ST THOMAS
CE (VC) PRIMARY SCHOOL
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Attendance
CELEBRATE, ENGAGE, SUPPORT
The expectation for all children, including those in EYFS, is at least 95%. We regard regular attendance at school as essential to ensure the best possible learning outcomes for all children and necessary to promote better life chances. The school’s ethos encourages children to feel that their presence in school is important and that they are missed when they are absent or late.
There is a clear link between good attendance and high standards; for our children to gain the greatest benefit from their education it is vital that they attend regularly and every child should be at school, on time, every day the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable.
There is now more Government pressure on schools than ever before to ensure the regular attendance of children in their school. There is a legal requirement for schools to set targets for improving school attendance.
Our attendance policy sets out the principles and guidelines by which we seek to raise attendance, improve punctuality, to raise levels of achievement and to maximise opportunities both in school and in later life.
WHY REGULAR ATTENDANCE IS SO IMPORTANT
Any absence affects the pattern of a child’s schooling and regular absence will seriously affect their learning. Any pupil’s absence disrupts teaching routines so may affect the learning of others in the same class. Ensuring every child’s regular attendance at school is the parent’s/carer’s responsibility and permitting absence from school without good reason creates an offence in law and may result in prosecution.
To help us all to focus on good attendance we will:
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Give parents details on attendance in our newsletters.
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Report to parent/carer’s termly on their child’s attendance and punctuality.
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Monitor whole school attendance continuously.
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Celebrate good attendance by displaying individual and class achievements.
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Reward good or improving attendance through class competitions, certificates and prizes.
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Run promotional events when parents, pupils and staff can work together on raising attendance levels across the school.
ATTENDANCE TARGETS
Our whole school attendance is monitored closely, by the local authority and by us, to identify children who may be at risk of poor attendance and therefore missing out on their learning.
The national expectation for attendance is above 95%.
‘Good attendance' is deemed to be above this.
Any attendance below this would be regarded is ‘below expectation’.
Any attendance below 90% is regarded as ‘poor attendance’.
Pupils below 90% are individually monitored by the Local Authority.
We hope that this will help you to manage your child’s attendance so that they can get the best out of every day. If you have any concerns, worries or questions, please feel free to speak to Mrs Meade or any member of staff. We understand that many of our families are just settling into school life and so we are happy to offer advice or to help in any way that we can.
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In with DfE recommendation's and good practice we monitor attendance fortnightly and increase support where needed.
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ABSENCE
Absence from School
Over the last few years there have been many discussions nationally about children attending school and the impact absence has on the child’s development and academic achievements. Some of this information is confusing and some parents never quite know what impact their child’s absence has on their attainment (what grades they get) and achievements (how much progress they make). The information below has therefore been produced to support all parents in making the right choices about school attendance.
Percentages
A child who attends school every day for the whole year is awarded with 100% and this is celebrated in every school. However we are realistic and know that most children at sometime or other will have a minor illness. The average attendance for a child in England is 95%.
Facts from the Authority
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90% attendance = ½ day missed every week!
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90% attendance = 1 day missed every other week!
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90% attendance = 4 whole weeks of lessons missed!
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90% attendance over 5 years of school = ½ a school year missed!
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Research suggests that 17 missed school days a year = GCSE grade DROP in achievement. (DfE)
Attend and Achieve!
If a school can improve attendance by 1%, they will see a 5-6% improvement in attainment. (DfE)
Please help us and your child by ensuring their attendance remains above 95%, allowing them to achieve their potential.
So what happens if your child is ill?
If your child is ill, you have a responsibility to inform the school of their illness by 8:30am each day for every day of illness. A child should not return to school until they are fit and well.
Medical Appointments
Unless your child has a hospital appointment or is receiving extensive dental treatment, all medical appointments should be made out of the school day.
Persistent Absence
Any child whose attendance falls below 90% is regarded nationally as a child who has persistent absence. The government is very concerned with this and has invested heavily to monitor the attendance of these children. Schools have targets to reduce the levels of persistent absence and Attendance Officers work closely with families to support them in getting their children to school each day. Each child and family will be given targets for attendance and these will be closely monitored by a range of agencies outside of school.
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It is crucial that you keep school informed regarding your child's absence. If we do not hear from the pupil's parents we are obliged to follow safeguarding attendance procedures.
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Lateness
If your child is late to school, they must sign in at the school office and a reason for the lateness must be provided. If a reason is not provided or if your child arrives after the register has closed an unauthorised absence mark will be given. Repeated lateness due to the traffic is not authorised.
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Holidays
Holidays are still classified as absences and will still count towards your child’s attendance figure. If you choose to remove your child from school to take them on holiday, a request in writing must be presented to the Headteacher at least 2 weeks before the date of the holiday.
Sickness and Holidays
A child who has been absent from school for 10 days in total due to illness and then takes ten days holiday from school may be classed as a persistent absentee due to the amount of time they are away from school. This applies to each new school year.
Penalty Notices
Please click on the links below for more information about penalty notices and term-time holidays.
