Update Approved: March 2015 All policies are available to stakeholders either on the school website or upon request from the school office.

Transcription

1 Name: Attendance Policy Approved by: Governors TLW&B Committee Policy Created: 2010 Review: 2 years Update Approved: March 2015 All policies are available to stakeholders either on the school website or upon request from the school office. PRINCIPLES The Attendance Policy is guided by and committed to the following principles: Altrincham Grammar School for Girls is a selective school for girls aged years. It is situated in the south of the Borough of Trafford and it draws its pupils from a wide geographical area. A significant number of pupils travel to this school from outside Trafford. Some pupils travel for up to one hour to and from school each day. Despite that, the school is very proud of its attendance record. Most pupils achieve 3% absence and lower each year and those who do not are often those who have been absent through long term illness. The principles in this policy concur in all respects with the aims and vision of the Bright Futures Educational Trust As a school we aim to maintain and raise levels of achievement by ensuring the highest possible levels of attendance, punctuality and involvement in school. PURPOSE The aims of this Attendance Policy are to: To maintain our high attendance record and to improve on it by focusing on individuals and groups, where appropriate. 1. To keep an accurate and up-to-date record of attendance. 2. To identify causes of non-attendance and to take appropriate action. 3. To inform parents/carers of attendance and punctuality issues. 4. To work closely with the Education Welfare Officer to support the wellbeing of the pupils. 5. To work closely with a pupil/student who has been absent for a prolonged period of time, or for a period of absence over a series of separate days. 6. To be consistent with the application of this policy. POLICY The Form Tutor It is the Form Tutor s responsibility to take the online register each morning. This register should be completed accurately and the register folder containing messages must be returned promptly to the collection points after each registration session. Form Tutors should inform Senior Tutors/Assistant Senior Tutors if they feel the attendance of a pupil in their form is giving cause for concern. Pupils/students will be made aware of the late registration procedures. They will be reminded of these by form tutors. Form tutors are also responsible for making sure their pupils/students understand the importance of regular and prompt attendance at school.

2 The Subject Teacher It is the subject teacher s responsibility to take a register at the start of each lesson and to make a note of any pupil/student who leaves the room during the lesson for whatever reason. The subject teacher should enquire of the group as to why the pupil is absent and should, if there are any unexplained absences, inform the Pastoral Assistant or Sixth Form Administrators immediately. The Senior Tutor The Pastoral Assistant or Sixth Form Administrator gives half-termly records of all lates and absences to the Senior Tutors of each year group and to the Vice Principal/Head of Sixth Form. The Senior Tutors monitor patterns of absence and, where appropriate, follow this up by contacting the pupils/student s parents or carers to raise their concerns either via letter or telephone call. In some cases, the Senior Tutor will ask the parent/carer to attend a meeting in school to discuss the pupil s/student s attendance. When a pupil returns to school after a long-term absence, the Senior Tutor is responsible for ensuring that a reintegration programme is in place for the first morning of the pupil s/student s return to school. Leadership Team When it is felt appropriate, after consultation with Senior Tutors, the Pastoral Assistant and the Education Welfare Officer, the parents/carers of a pupil/student with poor punctuality or attendance may be asked to attend a meeting with the Vice Principal, Head of Sixth Form or the Principal. This meeting will be to discuss poor attendance and/or punctuality and to explain to parents/ carers the effects this may have on the pupils /students education and achievements. Further close monitoring, support and appropriate sanctions will be put in place following this meeting. The Pastoral Assistant and Education Welfare Officer (Year 7-11) - Daily and Weekly Monitoring The Pastoral Assistant/ Sixth Form Administrator will contact the family of any pupil/student who is absent without notification on the first morning of the absence. First day absence contact is a priority in this school. The Pastoral Assistant / Sixth Form Administrator will keep comprehensive records of these absences. In the case of a pupil/student whose absences are a cause for concern, that is a pupil/student whose attendance is dropping below an acceptable level for this school for no apparent reason, the Education Welfare Officer will be asked to meet with that pupil/student and explain the consequences of such poor attendance. The Education Welfare Officer will also offer advice and support to the parents/carers and the pupil and will work with the school to support the pupil s wellbeing. If the pupil s/student s attendance does not improve, during the Pastoral Assistant s weekly meeting with the Education Welfare Officer and after consultation with the Senior Tutors and/or the Vice Principal, the Education Welfare Officer will be asked either to contact the parents/carers or to visit the pupil s/student s home.

