For our pupils to gain the greatest benefit from their education it is vital that they attend school regularly and punctually and this toolkit sets out how we together will achieve this. In order for any attendance and punctuality policy to be effective it must be consistently applied throughout the whole school, by its staff, pupils’, parents and carers. 

Why regular attendance is so important: 

Any absence affects the pattern of a pupil’s schooling and regular absence will seriously affect their learning. Any pupils’ absence disrupts teaching routines which may affect the learning of others in the same class. 

Research has shown that regular attendance and good punctuality are key factors in students achieving their full potential at school.  

EVERY SCHOOL DAY COUNTS 

Although being absent cannot always be helped as we all do become ill from time to time, please take a look at the table below which shows you exactly what our pupils could be missing. 

Promoting regular attendance: 

Helping to create a pattern of regular attendance is everybody’s responsibility – parents, pupils and all members of school staff. 

To help us all to focus on this we will: 

• Report to parents/carer’s regularly on how their child is performing in school, what their attendance and punctuality rate is and how this relates to their attainments; 
• Celebrate good attendance by displaying individual and class achievements recognising those that have excellent attendance and those that are making incremental improvements;  
• Reward good or improving attendance through class and school competitions, certificates and events 
• Ensure that pupils whose attendance is a concern are regularly discussed through Senior Leadership Team meetings. 

Safeguarding  

Safeguarding the interest of each child is everyone’s responsibility and within the context of this school we actively promote the welfare and life opportunities for our pupils. Failing to attend this school on a regular basis will be considered as a safeguarding matter and appropriate authorities and actions will be taken in order to safeguard every child. 

As well as being at risk to exploitation, pupils may also be missing school due to anxiety and mental health issues which could be increased if they continue to remain at home.  

School often acts a safety net for vulnerable children. It is very important we promote good school attendance to keep our pupils safe. 

Understanding types of absence: 

Every half-day absence from school has to be classified by the school (not by the parents), as either AUTHORISED or UNAUTHORISED.  This is why information about the cause of any absence is always required from parents/carers, preferably in writing. The only person who can authorise leave is the Head Teacher, not a parent/carer. 

Authorised absences are mornings or afternoons away from school for a good reason. This includes: 

• Illness; usually but not always automatically authorised. 
• Medical or dental appointments which unavoidably fall in school time; where possible should be booked for outside the timings of the school day. 
• Emergencies 

• Other unavoidable causes 

Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider reasonable and for which no “leave” has been given.  These types of absences can lead to the Authority using sanctions and/or legal proceedings.  This includes: 

• Parents/carers keeping children off school unnecessarily 
• Truancy before or during the school day 
• Absences which have never been properly explained 

• Shopping, looking after other children or birthdays 
• Day trips  
• Holidays in term time which have not been agreed (only the Head Teacher in consultation with Local Authorities can authorise holidays in term time) 

Persistent Absenteeism (PA): 

A pupil becomes a ‘persistent absentee’ when their attendance falls below 90% across the school year, for whatever reason.  Absence at this level is doing considerable damage to any child’s educational prospects.  Any case that is seen to have reached the PA mark or is at risk of moving towards that mark is given priority. PA students are tracked and monitored carefully through our attendance monitoring system.  All our PA pupils who have attendance below 90% will be subject to close monitoring and will be tracked at School Attendance Meetings and will receive a Focused Attendance Plan. 

How we manage lateness: 

The school day starts at 08:45 and we expect each pupil to be in school engaged in a directed activity. 

Registers are marked by 08:50 and pupils receive a late mark if they are not in by that time.  

Persistent lateness may trigger a School Attendance Meeting. 

EVERY MINUTE COUNTS 

School Attendance Meeting  

The School Attendance Meeting is a meeting which is held between the school and parent/carer.  In certain circumstances a social worker may be invited to the meeting. This meeting is to address poor attendance at the earliest opportunity and work with the parent and pupil on improving their attendance. Class Teachers are responsible for holding these meetings in the first instance and must trigger these meetings as soon as possible (particularly if their pupils attendance falls below 90%). The school DSL and SENCO are able to support in these meetings if necessary.  

The Focused Attendance Plan is derived from the School Attendance Meeting. This plan specifically aims at improving attendance of the pupil, which is to be reviewed and monitored.  

A School Attendance Meeting should be convened at the earliest possible date. This meeting includes the pupil, their parents/carers, the Teacher and the Head Teacher and any family members or support people that the pupil wishes to attend. This meeting will agree a Focused Attendance Plan. 

Staff Responsibilities for Managing Pupil Attendance 

Administrators/School Business Co-coordinators (SBC) 

The class teacher must complete their register and return it to the admin by 8.50 am each morning and by 1.10pm for the afternoon session.  

If a pupil is not present (for an unknown reason) at the time of completing the attendance register the administrator must immediately commence the actions outlined on the Flow Chart starting with an immediate telephone call to the parent/carer. 

Senior Leadership Team (SLT) 

It is the responsibility of the Senior Leadership Team to monitor overall school attendance and regularly review Pupils with attendance below 95%. The SLT will monitor and track pupil attendance in their SLT meetings and support with SAMs and FAPs.