ATTENDANCE POLICY. to deliver a motivating, relevant, accessible curriculum to all children;

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1 The CHESS Attendance Policy intends:- ATTENDANCE POLICY to raise attainment and achievement levels by having high expectations of attendance to report back termly on attendance to parents to work effectively with our various partners to maintain high attendance levels Child attainment and achievement depends on regular presence in school. Any absence leads to missed learning and other experiences and may cause difficulties with social relationships. These can encourage an increased pattern of non- attendance. Encouraging good attendance is the shared responsibility of the school, the parent and partners in Leeds City Council. Parents have a responsibility to see that their children receive the appropriate education and it is the responsibility of Leeds City Council through Targeted Services for attendance to ensure that this happens. Aims to deliver a motivating, relevant, accessible curriculum to all children; maintain high expectations in relation to attendance; all children should be aware that every day counts and that their attendance is important; to encourage and celebrate good attendance through our reward systems. COLLECTION OF DATA Registration Electronic registration takes place between 8.55 and 9.05 and All class teachers are responsible for the sending of registers to the office on time. Children arriving after registration will be given a late mark. Children arriving ½ hr after the start of the school session will be recorded as unauthorised absence for that session. Morning = 1 session Afternoon = 1 session USE OF DATA The efficient and speedy collection of the data is essential to the development of effective strategies for action. Data is required to monitor Individual absence and lateness at school Patterns of lateness and absence and the identification of trends by (i) Year Groups (ii) Seasonal patterns (iii) Patterns and nature of unauthorised absence.

2 AUTHORISED AND UNAUTHORISED ABSENCE Authorised absence is where the school accepts there is good reason for absence. An authorised absence requires a written or telephone communication from the parent/carer. A child s own word cannot be taken as reason for absence. Phone calls home are made on the first and every successive day of absence unless word has been received from parents about reasons for an extended absence. The school uses either an electronic contacting system of texting or telephone call. Children who return to school following an unauthorised absence will require a written note otherwise the absence will remain unauthorised. Unauthorised absence is any absence which does not fall into the following categories: a) Absence caused by illness or other unavoidable cause. If your child has higher than average illness then you may be asked for medical advice. b) An approved absence for religious observance by the religious body to which the parents belong c) There is no acceptable transport and the school is not within walking distance d) Special circumstances approved by the Headteacher e) For information concerning extended leave see section below. EXCEPTIONAL LEAVE Each school expects that parents will take their holidays during the approved school breaks. It should be noted that there are 175 days each year when your child is on holiday from school. No child is expected to be absent from school on holiday during term-time. In very exceptional circumstances and only then if your child has an excellent attendance record (95% or over) may the Headteacher permit up to 10 days absence and this must be requested in advance. If you take your child out of school when exceptional circumstances has NOT been granted, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised and will be referred to the Targeted Services - Attendance and you may be at risk of a penalty notice (fine). Should your child be granted exceptional leave your child must return to school on the agreed date. If they do not we will have no alternative but to start proceedings, registering your child as a child missing education. This could put your child at risk of losing their place in school. This approach is to be reflected in all documentation provided for new and existing children. PERSISTENT ABSENTEES The DCSF category for Persistent Absentees is as follows:- Number of days to be considered a Persistent Absentee. Half Term 1 (Sept - October 1/2 term) 5 days absence Half Term 2 (November - Christmas Holiday) 11 days absence Half Term 3 (January - February 1/2 term) 15 days absence Half Term 4 (February - Easter Holiday) 19 days absence Half Term 5 (Easter - May 1/2 term 23 days absence Half Term 6 ( May - Summer Holidays) 23 days absence If a pupil has 23 days absence they are considered a persistent absentee until the end of the academic year. At the end of each ½ term children with attendance of less than 90% and with more than four interrupted weeks will have letters sent to parents. FOLLOW UP It is important that parents/carers are aware of absences and lateness and of their responsibility to account for all such events, and that all action taken is documented. There is a range of situations where the school needs to respond: 2

