents work place operating a set shut-down-period in the year where all workers are required to holiday at the same time.
• if the parent is a member of the armed or uniformed service where holiday is non negotiable
• if the family have an extenuating circumstance that the head teacher feels can be justified

 

The school reminds parents that missing five days each year during their time at the Infant school equals three weeks of missed schooling.

 

Home/School Partnership

Securing a high level of attendance requires the school and home to work closely together.

Parents will:

• Do all they can to ensure their child arrives on time each morning.  Registration is at 8.50am and registers close at 9am. Lateness affects overall attendance as it is recorded as an absence, children miss the important start of the lesson and children often feel anxious about entering the classroom when everyone is working.
• notify the school on the first day if their child is ill;
• Get in touch at an early stage about any concerns they have about their child coming to school.

 

School will:

 

• Contact home on day 1 of absence if no message has been received from home;
• Contact home over any unexplained absences;
• Follow up promptly any concerns that parents pass on to us that may be affecting their child’s attitude to, or feeling of wellbeing in, school;
• Involve the Inclusion Manager to help pupils re-integrate into school after long illness or other individual circumstances;
• Regularly and consistently remind children and parents of the importance of good attendance and punctuality;
• Reward good or improving attendance;
• Action any concerns promptly;
• Send home this policy every academic year and include in the school prospectus for new parents.

 

The Education Welfare Service

Our Education Welfare Officer (EWO) contacts the school every week. The school works very closely with them regarding pupils who are giving cause for concern; the EWO visits homes, sees and supports pupils in school and is a vital component in our efforts to secure high attendance.  They are available to assist parents where difficulties arise and can be contacted via the school.

In extreme cases the Education Welfare Service also initiates legal proceedings against parents who have not fulfilled their responsibility of getting their child to school.  Before a case goes to court, Parenting Contracts will be drawn up setting targets for attendance levels; there may also be interviews which could lead to a fixed penalty notice.  The prime aim of all action is to get the child attending school on a regular basis.

Rewards for Good Attendance

To promote good attendance and to emphasise its importance the school offers class and individual rewards.

Attendances and absences are also included in Reports home on a regular basis.

 

Roles and responsibilities:

 

High attendance levels are achieved as a result of staff working closely together and knowing where their responsibilities lie.

The office administrator provides the senior leadership team with details of attendance for every pupil on weekly basis. 

The senior leadership team will contact parents where levels of attendance are concerning.  This may be by telephone, letter or at an attendance meeting.  Targets will be set for a set period of 4 weeks.  Reviews will be held at the end of the 4 weeks and the parents will be contacted with the outcome.  If the target has not been met the senior leadership team will liaise with the Education Welfare Officer about the next steps.

Class teachers must inform the office administrator when they are given details about absences from parents.

The office administrator will prepare an attendance report for parents in December, April and July.

Responsibilities for Attendance and Associated Procedures

 

This section complements the Attendance Policy and should be read in conjunction with it. It deals with the practicalities of completing the registers and associated procedures to do with attendance.

Registers are important legal documents and we rely on accurate input in order to follow up any concerns as well as for data analysis.

Teacher/HLTA

• Accurately mark the children who are present (P) and absent (A) on the register using a pencil
• Send the register to the office with a responsible child by 9:05am and 1:20pm
• Communicate any reasons for absence, if known, to the office administrator

 

Office Administrator

• Prepare register sheets on a Friday for the following week
• Ensure registers are sent to classes before registration
• read the registers every morning after registration. It is imperative that the data entered is accurate and that there is a mark for EVERY child (everyone must fall into one of the three categories of present, absent or late). Schools have a responsibility for safeguarding the children in their care and it is vital that the information we have is as accurate as possible.
• Contact by telephone any parents of children who are absent if the reason has not already been given. Record details of this communication in SIMS.
• Record the time and reason for all late children in SIMS and in the ‘late book’
• Scan the mark sheets into the computer daily
• Provide attendance information to the senior leadership team each week
• Prepare attendance reports to parents in December, April and July
• Report any concerns about absences or communications with parents that raise concerns about child welfare

 

Inclusion Manager

• Meet with the office administrator weekly to discuss attendance
• Arrange contact with parents to set targets by telephone, letter or meeting
• Liaise with EWO
• Reward good attendance and children making improvements with their attendance
• Implement strategies to improve attendance on a whole school and individual level
• Report attendance levels and improvements/concerns to the senior leadership team regularly

 

Head Teacher

• Ensure all staff fulfil their roles and responsibilities
• Make decisions on authorisation of any absence
• Report termly to the Governing Body

 

Governors

• Annually review the attendance policy
• Set targets for school attendance and monitor/evaluate performance versus targets