ATTENDANCE

The Importance of Regular Attendance

Regular attendance at school is essential if students are to achieve their full potential. Students must be on site from 8.40 am to make their way to tutor rooms for 8.45 am. The school is open quite early and students may arrive from 8.00 am onwards. To assist students there is a Breakfast Club available from 8.00am as well as a CLC suite open to students. If a student is absent, a note must be sent to the group tutor with thestudent on her/his return, stating the reason for and dates of the absence. A phone call will be made on the first day of absence to the home of the absent pupil unless the school is informed that morning. If a student is absent for more than three days, parents are asked to phone the school on 727 1387 or write a note to the group tutor.

Where no note or message is received or truancy is suspected, an enquiry note will be sent to parents. Students are not allowed to leave the school premises during school hours unless they have written permission to do so.

Attendance checks

Attendance is checked at morning and afternoon registration and at individual lessons. At the end of each term the school will provide parents with an attendance record for their child. It will be sent through the post and will detail all unauthorised attendances in addition to other information concerning the students attendance record.

Parents should bear in mind the following notes from the Department for Education Document 'School Attendance':

• registered pupils of compulsory school age are required by law to be in school;
• whilst it is right that schools should recognise that individual pupils and families have problems, the aim should always be to expect regular attendance;
• lateness should be actively discouraged;
• where a pupil is absent without prior authorisation an explanation is required.
• schools are not obliged to accept parental notes where there is reason to doubt the validity of the explanation offered;
• explanations such as minding the house, looking after other children, or shopping trips within school hours will not normally be acceptable reasons for absence

Dental and Medical appointments

Parents are requested to make such appointments outside school hours whenever possible. Where a visit is necessary in school hours, appointment cards should be shown to the group tutor and students will be credited with their register mark.

Medical Emergencies

The school will contact parents when a student is too ill to remain at school or when it is necessary for a student to go to hospital.

Principles

Children should be at school, on time, every day the school is open, unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable. Ensuring their child’s regular attendance at school is the legal responsibility of the parent(s)/ carer and permitting absence from school without a good reason creates an offence in law by the parent/carer.

Any child may sometimes be reluctant to attend school. Any problems with regular attendance are best sorted out between the school, the parents and the child. If a child is reluctant to attend, it is never better to cover up their absence or to give in to pressure to excuse them from attending. This gives the impression that attendance does not matter and may make things worse.

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 each absence is always required, preferably in writing.

Parents are expected to contact school at an early stage and to work with the staff in resolving any problems together. This is nearly always successful. If difficulties cannot be sorted out in this way, the school may refer the child to the Education Welfare Officer from the Local Authority. He/she will also try to resolve the situation by agreement but, if other ways of trying to improve the child’s attendance have failed and unauthorized absences persist, these Officers can use sanctions such as Penalty Notices or prosecutions in the Magistrates Court. Full details of the options open to enforce attendance at school are available from the school or the Local Authority.

Alternatively, parents or children may wish to contact the EWO themselves to ask for help or information. They are independent of the school and will give impartial advice. Their telephone number is available from the school office or by contacting the Local Education Authority.

AIMS:

• To raise attainment by improving levels of attendance and punctuality
• To adhere to the legal responsibilities as laid down by the Education Act 1996 and Pupil Regulations 1995.
• To ensure a whole school approach to attendance and punctuality, giving both a high profile within the school and community.
• To enhance the ways in which attendance and punctuality are monitored.
• To reward good and improving attendance and punctuality.

RATIONALE

• Parents and carers have the primary responsibility for ensuring that their children, who are of compulsory school age, receive their entitlement to a suitable education, either by regular attendance at school or other educational establishment. This includes ensuring a good level of punctuality. It is the responsibility of the LEA to ensure that parents meet these requirements as laid down in The Education Act 1996.
• Attendance improvement is a high government priority.
• Attendance at school directly impacts on progress and success, particularly in end of Key Stage Tests.
• Good punctuality is vital in terms of realising potential. It is essential in terms of preparation for adulthood and the World of Work.
• Attendance is at the heart of the school’s standards and Every Child Matters.

