Attendance/Absence

Attendance and Punctuality (including targets)

AIMS

The Academy and Education Inclusion Service firmly believe that good attendance and punctuality are essential if students are to achieve their full potential, both academically and socially.  This is reinforced with the students and parents/carers during the admission arrangements.

The Academy and Education Inclusion Service are committed to practices that aim to encourage the parents/carers, students, staff and the Education Welfare Officer to foster good attendance.

It is firmly believed that effective means of encouraging good attendance can have a preventive effect on absenteeism.

Achievement Team Leaders, Student Progress Leaders, Form Tutors, Student Services and the Education Inclusion Officer will:

• Make it clear to their students at every opportunity how much they care about their attendance at the academy.
• Take care with registration and the follow-up of absentees.  The Form Tutor must ensure that their students know that every student, class, year and house should aim for 100% attendance.  (aspirational!)
• Welcome and give support to students returning from a period of absence – even if they are regular absentees and/or present other difficulties.
• Be ready to talk to students about difficulties they are having in the academy and in attending regularly.
• Remind parent/carers of their responsibility regarding attendance and punctuality and offer help to resolve difficulties they may be having in fulfilling this responsibility.

ENCOURAGING GOOD ATTENDANCE

For students who are at risk of being a persistent absentee (below 90% attendance) the following strategies are put in place:

• Attendance letter 1 is sent to parents/carers, expressing concerns and offering support.  Parents are advised that the academy will continue to monitor the situation.  The letter may include an invitation to discuss attendance and sign an attendance contract. An up to date registration certificate is enclosed and the Local Authority ‘School Attendance and Leave of Absence Leaflet’.
• If there is no improvement Attendance letter 2 is sent to parents/carers expressing continued concerns and offering support.  Parents are advised that if the situation continues to deteriorate a referral will be made to the Education Inclusion Service.
• An Early Help meeting is offered to support families.
• If the situation does not improve a referral is made to the Education Inclusion Service and parents/carers are advised by letter which includes a summary of all interventions and support the academy has put in place
• The Education Inclusion Service will consider the referral and if it is accepted they will prepare contributions for relevant documents reinforcing and emphasising the importance of parents/carers responsibilities.  They will also indicate the nature of support Education Inclusion Service can offer.

INCENTIVES FOR GOOD ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY

Students should be given the incentives to attend regularly and punctually.  These could take the form of:

• Personal comments from Form Tutors, Subject Teachers and Achievement Team Leaders to encourage good attendance and punctuality.
• Congratulations in assemblies for forms achieving 100% attendance in a week.
• Displaying attendance statistics on a main notice board highlighting the forms achieving the highest percentage each.
• Letters or postcards to parents/carers from the ATL/SPL/Form Tutors when attendance or punctuality improves.
• Certificates for 100% attendance and/or punctuality in a full term presented by the ATL or House Leader in Year/House assembly.
• Certificates for 100% attendance and/or punctuality over a year presented at full assembly by the Senior Leadership Team.
• Rewards for outstanding attendance and/or punctuality presented at a Special Assembly/Celebration Evening.

REPORTING STUDENT ABSENCE: 

The procedure for reporting an absence is to ring Student Services on 01724 842447 (Option 7) or direct dial 01724 747318 or leave a message with reception 01724 842447 before 8.30am. Please provide a reason for the absence and your relationship to the student.

You can also report the absence online by clicking this link

Home visits: Where possible a home visit will be conducted by the academy if a student is absent and the absence has not been reported by the parent. We will try to contact parents by phone/text before conducting a visit. Priority home visits will be made to children who have a social worker or Early Help plan and to students who have had two consecutive days of unexplained absence.

PUNCTUALITY 

We encourage students to arrive at 8.20am every day as lessons start promptly at 8.30am. Student’s arriving after 8.30am will be recorded as late and be issued a 30mins detention. We understand that sometimes there are unavoidable reasons for a student arriving late. In these circumstances please contact Students Services to report the reason If a student is frequently arriving late we will contact parents to offer support and strategies. If punctuality does not improve following support we may issue punctuality contracts or offer Early Help plans.

Within the academy we strive to create a learning environment, curriculum, experiences and relationships in which all individuals can find expression, be nourished and developed.

The academy commits itself to creating an environment for everyone that is characterised by our core values of Truth, Justice, Forgiveness, Generosity and Respect.  These values have been used to determine this policy.

Review

In order to ensure that it reflects current best practice, this policy will be reviewed every 3 years.

The next review date is: June 2024