NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDANCE POLICY THE SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENT

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1 Date ratified at Full Governors Meeting 16 July 2015 Review Date May 2019 Pastoral and Admissions Committee NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDANCE POLICY THE SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENT We are a Catholic High School where every person is a valued member of our community, invited to follow Christ s call to a life of Hope, Joy, Love, and Forgiveness. We are committed to fostering high expectations and developing the full potential of each individual so that they may become compassionate, interdependent, lifelong learners, striving to create a better and more peaceful world. I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full (John 10:10) If you need this document in large print, audio, Braille, alternative format or in a different language please contact the Company Secretary on and we will do our best to help. Page 1 of 12

2 NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDANCE POLICY Notre Dame High School is committed to providing a full and efficient education to all students and embraces the concept of equal opportunities for all. We will endeavour to provide an environment where all students feel valued and welcome. For a child to reach their full educational achievement a high level of school attendance is essential. We will consistently work towards a goal of 100% attendance for all children. Every opportunity will be used to convey to students and their parent/guardians or carers the importance of regular and punctual attendance. School attendance is subject to various Education laws and this school attendance policy is written to reflect these laws and the guidance produced by the Department for Education. Each year the school will examine its attendance figures and set attendance/absence targets. These will reflect both national and Norfolk attendance targets. The school will review its systems for improving attendance at regular intervals to ensure that it is achieving its set goals. This policy will contain within it the procedures that the school will use to meet its attendance targets. Page 2 of 12

3 School Procedures Any child who is absent from school at the morning or afternoon registration period must have their absence recorded as being authorised, unauthorised or as an approved educational activity [attendance out of school]. Only the Headteacher or a member of staff acting on their behalf can authorise absence. If there is no known reason for the absence at registration, then the absence must be recorded in the first instance as unauthorised. If any member of staff suspects that a child s absence is an indicator that they may be at risk they must alert a member of the safeguarding team. If, at any point, there is a risk of immediate serious harm to a child a referral should be made to children s social care immediately. Lateness Morning registration will take place at the start of school at 08:50. The morning registers will close at 09:30. Students arriving after 08:50 but before 09:30 will be marked as L Late (before registers closed) this is a statistical present mark but is used for lateness analysis and sanctions may be implemented where a student is regularly late to school. Any student arriving after 09:30 will be marked as U Late (after registers closed) which is an unauthorised absence. In cases for example, where the absence at registration was for attending an early morning medical appointment, the appropriate authorized absence code will be entered. In exceptional circumstances, such as significant and widespread delays to transport, the registers will remain open for longer and students will be marked as present as they arrive and avoid any late marks. The afternoon registration will be at 13:20. The afternoon registers will close at 13:50. Students arriving after 08:50 must sign the Late Book in the Pastoral Office. First Day Absence Parent/carers are expected to contact the school before 09:30 on the morning of the first day of student absence by phoning the school on and selecting option 2 on the answer phone menu, and stating the reason for their child s absence. If no explanation for absence is provided, the absence will be marked as O - Unauthorised absence (not covered by any other code/description). The school does not normally make telephone contact following the receipt of such absence messages. If a child is not present within 1 hour of registers closing and their absence has not been explained, an automated text message will be sent to parents/carers requesting that they contact the school. Page 3 of 12

4 Subsequent Days Absence Parents/carers are expected to inform the school on every day of any continuing absence. If a child is absent for two consecutive days and no acceptable reasons for the absence has been given, the relevant pastoral support worker will attempt to contact the parent/carer by telephone to follow up the absence and will alert the Pastoral & Attendance Support Manager and a member of the safeguarding team. Continuing Absence In the event of continuing absence without explanation a letter of concern will be sent to parents to request a meeting at school. Attempts will continue to be made to contact the family by any means possible. Ten Days Absence Any student who is absent without an explanation for 10 consecutive days will be notified to the Local Authority, by submitting an AT1 referral form to the Children s Services Attendance Team. The school will include details of the action that they have taken. Frequent Absence It is the responsibility of the Pastoral & Attendance Support Manager to be aware of and bring attention to, any emerging attendance concerns. In cases where a student begins to develop a pattern of absences, the school will try to resolve the problem with the parent/guardian/s. If this is unsuccessful the school will refer to the School Health Adviser if the problem appears to be a medical one. In other cases the school will seek advice from the school s Attendance Consultant or the County School Attendance Team. Absence of Vulnerable Students A regularly updated list of safeguarding cases is given to relevant staff to check against those absent. Absence of vulnerable students is notified to the Safeguarding Team on the day of absence. A Welcome Back It is important that on return from an absence that all students are made to feel welcome. This should include ensuring that the student is helped to catch up on missed work and brought up to date on any information that has been passed to the other students. Absence notes Notes received from parent/guardians explaining absence should be kept for the remainder of the academic year. If there are attendance concerns about the student, that may require further investigation, then the notes may need to be retained for a longer period. Page 4 of 12