OBJECTIVES:

• To keep an accurate and up to date record of attendance and punctuality.
• To inform parents of attendance and punctuality issues.
• To raise expectations around attendance and punctuality and their link to raising attainment, with students, staff and parents.
• To identify the causes of non-attendance and poor levels of punctuality, taking appropriate action where necessary.
• To improve attendance and punctuality in individuals, groups and the school.
• To support vulnerable families with regard to improved attendance and punctuality.
• To monitor attendance and punctuality and interrogate data on a regular basis, looking for new ways to secure improvement.
• To use the Student Council to identify problem areas and support school strategies.

SCHOOL REGISTRATION:

The school is required to take an attendance register twice a day, once at the start of the morning session and once during the afternoon session. These registers are taken electronically. Class teachers take lesson registration on class registers.

PARENTS:

Parents have a prime legal responsibility for ensuring their children attend school regularly and punctually and that all absences are explained.

• Parents should telephone school, or send a message on the first day of absence.
• As soon as the student returns to school, parents must supply an absence note indicating the length of and reason for the absence.
• Parents must ensure that the school has a contact telephone number, whether it is from a mobile phone or land line, plus an emergency contact number.

SCHOOL:

• Will make a first day contact call.
• Will liaise with all relevant Pastoral Support Staff and designated SMT members over all issues of attendance and punctuality.
• Will put support and action plans in place to help raise attendance and punctuality levels.
• Involve school governors in issues of attendance and punctuality.
• Reward good and improved attendance and punctuality

STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES:

Designated Senior Managers-

• To liaise with staff and Governors on all issues related to school attendance and punctuality and ensure they are given a high priority across the school and community.
• To ensure that attendance and punctuality are regular agenda items in meetings at all levels.
• To promote good levels of attendance and punctuality with students, parents /carers.
• To maintain a general overview of all aspects of attendance and punctuality data and management, producing and reviewing an action plan.
• To liaise with EWO, external agencies, students, parents/carers on all attendance and punctuality matters.
• To liaise and act accordingly where there are serious concerns about attendance and punctuality issues related to individual students.
• To commission reports and statistics on attendance and punctuality, from relevant administrative support staff.
• To provide termly information for Governors on attendance and punctuality matters.
• To provide the LEA / DfES with any attendance and punctuality data as and when required.

PROGRESS TEAM LEADERS:

• To ensure that parents / carers, and all students are fully aware of all matters related to attendance and punctuality. These should include in particular:
  • Timings of registration periods
  • Lateness procedures
  • Requests for holidays
  • Role of Pastoral Support Workers nd EWO
• To ensure that all form tutors and Pastoral support team members are fully aware of any procedures related to attendance and punctuality, along with their legal responsibilities.
• To monitor tutor group/ individual attendance and punctuality on a regular basis, using data supplied by the CMIS support team.
• To liaise with form tutors on all matters regarding to attendance and punctuality, and to assist the Pastoral support team in difficult cases related to truancy, unauthorised absences as well as parent / carer liaison.
• To liaise with Pastoral Support Workers and EWO in all matters related to attendance and punctuality.
• To ensure that certificates / rewards are awarded on a regular, calendared basis.

FORM TUTOR:

• To take the a.m. register in accordance with the set guidelines.
• To promptly pass all letters / evidence of non-attendance to the Attendance Administrator for processing. All evidence should be dated and the student’s name should be clearly printed.
• To be proactive in notifying the PTL of concerns around the attendance and/or punctuality of an individual student.
• To direct any requests for holiday leave to the PTL.
• To keep an overview of group / individual student statistics in liaison with the Hoy.
• To be responsible for promoting good attendance and punctuality during tutor time and within their group generally.
• To be a good role model by arriving at tutor period on time and engaging positively with the students.
• To liaise with PTL on all issues related to attendance and punctuality.
• Ensure that all students understand and are aware of the procedures around lateness.
• To report on all problems with electronic registration to the CMIS support team.