3 This procedure will also be followed for a pupil/student who is persistently late, providing school has taken measures to address the lateness. If the pupil s/student s attendance does not improve, and in accordance with the Trafford guidelines on attendance, the Education Welfare Officer may commence formal legal proceedings which will start with the parents/carers being issued with a penalty notice on behalf of Trafford Local Authority. This may be followed by the issue of a parenting order. If there continues to be no improvement there may follow a prosecution by the Education Welfare Service on behalf of the Local Authority. Persistent Absence If a pupil s attendance falls below 85% they are defined by the Department of Education as persistently absent. At this level their progress and development may be significantly impaired. The case may be referred to the Education Welfare Officer who will contact the family and offer to visit them at home to address any concerns and offer support. If attendance does not subsequently improve, an Attendance Panel Meeting will be called by the Educational Welfare Officer, and parental contracts or legal proceedings may follow. Punctuality Procedures Pupils/Students need to be in school on time at 8.40 am each day when registration begins. It is important that all pupils/students make a good start to the day and are ready to learn. If a pupil arrives after 8.40 am but before 10.05am (when registers close) they will be given a late mark (L), after this time pupils will be marked with a U code (unless they are attending a medical appointment. Procedures are in place if a pupil/student is late on a number of occasions. Parental/Carer Responsibility To ensure that the pupil/student leaves for school on time each day. Not to take the pupil/student out of school in term time. Contact the Form Tutor, Senior Tutor or the Pastoral Assistant / Sixth Form Administrator if they notice problems arising with attendance at school. Provide a written explanation for a pupil s/student s absence from school. If no letter has been sent in advance, to ring the school on each day of the pupil s/student s absence On the day of the pupil/student returning to school, to send a letter to the pupil s/student s form tutor containing a full explanation of the pupil s/student s absence. Absences will not be authorised without a written letter to explain the reason for absence. In the case of a medical/dental appointment, to inform the Pastoral Assistant, in advance, of the date and time of the appointment. The Pastoral Assistant will then inform the necessary subject teacher of the appointment. Parents /Carers guidance on these measures can be found on Pupils /Students Responsibilities To arrive at school in time to be in their form rooms for registration at 8:40 a.m. To arrive on time for lessons and should pack their bags before form time in preparation for their lessons. To bring a note to school when returning after an absence and to give this to their form tutor. To follow the late procedures:

4 Any pupil who arrives late for registration or misses registration for any reason must sign in at Reception or the Sixth Form Office. If a pupil/student needs to leave school before the end of the school day, she must either bring a letter of authorisation from her parent/carer, or parents/carers can send an or contact school prior to the date of the appointment to inform the Pastoral Assistant or Sixth Form Administrators. Parents/carers or a listed contact for pupils in Year 7-11 must come into school to Reception to collect their daughter and sign her out. A pupil/student who attends the Leisure Centre must follow special procedures which are: To sign out when she leaves school and sign in on her return to school. If attending the Leisure Centre period 1, to sign in on her arrival at school, with the PE teacher. A pupil who is persistently late must realise that sanctions will be imposed if there is no acceptable reason for her persistent lateness. Special Leave Requests The Principal will consider all requests for a pupil/student to take time off school during the term. The appropriate form should be obtained by the pupil/student from the School Reception, and parents/carers should complete it and return it to school promptly for the attention of the Vice Principal. In almost every case, six weeks notice should be given of any such request. The parents/carers will be notified of the Principal s decision. The Government does not allow time off for family holidays and requests will only be granted in exceptional circumstances. Granting such special leave is always at the discretion of the Principal. Requests for time off school will not be granted for the start and end of any half term/term. When a request has been refused, any absence during that period will be recorded as unauthorised absence. If a parent/carer still takes the pupil/student out of school when a request has been refused, the Principal will issue the parent/carer with a Penalty Notice and further action may be taken. If a pupil/student is absent for two days either at the beginning or end of a half-term or term, the school will ask for evidence of their illness (medical certificate) or, in certain circumstances, request the Education Welfare Officer to visit. No holidays will be authorised during the run up to examination periods, or during mock examinations If the pupil/student is sitting External Examinations and is taken out of school when a request has been refused, the Principal reserves the right to withdraw the school s support for the pupil s/student s public examination entries and parents will have to pay privately for all their daughter s examinations, including any controlled assessments. Alternative Examination Centres If parents/carers wish to enter pupils/students for external examinations at a different examination centre, the Assistant Vice Principal must be informed, in writing. Parents/Carers may then be invited into school to discuss the matter further. The school cannot support the entering of a pupil/student at another examination centre if the subject is offered at AGGS. Where parents/carers have elected to enter a pupil/student for external examinations through an alternative examination centre, no study leave can be authorised prior to an

5 examination. If a pupil/student does not attend school, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised. In the event of a subject clash, where a pupil/student has been entered for an external examination through an alternative examination centre, the examination paper sat at AGGS must take priority. AGGS cannot be responsible for any supervision of pupils/students required when moving from one examination centre to another. It is the responsibility of parents/carers to arrange transport for pupils/students to and from the alternative examination centre where they are sitting the examination. Exclusions In the case of exclusion, the separate exclusion policy procedures will be followed Conclusion The school makes it clear to both staff and pupils/students that the issue of attendance is of the highest priority. The facility which enables parents/carers to access their daughter s attendance record by the daily checking of the SLG information will ensure that parents/carers are kept up to date. Parents/Carers who do not wish to use this facility can ask the Pastoral Assistant / Sixth Form Administrator for their daughter s attendance record at any time. Attendance and punctuality are also recorded on the pupil s/student s reports which are sent home during the school year and can also be accessed through the SIMS Learning Gateway by parents/carers. Responsibility Responsible Staff Policy administrator Approving body Mrs Ogunmyiwa; Mrs Galvin Mrs Ogunmyiwa TL&WB CHANGE HISTORY Version Approval Date Approved by Changes Nov 2012 TL&WB Dec 2014 March 2015