Cofton Primary School Attendance Policy

Transcription

1 Rationale Cofton Primary School Attendance Policy Cofton Primary School bases its Attendance Policy on Guidelines set out by Birmingham Local Authority (LA). Parents of registered pupils have a legal duty, under the Education Act 1996, to make sure that children of compulsory school age attend school on a regular and full-time basis. Whilst the legal responsibility for regular school attendance rests with Parents/Carers, Governors and Staff at Cofton School share with them, and the LA, responsibility for encouraging good attendance and improving poor attendance. Children should be at school, on time, every day the school is open, unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable. Every effort to work with parents/carers will be made, but permitting unauthorised absence from school is an offence and parents may be reported to the Local Authority if problems cannot be resolved by agreement. Children may sometimes be reluctant to attend school. Any problems with regular attendance are best sorted out between the school, parents/carers 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 is not important. It may also make things worse for a child in the long run, as any potential issues may not be resolved. 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. Authorised Absences are mornings or afternoons away from school for illness or another unavoidable cause. Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider reasonable and for which leave has not been granted. This includes keeping children off school unnecessarily, truancy, absences which have never been properly explained and children who arrive at school late. Aims At Cofton, we believe that the promotion of good attendance is an integral part of the overall pastoral care in school. Attendance and progress are closely linked good attendance is more likely to foster good progress. 1

2 We aim to: maximise attendance of all children so that they can fully access the curriculum and make the best possible progress; provide an environment which encourages regular attendance and makes attendance and punctuality a priority for all those associated with the school; monitor and support children whose attendance is a cause for concern and work in partnership with parents/carers to resolve any difficulties; implement an effective system of rewards for good attendance. Target Cofton to achieve an overall attendance rate of at least 96% during an academic year. Roles and Responsibilities The Following people have key responsibilities in the pursuit of high levels of attendance and punctuality. Parents/Carers Parents/Carers have a legal duty to ensure their child attends school or receives an appropriate education. They should note and respond to the school term dates, and any additional days when a pupil is not expected to attend school e.g. teacher days or unavoidable closures. Parents/Carers will be expected to react accordingly when the school has concerns regarding absences or lateness. Parents/Carers should inform the school when their child is absent, stating the reason and indicating the likely extent of the absence if it exceeds five days. This can be done by telephone, letter or through the school website. Please keep in contact with school if there is a period of extended absence or a series of absences due to illness, unusual circumstances etc. This partnership is imperative in achieving the best possible outcomes for your child/children. Governors To monitor progress towards school targets for attendance. 2

3 To evaluate the effectiveness of the Attendance Policy. Head Teacher and Senior Leadership Team (SLT) To ensure that effective systems are in place to accurately record individual pupil, group and whole school patterns. To discuss and disseminate to class teachers the attendance of children whose attendance is causing concern. To analyse attendance codes and data for all pupils and groups of pupils to inform action planning. To feedback attendance data to Governors and provide information for them to evaluate the success of policy and practice. To meet with parents to discuss, support and set targets for those experiencing attendance difficulties. For the Head Teacher and Attendance Officer to review the attendance of all pupils fortnightly and call/meet with/write to parents/carers as appropriate. Class Teacher To provide an accurate record of the attendance of each child in their class, completing the register twice daily at the designated time. To promote good attendance and punctuality by being an exemplary role model. To notify the Head Teacher should a child s attendance cause a concern or is raised regarding the reason given for absence (also refer to the Designated Senior Lead for Child Protection, if necessary). To ensure that children who experience difficulties with attendance and/or punctuality receive targeted intervention and support to minimise the impact on their learning. When requested to do so by the Head Teacher, to organise work to be sent home for children in their class who are expected to be absent for an extended period through sickness (work will not be set for children going on holiday). Office Staff To prepare, manage and co-ordinate the use of Attendance and punctuality in SIMS. 3

4 To prepare attendance reports, when requested to do so by the Head Teacher and members of the SLT. To record the names of pupils who arrive late each day. To facilitate group call daily. Children Missing in Education Any children that do not return to school after a 5 day period, or that have not returned on the expected date following extended holidays (if we have received no information from parents and no contact has been made with parents) will be referred to the Children Missing in Education Team - Tel: Strategies to Improve Attendance At School Attendance and punctuality are highly valued by all members of staff, which includes warmly welcoming children into school at the beginning of the school day. Good attendance and punctuality is regularly reinforced by the Head Teacher, Deputy Head Teacher and individual class teachers. This is to be formally celebrated each week in Merit Assembly whereby the three classes with the best attendance earn marbles for their class jar; this goes towards a whole class reward when the jar is full (10 for winners, 5 for second and 3 for third). In addition, there is an attendance board in The Hall where percentages of class attendance are displayed. At the end of each half-term, the top three classes are again rewarded with marbles (50 for winners, 20 for second and 10 for third). At the end of term, the overall winners win a special treat. Marbles are also awarded as at the end of half-term. Children with 100% attendance are rewarded with a special attendance certificate at the end of each term. Pupils with 100% attendance across an academic year will also receive a special reward e.g. celebratory party, day trip etc Pupils with 96% and above will also be rewarded with a certificate at the end of the school year. Pupils who are late or have been absent are told that they have been missed. Every reasonable effort will be made to ensure the pupil is able to catch up on any missed learning. However, this is no substitute for being at school. Pupils who regularly miss out on learning opportunities will not make the same rate of progress as those children who are here every day. This includes pupils who are regularly late, even by 5 minutes per day. Attendance data is collected and analysed and used to set or revise targets for improvement. 4

