Attendance Policy

Policy Statement

The Law

Partnership

Procedures

Registration

Responding to lateness

Responding to absence ? criteria for referral to the Attendance and Inclusion Service

Children Missing from Education

Children in Public Care

Awards and Rewards

Policy Statement

Good attendance and punctuality are vital if pupils are to achieve their maximum potential. School is committed to working with parents/carers and pupils to ensure that each pupil benefits from the academic, personal and social opportunities available to them during their years with us.

The young child, however, is dependant upon the adults in his/her life to get them to school regularly and on time. So the focus in both Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 programmes is to establish good habits and work with parent/carers to improve attendance. In Key Stage 2 we continue to work with parent/carers and start to develop ?self? responsibility in the children. The school operates within a framework of local schools, including the linked secondary school.

We are, therefore, committed to a whole school approach to attendance and a partnership relationship with parent/carers.

Aims of the Policy


- Clear procedures encouraging pupils to achieve their maximum potential by maintaining good attendance and punctuality
- Ensuring parent/carers and pupils are informed about the procedures for attendance and encouraging them to take an active role in promoting good attendance and punctuality
- Ensuring all teaching staff, non-teaching staff and governors understand the procedures
- The commitment to allocate resources to support the policy
- Addressing attendance and inclusion issues in the curriculum
- To recognise and reward pupils who achieve attendance and punctuality targets throughout the academic year Back to top

The Law

The 1996 Education Act requires that:
- All pupils of compulsory school age receive a suitable full time education by regular attendance at school or otherwise
- The Local Authority must provide school places to parents who wish their children to be educated at school
- The school must complete attendance registers at the beginning of the morning session and during the afternoon session
- The school must report to the Local Authority pupils who fail to attend regularly or are absent for more than ten days without explanation
- The Local Authority has a duty to ensure that parents fulfil their legal responsibilities
- Failure by parents to ensure the regular attendance at school of a registered pupil is an offence punishable by law Back to top

Partnership

What the school expects of our pupils
- What pupils attend regularly, on time and ready to learn
- That pupils are prepared for the day with appropriate equipment e.g. P.E. kit
- To report to the office should they arrive after registration time
- To tell a member of staff if there is any problem which may prevent them from attending school

What the school expects of parents/carers
- To fulfil their legal responsibility to ensure that their child attends school regularly, on time and prepared for the day
- To contact school on the first day their child is absent for any reason
- To arrange medical and dental appointments out of school times wherever possible, and to obtain an Authorised Absence Pass from the school if unavoidable
- To arrange holidays out of school time wherever possible. Further guidance is offered under the section Holidays in term time later in this policy
- To speak to relevant members of staff if they know of any problem which may prevent their child from attending school
- To provide a note, signed by the parent/carer, when the child returns to school explaining the reason for absence. This will be filed and may be produced if requested by officers of the Attendance and Inclusion Service

What parents/carers and pupils can expect from the school
- A broad, balanced education that is dependant on regular attendance at school
- Promotion of good attendance and punctuality at school, and regular encouragement and rewards
- Efficient and accurate recording and monitoring of attendance
- First day contact with parents/carers when absence is unexplained
- Prompt action when a problem has been identified
- Liaison with officers from the Local Authority to assist and support families where needed
- Regular communication with parents/carers Back to top

Procedures

Registers are a legal document. Great care must be taken to ensure registers are marked neatly and accurately in ink. Attendance of all pupils is monitored and evaluated regularly using the following procedures: Back to top

Registration

- Registration takes place each morning at 8.50 am and each afternoon at 1.20 pm.
- Pupils are collected from the school yard by staff and escorted into their classroom for registration
- Class teachers will enter a present mark (/) in ink in the register for each pupil present and an absent mark (a red O) for any pupil that is absent. Any notes received will be placed in the register for checking by office staff. All notes will be kept in a file until the end of term and be made available to officers from the Attendance and Inclusion Service where appropriate Back to top

Responding to lateness

- Pupils arriving in the classroom after registers have been returned to the office are deemed to be late. The pupil should be sent to the office where their O mark is amended to L and their name and reason for lateness recorded in the Lates Book
- At 9.30 am and 2pm the pupil is deemed to be Late/absent. Any pupil arriving in school after these times will be marked @. In case of emergency the register shows the pupil is on the premises, but they will not receive a present mark toward their overall attendance
- Parents/carers will be contacted by school if their child is persistently late. Back to top

Responding to absence ? criteria for referral to the Attendance and Inclusion Service

- Home/school contact has not prompted an improvement in attendance
- Patterns of absence
- Poor overall attendance (e.g. below 90%)
- Each half term a review of individual pupil attendance takes place. Any pupil showing an attendance of below 90% for the last half term is discussed and, if appropriate, a referral form is completed by the school and passed to the Attendance and Inclusion Service. The pupil?s name is then placed on the Education Welfare Officer?s concerns list. The EWO and school will then closely monitor the pupil?s attendance and, if necessary, make contact with the parent/carer in an attempt to resolve any issues
- If attendance continues to give cause for concern strategies will be considered and steps taken in an attempt to improve attendance and punctuality. This could include working with members of staff, the Attendance and Inclusion Service or other professionals if deemed appropriate
- When a pupil has not attended for 10 school days the school has a statutory responsibility to inform the Attendance and Inclusion Service. Back to top

Children Missing from Education

Sally Hoyland is the nominated member of school staff to liase with the Children and Young People?s Directorate Children Missing from Education Team. Pupils who cannot be located will be considered missing. The Children Missing from Education Team will be informed and will pursue the matter in accordance with Local Authority procedures Back to top

Children in Public Care

is the co-ordinator who liases with the Children and Young People?s Directorate Looked After Children Team. Looked After Children will be set up as an Attendance Group on SIMS and their individual attendance will be checked each half term. Back to top

Awards and Rewards

Attendance assemblies are held regularly to celebrate individual pupil?s attendance, class attendance and whole school attendance.
- Improved attendance is recognised and rewarded.
- Termly certificates will be awarded to pupils with 100% attendance.
- Weekly Top Dog award to the class with the highest attendance.
- Half termly raffle to pupils with good punctuality.
- Extra play time for the class with the highest attendance each week. Back to top