3 1. unauthorised or unexplained absence First Day Call 2. unexplained absence of three days or more, when a child has not returned to school - Home Visit with a written record. 3. a pattern of absence - parental notes, over a period of weeks followed by parental agreement, which could lead to the involvement of the Attendance Improvement Officer (AIO) 4. persistent lateness covering more than three sessions parental notes followed by parental contract; 5. persistent infringements referral to the AIO which could lead to penalty notices or ultimately court proceedings which could lead to fines or parenting orders. The key leaders in the implementation of this policy are the Headteacher, Attendance Mentor and the Class Teacher in conjunction with the AIO: Actions will include: Monitoring and analysing data making appropriate links to achievement Drafting attendance action plans Promoting consistency throughout the school Issuing appropriate rewards eg Attendance Certificates Liaising with the Attendance Strategy Team On a regular basis the Attendance Mentor should discuss with the Headteacher and the AIO 1. Weekly attendance statistics for each Year Group to highlight trends; 2. Details of children undergoing attendance related casework; 3. Details of AIO liaison indicating; - all referrals and reasons - outcomes Lateness Persistent lateness is often a significant indicator of under achievement. Lateness to school must be acted upon and parents made fully aware of the school s expectations concerning punctuality. Dealing with lateness to school is a Class Teacher and Attendance Mentor responsibility. Persistent lateness covering more than three sessions in a week will be followed up by parental notes, home visits and possibly a parental agreement; Rewards The importance of good attendance is regularly promoted during lessons and assemblies. A variety of rewards are given for consistently high attendance. Communications Parents have a responsibility for ensuring their child attends school regularly and punctually. Parents have a right to be provided in good time with the necessary information from the school which would enable them to meet these obligations. This includes: the times of the school day school dates and holidays school procedures relating to attendance and punctuality school expectations regarding lateness prompt communication of matters causing concern The school expects that all parents communicate with the school in writing, electronic communication or telephone, giving a reason (i) (ii) in advance of any planned absence immediately following any unplanned absence (the next session) 3

4 (iii) during any absence expected to last more than three days Parents who do not conform to the above should be contacted and requested to provide an explanation of their child s absence. Further non-compliance on the part of the parents should be documented. The Attendance Mentor is trained in strategies for following up Children Missing from Education. Targeted Services Attendance CHESS schools are working in partnership with Leeds City Council Targeted Services Attendance to improve attendance, punctuality and reduce Persistent Absenteeism. The Attendance Improvement Officer provides an important bridge between home and school, by working with families to try to establish any underlying reasons for poor attendance and punctuality and providing strategies to deal with them. It is appropriate that a referral will be made to Targeted Services Attendance at the stage where school / parent discussions have not led to any significant improvement in attendance or such discussions cannot be initiated. To facilitate this work it is essential that all previous action is clearly documented. Reintegration When long-term absentees return to school it is important that they are sympathetically treated by all staff. Re-integration plans are drawn up by the Attendance Mentor in liaison with the class teacher. New Children The importance of good attendance and punctuality is clearly expressed at the Parents Induction and forms part of the home/school agreement between school and parents. Children who commence at a later date Such children often present a challenge to the school. All these children need to be monitored over their first few weeks at school including attendance and punctuality. As part of an interview for prospective entry this review process needs to be clearly articulated as a support to the child and a means of directly informing the parent of the achievement of their child. A Way Forward An attendance policy is not a panacea to radically improve attendance overnight, but it does provide a consistent set of strategies within which the school and home can work together. No Attendance Mentor can take on every attendance case at one time, but it is not unreasonable to expect a team to target a certain number of cases with the aim of improving the overall attendance rate. Roles Checklist The Class Teacher To be ready to take a register at 8.55am and 12.50pm To mark all children not present by the designated times and to send the register to the office To update registers according to absence notes To require children to take home and return an Absence letter request in the event of no written explanation for absence To inform Attendance Mentor or Headteacher of additional causes for concern To implement strategies for promoting improved awareness of attendance within year group Attendance Mentor Monitor all children in the vulnerable attendance category Make phone calls home and follow up with letters where attendance is a concern 4

5 Send out the positive attendance message in Assembly, make children keep the link between attendance and attainment firmly in the minds of Class Teachers and children To liaise weekly with the Attendance Manager to identify children causing concern and to communicate all action to the Attendance Leader To interview children and parents re unsatisfactory attendance and agree improvement strategies To arrange/attend reviews in school To liaise with AIO re advanced action Attendance Manager Collect daily messages To maintain and update Pupil Roll Oversee first day calls Memo Class Teachers with information Information shared with Attendance Leader Scan attendance on a 1 to 2 day basis Follow up unexplained absences with letter pro-forma Attendance Leader To monitor and analyse attendance data To review and evaluate school s attendance policy To monitor work of school s attendance team and AIO To report periodically to the Senior Management Team and Governors The AIO To liaise with Attendance Leader and check printouts at a scheduled meeting To make additional visits to schools to discuss urgent cases of attendance problems To make home visits for assessment of attendance problems Liaison with other agencies eg Parent Support Advisor; Social Care; Housing etc - to gather information and formulate action plans Discussion of proposed action plans with school staff, Attendance Leader and parents to agree the way forward Liaison with other agencies, school staff and parents in following through the action plans Direct work with families and pupils on agreed plan (this may sometimes involve working with an individual pupil or group of pupils within the school setting on behavioural issues which are affecting school attendance) Discussion of action plans with home tutors if assigned in the action plan for improving attendance (normally this will be where a pupil is school phobic) Writing reports on individual attendance cases Maintaining records on school attendance problems Preparing evidence for court action including application for education supervision orders This policy has been developed by the Headteacher s of CHESS and ratified by the governing Bodies of each individual school within the CHESS cluster. This policy will be reviewed bi-annually. Signed by CHESS Chair of Governors Date 5