5 Parents are contacted at an early stage, whenever there is cause for concern, and offered support and an opportunity to discuss any problems. Spotlight on Attendance Programme This is a Local Authority initiative designed to raise individual and whole school attendance by the use of legal action. It challenges any notion that unauthorised absence is acceptable. It raises parents/carers, pupils and community awareness of the importance of school attendance, the negative impact of absence and demonstrates that the Local Authority uses statutory powers to bring about change. It utilises section 444 of the Education Act 1996 and the Anti-Social Behaviour Act As a last resort, the Local Authority will take Parents/Carers to Court to ensure parents/carers fulfil their legal responsibilities. This can result in having a criminal record. Registration Registration is at 8:55; the school uses the SIMS electronic registration system. If a child arrives after registration has been completed, an L will be recorded. If a child arrives after 9:15, this will be recorded as an unauthorised absence. All teachers in charge of a class are required to manually complete the register at the beginning of every morning and every afternoon session. Once completed, the registers are submitted; the administration team and Head Teacher then have direct access to this. Punctuality and Lateness Persistent lateness often precedes poor attendance, which presents a problem for a pupil trying to achieving their full potential. At Cofton, we expect pupils to arrive at school on time every day, ready to learn to the best of their ability, in order to make the best possible progress. Where lateness is the result of - for example, a medical appointment, this will be recorded as an authorised absence. Patterns of lateness will be monitored, in order to identify how much time is being lost and whether this affects a pupil s access to the curriculum. 5

6 Reasons for Absence 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. Birmingham Local Authority has listed the following as authorised absence: temporarily educated in another establishment; court appearances; bereavement; exclusion for medical or behavioural reasons; illness or medical treatment (see below); day of religious observance. No other reasons are considered legitimate and a child should attend school if these conditions are not met. The Head Teacher can authorise absences through ill-health, but should not do so when there is any doubt about the reason for the absence. Authorisation can be given retrospectively when a child returns after a short absence and there is a satisfactory explanation for the absence. Unexpected Absence Parents/carers are asked to contact school on the first day of absence to provide the reason for absence and where possible, on each subsequent day of absence. When school has not been made aware of a reason for a child s absence, a first day call will be made to establish the reason. Appointments Routine or non-urgent medical appointments (e.g. routine dental and eye check-ups) should be made outside of school hours. If it is necessary to make an unavoidable appointment during the school day (e.g. a hospital appointment with a consultant), an appointment card or letter should be provided, in order for a child s absence to be authorised. Please bring this to the Office. Children should attend school before and/or after the medical appointment. Holidays in Term Time 6

7 The school requests that children are not removed from school for any foreseen reason and this includes holidays. Whilst as a school, we are sympathetic to the need for some families to try to capitalise on cheaper holidays, we do not believe this promotes equality for all. Therefore, school cannot authorise holidays. Despite this, we still require a letter to be written to school giving dates of absence. Unforeseen breaks, related to the need to travel to support family, will need to be put in writing to the Head Teacher. It is at their discretion whether they authorise this absence or not. Importantly, the school needs to know where a pupil is if they are not at school. Monitoring and Evaluation Cofton regularly monitors attendance and lateness. Attendance data will be checked fortnightly by the Head Teacher and Attendance Officer to establish patterns of irregular attendance. The Head Teacher and SLT will conduct an analysis of absence codes The Head Teacher and SLT will look specifically at other potentially vulnerable groups of pupils and then take action accordingly, if necessary. The Head Teacher and SLT, with the Governing Body, will monitor the impact of the School s Attendance Policy and the strategies used to promote good attendance. The Head Teacher will also report to the Governors each term on wholeschool attendance, persistent absence and unauthorised absence. Attendance Actions and Procedures Action Spotlight Letter Sent out annually to all parents. Attendance Trawl Fortnightly for all pupils below 90% attendance (excluding legitimate reasons, such as genuine longterm illness). Authorising Absence Attendance can only be authorised by the Head Outcome To raise awareness of how seriously we take non-attendance at Cofton and the impact of this on a child s education. To inform parents about the statutory actions that may be taken against them if their child/children does/do not attend school regularly. Pupils with: 85-90% - letter home and monitor for 2 weeks. 80% - 85% - meeting in school with Head Teacher. An Action Plan may be drawn up and monitored for 4 weeks. 85% or below (or 20 unauthorised absences) referral for Spotlight (see letter 2 in appendix). Absence can only be authorised when: Medical evidence is provided (e.g. 7

