Pupil Attendance Policy
Pupil Attendance Policy
At Western Church of England Primary School we are committed to maintaining and improving pupil attendance. Staff and governors agree that regular and full time attendance is essential if pupils are to benefit fully from their school career. We also believe that punctuality is of equal importance.
In order to achieve this we will:
§ promote a welcoming and positive atmosphere in school, where all pupils feel safe and valued
§ encourage good relationships between school and parents
§ create positive attitudes towards high standards of attendance and punctuality, which pupils should retain throughout life
§ ensure that attendance is monitored effectively in school and absences or lates are followed up promptly
§ meet legal requirements, with particular reference to identifying unauthorised absence
§ if absence/punctuality become a matter for concern, use strategies to raise parental awareness of the importance of attendance and punctuality, so that they will make more effort to ensure their child attends school punctually and regularly. (See next section “Strategies to Promote and Maintain Attendance and Punctuality”)
§ involve other agencies when difficulties arise, and the school needs extra support or help as appropriate (including the Education Welfare Service, Education Psychology Service, Social Services)
§ ensure all staff are aware of the Pupil Attendance Policy so that they deal consistently and fairly with absence and punctuality
§ ensure information on attendance/punctuality is available for governors, as required
§ ensure good liaison when a change of school occurs
§ ensure that classteachers register their classes in the morning and afternoon
§ keep accurate registration documents to include authorised/unauthorised absence
Strategies to promote and maintain high standards of attendance and punctuality
It needs to be remembered that primary aged children in education are dependent on their parents/carers, who have a parental responsibility in law to ensure their child’s regular attendance. It is vital that children enjoy coming into school, and are encouraged to attend well and on time. However, they should not carry the blame or be made to feel unhappy if their parents are not supportive of regular attendance.
1) A register of pupils will be taken by a member of staff at the start of both morning and afternoon sessions
2) All pupils must be registered, latecomers must report to the school office for their attendance to be recorded
3) Pupils arriving after the closure of registers (which is 30 minutes after the start of school at 9.30 am) will be officially marked absent for that session although their presence in school be will recorded
4) Parents are requested to contact the school on the first day of an absence indicating the likely period of non-attendance. If the school has not heard from the parent by 10.30 am, the school will contact the parent.
5) Use newsletters and other communications to remind parents of how they can help the school to achieve good attendance and punctuality
6) Present staff, parents and governors with statistics
7) Set attendance targets annually
8) Give class/year groups rewards/incentives for good attendance
Parental Responsibilities
§ Parents have a legal responsibility to ensure that their child attends school regularly and on time
§ Parents are responsible for their children on the way to and from school
§ Parents should inform the school on a child’s first day of absence
§ If parents know their child is going to be late for any reason, they should let the school know in advance (either regularly or as a one off event)
§ Requests to take a child out of school early or during the school day, should be made in writing to the Headteacher. Such requests will be considered on their individual merits and be granted only in exceptional cases. (See Appendix 2 for supplementary guidance)
Practices for dealing with absence
§ if a pupil is absent without explanation, the school office will contact the parents as soon as possible, preferably by 10.30 am on the first day of absence
§ if a pupil is absent for three days without an explanation, we will telephone or write to the parents. A record of the telephone call or a copy of the letter will be kept on file
§ if a pupil returns from absence without a letter of explanation, we will telephone or write to the parents asking why the pupil was absent
§ we will date and initial notes from parents, records of telephone calls and medical certificates. These are stored in a secure place, as they may contain sensitive information
§ if an explanation for absence is not satisfactory, or if the absence continues, the Headteacher will invite parents to school to discuss any difficulties that are preventing the pupil from attending
§ if a child is repeatedly late, we will contact the parents. Repeated lateness can affect a pupil’s education as much as poor attendance
§ Absence records are updated each week by the Administrative Assistant to detect short but frequent absences
§ data regarding absences is given to the Headteacher regularly – at least half termly
Referrals to the Education Welfare Service
The Headteacher will consult/discuss with EWS when:
a) a pupil’s attendance is causing concern
b) contacts with home have not brought about any improvement in attendance
c) there is poor communication with home regarding explanations for absence/lateness
The Headteacher is required to refer to the EWS when a pupil has:
a) 20 or more unauthorised half day absences during any 100 half days
b) 20 U (late after registration has closed) during any 100 half days
The EWO can only proceed when the referral documents are completed correctly. EWS1 Referral. EWS 2 SIMS Attendance Sheet.
Pupils returning after an absence
Clasteachers are responsible for ensuring that pupils are encouraged to settle back into the school routine following a period of absence. The Key Stage Manager, Learning Support Coordianator or Headteacher can offer advice when regular attendance is proving difficult.
Registration
1) Registers will be checked for regular attendance by the designated member of staff. Teachers should also be aware and report any concerns to the Headteacher. The register is a legal document and may be used as evidence in a Court of Law
2) Regulations require schools using computers for attendance registration to produce a print of attendance register at least once a month. EWO should have access to the registers on a regular basis in accordance with the Service Level Agreement, in order to fulfil their statutory duties within the school. (see Appendix 1 for SIMS Codes).
3) Is the absence authorised/unauthorised?
§ after each absence, an explanation should be provided by the parents/carer
§ the ultimate responsibility to authorise an absence rests with the Headteacher
§ a note or telephone call does not mean an authorised absence
§ in the case of illness the school has the right to request further information
Holidays
Parents are asked to avoid taking their children away on holiday during term time if at all possible.
If a child is away for holiday reasons in term time, up to 10 days in an academic year may be ‘authorised’, at the discretion of the Headteacher, providing permission is sought and a holiday form is complete before the absence period (See Appendix 3)
More than 10 days may be permitted at the Headteacher’s discretion. All authorised and unauthorised absences will be noted on the child’s school record and Annual Report to Parents.
It is the intention of the school and its governing body to comply with the advice, framework and general principles set out in the Hampshire LEA Document ‘Achieving high attendance – Guidance for Schools January 2003’.
Drafted: May 2004
Approved by governors: July 2004
Reviewed Autumn 2006