PASTORAL SUPPORT WORKERS:

• To manage the first day response system.
• To enter codes for students once evidence has been received.
• To be vigilant with the system of electronic registration and to raise concerns with the CMIS support team.
• To work with and support students whose attendance and or punctuality cause concern.
• To assist in the collation of attendance and punctuality statistics for the Dcsf, LA and Governors.

CMIS SUPPORT TEAM:

• To act on any problems with the electronic registration system, as reported by form tutors or Pastoral support staff.
• To supply all requested data for the Pastoral support team and designated SMT staff.
• To produce breakdown information on attendance each half term for designated SMT staff.

ATTENDANCE ADMINISTRATOR:

• To print off the attendance register weekly and disseminate to all relevant staff.
• To keep evidence of student absence
• To amend registers with student ‘late’ marks.

ALL TEACHERS:

• To ensure that an electronic register is taken in every lesson taught.
• To be vigilant and notify the CTL / HoD immediately if a student’s lesson attendance / punctuality history gives rise for concern.
• To provide a good role model and actively promote good attendance and punctuality to their lessons.
• To provide a positive learning atmosphere that promotes and encourages good attendance.
• Challenge students who are out of lessons during the school day.
• To discourage internal truancy by:
  • Refraining from allowing students out of class unless absolutely necessary.
  • Not allowing students to go to the toilet during lessons 1,3 and 5.
  • Only granting permission to leave class in an emergency by giving consent via a written comment in the student’s diary.

CURRICULUM LEADERS:

• Develop strategies with their department to promote attendance and good punctuality to lessons, using rewards and sanctions to achieve this.
• Where appropriate, liaise with PTL/ PSW/ designated SMT staff.
• Provide a positive role model to colleagues and students alike.

EDUCATION WELFARE OFFICERS:

Students are selected for referral at calendared discussion meetings between PSWs and EWO. Some referrals will be students with a history of poor attendance, whose attendance has recently deteriorated or who have broken week’s attendance.

• Parents /carers of students with deteriorating attendance will have been contacted by a PSW by telephone or letter, prior to referral.
• When a student is first referred, a school referral form is completed.
• Any subsequent action will be discussed at a calendared Pastoral Meeting.

WELFARE ROOM STAFF:

• When a student is ill they will be sent to the Welfare Room with their diary signed by their teacher.
• Staff must record the student’s name and the day and time of the visit on CMIS.
• Should it be necessary to send a student home, permission must be gained from the member of staff on pager duty or a member of the SMT.
• Students who arrive without their diary signed by their teacher, must be sent back to class. However, in the case of an emergency, the priority must be to seek medical attention. In this instance, the teacher on pager duty / SMT will be informed.

ABSENCES:

AUTHORISED ABSENCE

An Authorised Absence is one with the permission of the school. This includes instances of absences for which satisfactory explanation has been provided (e.g. illness)

An absence is authorised by law if:

• A student is prevented from attending school due to sickness.
• A day is set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which the parents belong.
• The student is participating in Work Experience.
• The student is participating in field trips or educational visits at home or abroad.
• A student is participating in an approved sporting activity.
• A student is involved in a link course with FE and is attending for part of the time.
• A student is receiving tuition at another school, whilst remaining on roll at their home school.

An absence may be authorised at the school’s discretion for:

• Annual holiday in school time
• Study Leave immediately prior to a public examination.
• Attendance at interview with a perspective employer or at another educational establishment.
• Medical or dental appointments by necessity made in school time.
• Exclusions of a fixed term.
• Domestic circumstances which could include the death of a close relative, a house fire, family wedding or other acceptable, traumatic event.
• Dual registration.
• Home teaching by the LA home teaching service.
• A group activity with EWO or other LA approved project.