8 Teacher or member of SLT. appointment card or letter). Under exceptional circumstances. A child is sent home sick. When viruses and other illnesses are clearly prevalent in school. Copies of letters are included in the Appendix at the end of this policy. These are what the LA require us to send home. Review This policy was reviewed in May It will be reviewed by the end of the academic year , unless: Government or LA changes necessitate an earlier review; a request has come from the Governing Board or Head Teacher Appendices: Letter One Ref: Insert date «ParentTitle» «ParentFirstName» «ParentLastName» «AddressLine1» «AddressLine2» «City» «PostCode» Dear «ParentTitle» «ParentLastName» Re: «ChildFirstName» «ChildLastName» - D.O.B. «ChildDOB» Yr «YearGroup» Your child s poor attendance at school this year is causing serious concern as he/she has been absent for number of sessions out of a possible number of sessions and this will make it much harder for your child to achieve good results in their school work. Most/ All of the absence has been due to illness or for medical reasons. It has been decided that due to the high level of your child s absence, the Head Teacher will no longer authorise any absence for medical reasons unless supported by medical evidence. I have to advise you that we monitor all pupils with poor school attendance and will take action when absence is unauthorised; this may lead to prosecution. 8

9 Therefore should Pupil s name have any further sessions of absence because of illness or medical reasons you are strongly advised to provide one of the following which may enable the Head Teacher to authorise your child s absence: Medical appointment card with one appointment entered Letter from a professional Medical note Medication prescribed by a GP Copy of prescription Print screen of medical notes Letters concerning hospital appointments Slip with date, pupils name and surgery stamp, signed by Receptionist Please be aware that telephone calls and handwritten notes from a parent/carer are not acceptable as medical evidence when attendance is of serious concern. I have to advise you as a parent/carer of a child of statutory school age, you have a legal responsibility to ensure full time education suitable to the child s age, ability and aptitude and any special educational needs the child may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise (Education Act 1996 Section 444). We work with parents to improve school attendance. Good attendance will mean that your child is able to achieve the best grades for their ability and have real opportunity in further education and the world of work. Absence disrupts the education of the individual pupil and the whole class. Children who do not attend regularly: do not achieve well in exams find it difficult to maintain friendships miss out on social events are more likely to become involved in crime If you feel that your child has ongoing or unresolved medical issues you are advised to approach your doctor urgently. If you wish to discuss the contents of this letter or your child s attendance please contact me. If you call and I am not available, please leave a message and contact telephone number. Yours sincerely, «School Representative» Job Title 9

10 Letter Two Spotlight - from Birmingham Local Authority: Insert Date Dear Parent, Spotlight on Attendance A very important message for all parents. School are working in partnership with parents to improve school attendance. We would like to congratulate the many parents who make sure their children attend school regularly. It is a parent s legal responsibility to ensure their children receive appropriate education. Failing to send your child to school regularly without good reason is a criminal offence. Absence disrupts the education of the individual pupil and the whole class. Are you aware that children who do not attend regularly: do not achieve well in exams find it difficult to maintain friendships are more likely to become involved in crime miss out on opportunities in further education and the world of work Absence can only be authorised by the Head Teacher, within the boundaries set by the Education (Pupil Registrations) (England) Regulations Please remember that parental illness, going shopping, visiting family, truancy, not wanting to go to school, alleged bullying (speak to school immediately to resolve the issue) are not acceptable reasons to be absent. All of these will be recorded as unauthorised absence, including if your child arrives at school after the close of registration. Leave in term time will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances. Legal action that may be taken include: Issuing penalty notices: Each parent receives a penalty notice for each child who has unauthorised absence. The penalty is 60 or 120 depending on how soon payment is made. So, if there are two parents and two children the total penalties could be up to 480. Failure to pay may result in prosecution. Taking parents to court for unauthorised absence: Education Act 1996 Section 444(1) - court can fine each parent up to 1000 per child, order payment of prosecution costs and/or impose a Parenting Order. 10

11 Taking parents to court for persistent unauthorised absence: Education Act 1996 Section 444(1A) - court can fine each parent up to 2,500 per child, order payment of the prosecution costs, impose a Parenting Order and/or sentence you to a period of imprisonment of up to 3 months. Being taken to court could result in you having a criminal record. How does your child compare? Attendance during one school year equals this number of days absent which is approximately this many weeks absent which means this number of lessons missed 90% 19 days 4 weeks 100 lessons 80% 38 days 8 weeks 200 lessons 70% 57 days 11.5 weeks 290 lessons Frequent absence can add up to a considerable amount of lost learning and can seriously disadvantage your child in adult life. If your child s level of absence is of serious concern you will receive another letter advising you about improving attendance. After this, any further unauthorised absence may result in the School and the Local Authority taking legal action. We will improve attendance by making it clear within the school and local community that unauthorised absence is not acceptable. You will be informed of the number of penalty notices issued, prosecutions and the level of fines. Again, we would like to thank those parents who make sure their child is attending school regularly and are therefore benefiting fully from their educational opportunity. Yours sincerely, Head Teacher 11