Red Oak Primary School, Lowestoft

RED OAK PRIMARY SCHOOL

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Introduction

Red Oak Primary School is committed to providing an education of the highest quality for all its children, and recognises that this can only be achieved by supporting and promoting excellent attendance for all. This is based on the belief that only by attending school regularly and punctually will children and young people be able to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available to them. High attainment depends on good attendance.

The whole school community –children, parents and carers, teaching and support staff and school governors- have a responsibility for ensuring good school attendance and have important roles to play. The purpose of this policy is to clarify everyone’s part in this.

SCHOOL’S ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

All staff (teaching and support) at Red Oak primary School have a key role to play in supporting and promoting excellent school attendance and will work to provide an environment in which all our children are eager to learn, feel valued members of the school community and look forward to coming to school every day. Staff also have a responsibility to set a good example in matters relating to their own attendance and punctuality.

Registration

The school is required to mark the attendance register twice each day; once at the start of the day and once during the afternoon session.

The school is open to children (and learning begins) at 8.30 a.m. The register will be taken promptly at 0845 and 1300 by each class teacher and a mark will be made for each child.

The registers will close at 0915 and 1315.

Absence

Absence will be authorised only in the following circumstances

• Where leave has been granted by the Head at least four weeks in advance⁽¹⁾
• Where the school is satisfied the child is too ill to attend
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• Where the child has a medical appointment, and the parents have been unable to make this out of school hours. The child should attend school as usual before and/or after the appointment – school will not normally authorise a whole day’s absence for a local appointment.
• Where there is an unavoidable cause which is beyond the family’s control eg. extreme weather conditions
• The absence occurs on a day exclusively set aside for religious observance by the religious body to which the child’s parents belong:
• In other exceptional circumstances (eg a family bereavement) and for a very limited period.

If a child is absent from school for a prolonged period of time, or has a recurrent medical problem, parents should send supporting documentation to the school office; this will be photocopied and returned to the parent. If a child’s attendance is below 95%, absences will only be authorised if supported by medical or other relevant evidence. 

Collection and analysis of data

The Headteacher will endeavour to ensure that attendance data is complete, accurate and analysed. The data will inform the school’s future practice to improve attendance. This will be reported to governors.

Accurate returns are made to the DfE within the stipulated time frame.

Procedures for managing and improving attendance

First Day Calling

Parents are required to call school at the beginning of the first day of absence (by 10 a.m). This information will be recorded on the class register. Thereafter, parents should call on each day of absence. If no call is received, school will call home to ascertain the reason for absence. ⁽³⁾

Meetings with Parents

Where there is an emerging pattern of absence with or without explanation, or if attendance is below 90%, attendance managers will advise the Headteacher. Parents will be invited to discuss the reasons for the absence, and plans will be put in place to resolve any difficulties ⁽⁴⁾

The local agreement (followed by schools in this area) is to make a Penalty Notice Referral to the Local Authority on the sixth session of unauthorised absence (3 days or more as each day is made up of two sessions) within the academic year. The Local Authority (Suffolk County Council) will then issue a Penalty Notice fine per parent per child. A “parent” is defined as someone who has parental responsibility for a child or who has the care of that child.

Lateness and Punctuality

Children who arrive late for school (after 0830 or 1300), but before the registers close (0915 or 1315), will be marked as late. . Any pupil who arrives after the closing of the register will count as absent for the session (a.m. or p.m). Persistent lateness could lead to a Penalty Notice.

For health and safety reasons it is important that records of attendance are accurate. Children arriving late or leaving early must report to the school office, and the parent carer must sign, giving a reason.

The school operates a ‘late gate’ at intervals throughout the school year. If you are late, your reason for lateness will be requested and recorded

Absence due to medical appointments

We encourage all medical appointments to be made outside school hours, but understand that this is not always possible. When appointments are made in school time, please provide the school office with copies of appointment cards/letters prior to the appointment.

How the school promotes good attendance

Initiatives include:

1. An attendance display in reception and on the School website to show the attendance of each class for the month
2. At half termly intervals children will go home with a red, amber or green letter to show their own attendance progress toward the target.
   1. Red= 0-90%
   2. Amber= 90% -  94.9%
   3. Green = 95% - 100%
3. Each term an assembly for pupils with 100% attendance is held. Parents are invited and help to celebrate their children getting certificates and a small treat such as a cake or fruit kebab.

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ RESPONSIBILITIES

The prime responsibility for ensuring children receive an appropriate and full time education rests with parents/carers (defined by the Education Act 1996 as those with parental responsibility and those who have the care of a child), who will be supported and encouraged by Red Oak Primary School.

School expects parents/carers will:

• Ensure their children attend school regularly;
• Support their children’s attendance by keeping requests for absence to a minimum
• Notify the school on the first day of absence in person or by phone

GOVERNORS’ RESPONSIBILITIES

The Active Learning Trust, working in partnership with Red Oak Primary School, shall make arrangements for ensuring that their functions relating to the conduct of the school are exercised with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children who are pupils at the school.

Conclusion

Regular school attendance is a necessary contributor to ensuring that children obtain the best possible outcomes in all aspects of school life. Good attendance supports children’s emotional and social health and development.

Good attendance is the best way to safeguard children. – it builds confidence and gives children a sense of belonging, which ultimately teaches them to contribute to and be responsible for the wellbeing of others.

Regular attendance helps to ensure that children succeed in school and in their future lives.

“There is a clear link between poor attendance at school and lower academic

achievement. Of pupils who miss more than 50 per cent of school only three per cent

manage to achieve five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C including Maths and English.

73 per cent of pupils who have over 95 per cent attendance achieve five or more GCSEs

at grades A* to C.” (Improving Attendance at School, Taylor, C  Dept. for Education 2012)

Good school attendance supports engagement in further education, employment or training in the future, which, in turn, helps to support a prosperous and fulfilling life style.

The school requires robust systems with which to monitor attendance in order to fulfil the statutory responsibility to promote and safeguard the wellbeing of all pupils.

Reviewing the policy

This policy will be reviewed annually.

   Notes

1. If the only time leave of absence can be taken is in term time, and there are exceptional circumstances, families need to make a request on the school’s absence request form 4 weeks in advance to the Headteacher. Any absence requested at less than 4 weeks’ notice, this will automatically be unauthorised. The school office will process the request and the Headteacher may contact the family to discuss the request. Once a decision has been made, you will receive an acknowledgement slip, advising whether or not the leave is authorised. Term time holidays are NOT supported by the school and except in rare circumstances will NOT be authorised.
2. Pupils should always be encouraged to come to school; minor sniffles and tummy aches are often soon forgotten about once they start having fun with their learning.

First day calls are a vital part of Keeping Children Safe in Education. School will always follow up every absence, especially where older children walk to school unsupervised.

Following a very sad case where a mother died from epilepsy, and her young son died two weeks later from starvation and dehydration, the coroner made suggestions to changes in the way schools follow up pupil absence. We are therefore making the following changes, in line with his proposals:

• We will have at least three contact numbers for children in school. This is   usually the parent(s), another family member or a friend or neighbour.
• If contact cannot be made using one of these numbers, we will attend the family address to make sure all is well.
• If there is no response to this, the Police will be called.
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4. The school uses parenting contracts to support parents with school attendance. Whilst these are not legally binding, they are recognised as evidence should any attendance case reach Court level.