UNAUTHORISED ABSENCE:

An Unauthorised Absence is one without permission from the school and includes all unexplained or unjustified absences:

• Truancy: where a student is away from school without parent / carer knowledge.
• Lateness: arrival after registration has closed (unless previously authorised)
• Condoned absence: a student who goes shopping etc, whether or not an explanation note has been received from the parent /carer.

HOLIDAYS AND EXTENDED LEAVE:

Permission for holidays and extended leave is discretionary.
Holiday requests will be challenged and discouraged. The Headteacher will inform the parent / carer when a decision is made.

• A request should be made, on the requisite forms to the Headteacher, six weeks in advance, for permission to remove students from school during term time.
• The Headteacher and Governors can turn down applications. These are circumstances for which a refusal may be made:
  • At transition periods (during reintegration after an absence – KS2-KS3)
  • Immediately before or during National Curriculum Assessments.
  • Immediately before or during GCSE and other public examinations.
  • When the student’s attendance is already below 90%
  • If the student has had unauthorised absences in the current academic year

Where the Headteacher is satisfied there are genuine or pressing reasons for leave, he may agree up to a maximum of 10 consecutive days in any one year.
This will then be an authorised absence.

When a parent /carer requests leave greater than ten days in a year, each case will be judged on its merits.
Examples where extended leave may be granted:

• Once in a life time family trip / cultural trip.
• Parent / carer recuperation or convalescence from serious illness or surgery.
• Death of a parent or sibling.
• Life threatening illness of a parent or sibling.

Family emergencies will be given careful consideration with the interest of the child as a priority.

Such leave in an authorised absence, but is an absolute exception.

LATES PROCEDURE:

• If a student arrives late for registration, the tutor should enter an ‘L’ on the electronic register.
• If a student arrives late, after registration has ended, they must sign in at Reception and take a late slip to show their teacher on entering the classroom. They should then hand this to their form tutor at the following registration.
• Students who sign in late have their time of arrival entered in the ‘unpunctual’ or ‘late’ book.
• The attendance administrator enters the late mark onto CMIS.
• Each day, admin staff give written information on each year group and distributes it to relevant PTL for them to action.
• If punctuality problems persist, parents are informed and further action is taken.

MEANS OF ACHIEVING AIMS:

• Constantly highlighting attendance and punctuality as whole school issues of the highest priority.
• Close monitoring by form tutors, PTL, PSW and SMT.
• Encouraging staff to be vigilant and proactive in raising anomalies and concerns.
• Sending letters home to elicit support of families.
• Parental interviews.
• EWO involvement.
• Home visits.
• In-house truancy checks.
• PSW morning locality sweep where appropriate
• Celebrating success and improvement.
• Data interrogation.
• Production of reports for relevant pastoral support staff and SMT
• Use of attendance panels
• Involvement of Student Council.
• Use of parental contracts
• Competitions
• Traffic Light system
• Student interviews
• PSHCE focus
• Action planning
• Use of target sheets
• Parents made aware of their responsibilities.
• Involvement of EWO

MONITORING METHODS

• Feedback from target sheets.
• Statistics and information from first day responses
• Target students
• Meeting notes from parental meetings.
• Regular meetings between PTL, PSW and EWO
• Data printouts for all Pastoral support staff
• Previous school records

EVALUATION:

• Against targets on a half termly basis.
• Overall evaluation by SMT
• Governors reports
• Against plan of action
• Increased parental responsibility

SUMMARY:

Shorefields Technology College, as with all schools, has a legal duty to publish its attendance figures to parents and to promote good attendance and punctuality with all of its community.

Equally, parents have a duty to ensure that their children attend school regularly and are punctual.

School staff are committed to working with parents in the best way possible, to ensure high levels of attendance and punctuality are achieved and maintained.

The school will review this policy annually and assess its implementation and effectiveness.