Joint Schools’ Attendance Policy
Statutory Duties of Schools
The Education Act of 1996 requires parents or carers to ensure their children receive efficient, full-time education, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.
Schools are responsible for recording pupil attendance twice a day: once at the start of the morning session and once during the afternoon session. An entry must be made in the attendance register for all pupils of compulsory school age who are on the school’s admission roll.
Aim
To encourage pupils to attend school regularly and promptly in order that they are able to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available to them. If pupils are to make good progress then they must be in school.
Objectives
The school will:
- Provide a safe environment which encourages good performance and attendance
- Tell parents/carers and pupils about the importance of regular attendance
- Keep attendance registers accurately and efficiently
- Contact parents or carers when reasons for absence are unknown or unauthorised
- Liaise with the EWO (Educational Welfare Officer) on a regular basis to review and raise any concerns about attendance.
- Tell the LA about any unauthorised absence over 5 school days
- Monitor pupil attendance and punctuality
- Report our attendance statistics
Pupils will be encouraged to:
- Come to school regularly
- Tell the staff if there is a problem that may lead to absences
Parents/carers will be encouraged to:
- Promote good attendance
- Inform the school on the first day of absence
- Discuss planned absences with school in advance (e.g. Family holidays, special occasions)
Attendance Guidance for Parents/Carers
Everyone is expected to promote the message that regular attendance is important and that children are expected to attend school for the full 190 days of the academic year unless there is a good reason for their absence. There are two types of absence:
Authorised absence: Where the school approves the absence for valid reasons:
- Child’s illness or infectious condition
- The child has a medical appointment
- Special circumstances will be taken into consideration, such as a bereavement, a special family occasion, religious observance, or musical, sporting or other organised event in which the child is participating (this must be confirmed with the Headteacher).
Unauthorised absence: Where the school cannot approve the absence, such as:
- Birthdays or trips out
- Parent/carer or siblings’ medical appointments
- Transport problems
Notifying the school of your child’s absence:
- Parents/carers should telephone the school on the first day of absence giving a reason.
- When the child returns to school, he/she should bring a note explaining the reason for the absence.
- If the child is absent without reason, every effort will be made by the school to contact the parents or carers to find out why. A member of the office staff will send a letter to the home address after an unexplained absence of three days and this will be recorded in the register. If no reply note is received after this, the absence will be treated as unauthorised.
- If the reason for the absence is valid, the school will record this as an authorised absence. If the reason is not valid, then the parents/carers will be informed that this is an unauthorised absence.
- Medical certificates may be requested if a child is off ill on a number of occasions.
Attendance Certificates
Certificates will be awarded for 100% attendance and 90%+ attendance, and pupils will be praised for improved attendance and improved punctuality. The awards will take place every term.
Term Time Holidays
Parents are strongly urged not to book holidays during term time, especially at the beginning of the school year. This disrupts the continuity of learning and the children miss elements of the curriculum that they may not be able to catch up with on their return. No holidays will be authorised for Year 2 pupils during the End of Key Stage 1 Assessments in May.
The school may authorise up to ten days leave of absence on one occasion within an academic year but this is not an entitlement and each request will be reviewed individually, taking into account the child’s academic progress, usual attendance and punctuality. Request for Leave of Absence forms are available from the school office and must be returned at least two weeks before the first day of the proposed absence. Following this, an appointment to have a discussion with the Headteacher may be required, as only the school can approve leave of absence.
Punctuality
Parents/carers should try to get children to school for 9.00am when the register is called. The gates are opened at 8.50am and parents/carers are responsible for their children until the doors open at 9.00am. If your child arrives after 9.10am, he or she is late. If it is after 9.30am, it is marked as an unauthorised absence. Regular lateness is disruptive for the class and makes the late child feel uncomfortable. He or she also misses an important part of the school day.
In this area, we understand that there are many traffic jams in a morning and that sometimes lateness cannot be avoided. We do take these delays into account when marking the register. We would urge parents/carers to make every effort to be here on time and this may involve leaving home a few minutes earlier.
Further action will be taken when pupils are persistently late or absent without good reason and this may necessitate the involvement of the EWO.
The EWO (Linda Warriner) can be contacted on: 01189 088075
What can parents and carers do to help improve attendance and punctuality?
- Please telephone the school office on the first day of your child’s absence to let us know
- Please send a note explaining the absence when your child returns to school
- Try to make appointments outside school times
- Do not allow your child to stay away from school unless absolutely necessary.
- Aim to arrive as the gates open each morning at
This policy will be reviewed annually.
October 2008