Attendance Policy

 

1          Rationale

 

 

1.1       Regular attendance at school enables each pupil to fulfil her/his potential at all levels and represents a maximisation of educational potential within the community. Research links attendance with achievement, indicating that even occasional broken weeks can have a negative effect. We believe that the most important factor in promoting good attendance is development of positive attitudes towards school.  In promoting good attendance it is also hoped that this will lead to the development of habits of good attendance and punctuality for the future. We expect all children on roll to attend every day, when the school is in session, as long as they are fit and healthy enough to do so. . We will reward those children whose attendance is very good. We will also make the best provision we can for those children who, for whatever reason, are prevented from coming to school.

 

 

 

2          Purposes

 

 

2.1       To ensure that parents/carers understand their duties to see that their children are present at school, for the morning and afternoon sessions, on the days that the school is open for pupils except where circumstances are deemed to constitute an authorised absence (see 3.3)

 

 

2.2       To ensure that teachers and other school staff are aware of the distinction between authorised and unauthorised absence and the procedures for recording and reporting such occurrences.

 

 

2.3       To enable action to be taken quickly where unexplained absence or regular lateness occurs.

 

 

2.4       To ensure that officers of the Local Education Authority are informed where necessary so that they can fulfil their statutory obligations.

 

 

 

3          Guidelines

 

 

3.1       Teachers in charge of a class will call the register at the beginning

 

of the morning and afternoon sessions.

 

 

Under the Education (Pupil Registration) Regulations 1995 the governing body are responsible for making sure the school keeps an attendance register that records which pupils are present at the start of both the morning and the afternoon sessions of the school day. This register will also indicate whether an absence was authorised or unauthorised.

 

 

Registers will be marked according to the guidance attached to them entitled ‘marking registers’.

 

 

3.2       When a child is absent unexpectedly, the class teacher will record the absence in the register, and will inform the school office, which will endeavour to contact a parent or guardian.

 

 

If there is any doubt about the whereabouts of a child, the class teacher should take immediate action by notifying the school office. The school will then be in contact straight away with the parent or guardian, in order to check on the safety of the child.

 

 

Attendance registers will show clearly whether an absence is authorised or un-authorised.

 

 

3.3       Absence can be authorised if:

 

·         The pupil is ill or ‘prevented from attending by unavoidable cause.

 

·         The absence occurs so that the pupil could take place in a religious observance set apart by the religious body to which the parent/carer belongs.

 

·         The school at which the child is registered is not within walking distance of the child’s home and no suitable transport, boarding accommodation arrangements or alternative school placement have been made by the LEA.

 

·         The pupil is the child of Traveller parents/carers

 

·         There is a family bereavement.

 

·         The pupil is involved in an exceptional special occasion.

 

·         Leave of absence is granted by the school for an annual family holiday. It is the expectation of the local authority that holiday leave will be no more than ten days and will be taken in one block.

 

 

3.4       Absence will be counted as unauthorised if:

 

·         No explanation is forth coming. The school should be informed on the first day of any absence and the reason and expected length of absence given.

 

·         The school is dissatisfied with the explanation.

 

·         The pupil stays at home to mind the house or look after siblings.

 

·         The pupil is shopping during school hours.

 

·         The pupil is absent for unexceptional special occasions (e.g. birthdays).

 

·         The pupil is away from school on a family holiday for a period longer than that negotiated with the school (normally a maximum of ten days).

 

 

3.5       The registration period will be deemed to be:

 

8:50a.m to 09.00 a.m. (Juniors and Infants).

 

1.15p.m. to 1.20p.m. (Juniors and Infants).

 

After these times the registers will be deemed to be closed.

 

 

Any arrival after 9.00a.m. and 1.20p.m. will be regarded as late and marked accordingly.

 

 

An entry for that child will be made in the Late Book kept in reception and will be dated, timed and any reason given recorded. It will be available for inspection by the Educational Welfare Officer.

 

 

3.6       Provisional marks should be made in registers where the absence cannot be identified as authorised or unauthorised and amended at a later date by administration staff.

 

 

3.7       Rates of authorised and unauthorised absence will be published annually in the school prospectus.

 

3.8       Where children are consistently late (three or more times in two weeks) or absences are unexplained/unauthorised the following procedure will be followed:

 

1.                  Parents/carers will be informed of the situation by letter.

 

2.                   If a child has a repeated number of unauthorised absences or continued lateness, another letter will be sent asking the parents/carers to visit the school and discuss the problem with the head teacher.

 

3.                  If the situation does not improve following this, the school will contact the LA support services and request involvement from the Education Welfare Officer.

 

 

3.9       Parents/carers should make every effort to arrange medical treatment and dental treatment outside school hours.

 

 

 

4          Sickness

 

 

4.1       Where a child has to stay away from school for medical reasons for more than two weeks, the school will arrange for suitable work to be sent home or will liaise with the hospital education service as appropriate.

 

 

 

5          Leave of Absence

 

 

5.1              Parents/carers should take note that there is no automatic right to holiday leave for pupils in term

 

 

5.2       Where parents/carers decide to take holidays in term times the following conditions will apply:

 

 

·               Parents/Carers must request holiday leave of absence for the pupil in advance, explaining why the holiday must be taken at the requested time.

 

·               No authorisation for holiday absence will be given retrospectively, whatever the circumstances.

 

·               Days taken in excess of 10 in any one school year will be recorded as unauthorised absence.

 

·               Holidays will only be authorised if they are taken in a single block during the school year.

 

·               Holidays in terms 1 and 5 will not be authorised, whatever the circumstances.

 

·               Application for leave if absence must be made in writing giving full details and the reasons why the holiday must be taken in term time.

 

·               From September 2008, no holiday absence will be authorised and a fixed penalty notice of £50 will be issued by the Local Authority. This will bring the Christ Church Policy in line with the Attendance Policies of both Hanham High School and Hanham Abbots Junior School. Parents will be given advanced warning of this change. 

 

 

 

6          Rewards for good attendance

 

 

6.1       All the children who have 100% attendance in any one term and children who have no more than one broken week will receive a certificate for attendance. There are special gold certificates for any child who has 100% attendance for the whole year.

 

 

7          Attendance Targets

 

 

7.1       The school sets attendance targets each year. These are agreed by the senior staff and governors at the annual target-setting meeting. The attendance targets are then agreed with the LA link inspector as well. The targets are challenging yet realistic, and based on attendance figures achieved in previous years. The school considers carefully the attendance figures for other similar schools when setting it’s own targets.

 

 

 

8             Monitoring and review.

 

 

8.1              It is the responsibility of the appointed governors to monitor overall attendance termly, and they will request an annual report from the head teacher. The rates of attendance will be reported in the school prospectus.  The governing body also has the responsibility for this policy, and seeing that it is carried out. The governing body will therefore examine closely the information provided to them, and seek to ensure that our attendance figures are as high as they should be.

 

 

8.2              This policy will be reviewed by the governing body every 2 years, or earlier if considered necessary.

 

 

 

Signed:

 

 

 

Dated:

 

 

Review: September 2008