5 Promoting attendance The school will use opportunities as they arise to remind parent/guardians, that it is their responsibility to ensure that their children receive their education. The Home/School agreement in the Student Planner is used in this way. Attendance Awards The school will use the following system to reward students who have good or improving attendance: An attendance raffle each term by year group. All students with 100% attendance for that term will be eligible; winners receive a 25 gift voucher. Attendance Targets The school will set attendance targets each year, published in the summary of aims (cornerstone). A system for analysing performance towards the targets will be established and a senior school manager will be responsible for overseeing this work. Children Missing in Education (CME) A child going missing from an education setting is a potential indicator of abuse or neglect, including sexual abuse or exploitation (further advice in guidance about children who run away or go missing from home or care 2009). The school will inform the local authority and provide relevant information of any student who goes missing from education so the relevant services can engage with them. The school will work supportively with students at risk of becoming CME to maintain engagement with education, working with outside agencies where appropriate (eg. YOT, Medical needs team). If after a month the situation has not been resolved, the Attendance Lead will complete and send a CME1 file to the local authority. The registration system The School will use its Computerised Management Information System for keeping the school attendance records. The following national codes will be used to record attendance information. CODE DESCRIPTION MEANING / Present (AM) Present \ Present (PM) Present B Educated off site (NOT Dual registration) Approved Education Activity Page 5 of 12

6 C Other Authorised Circumstances Authorised absence (not covered by another appropriate code/description) D Dual registration (i.e. student Approved Education Activity attending other establishment) E Excluded (no alternative provision Authorised absence made) F Extended family holiday (agreed) Authorised absence G Family holiday (NOT agreed or days Unauthorised absence in excess of agreement) H Family holiday (agreed) Authorised absence I Illness (NOT medical or dental etc. Authorised absence appointments) J Interview Approved Education Activity L Late (before registers closed) Present M Medical/Dental appointments Authorised absence N No reason yet provided for absence Unauthorised absence O Unauthorised absence (not covered Unauthorised absence by any other code/description) P Approved sporting activity Approved Education Activity R Religious observance Authorised absence S Study leave Authorised absence T Traveller absence Authorised absence U Late (after registers closed) Unauthorised absence V Educational visit or trip Approved Education Activity W Work experience Approved Education Activity X Untimetabled sessions for noncompulsory school-age students Not counted in possible attendances Y Enforced closure Not counted in possible attendances Z Student not yet on roll Not counted in possible attendances # School closed to students Not counted in possible attendances Registers by law must be kept for at least 3 years. Computer registers are printed out at least once a month and bound into annual volumes. Register Security Registers are held in a secure management Information System (CMIS) and require staff passwords for access. All register data is backed up in the event of any technical issue. Page 6 of 12

7 Appendix 1 The Law The Education Act 1996 Part 1, Section 7 states: The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient fulltime education suitable- [a] To his age, ability and aptitude and [b] To any special needs he may have. either by regular attendance at school or otherwise. For educational purposes the term parent is used to include those that have parental responsibility and/or those that have the day to day care of the child. The legislation that appertains to children who are of compulsory school age and are registered at school is contained within this Act. Part V1 Section 444 contains the details of when an offence is committed if a child fails to attend school. Register and Admission Roll keeping. The legal requirements are found in: The Education [Student Registration] (England) Regulations 2006 Page 7 of 12

8 Appendix 2 Categorisation of Absence Any student who is on roll but not present in the school must be recorded within one of these categories. 1. Unauthorised Absence 2. Authorised Absence 3. Approved Educational Activity 1. Unauthorised absence This is for those students where no reason has been provided, or whose absence is deemed to be without valid reason. 2. Authorised absence This is for those students who are away from school for a reason that is deemed to be valid under the Education Act Approved Educational Activity This covers types of supervised educational activity undertaken off site but with the approval of the school. Note Students recorded in this category are deemed to be present for attendance returns purposes. This would include: Work experience placements Field trips and educational visits Sporting activities Link courses or approved education off site Most types of dual registration Appendix 3 Related School Policies Behaviour for Learning policy Holidays in Term Time policy Safeguarding (Child Protection) policy Page 8 of 12

9 Appendix 4 NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL SIXTH FORM ATTENDANCE POLICY SUMMARY Students are expected to be in school for ALL OF their timetabled commitments and there is an expectation that Notre Dame sixth form students will contribute to the school community beyond their timetabled commitments. Absence known about in advance must be mentioned to the tutor and appropriate evidence produced. Unavoidable absence must be explained to the tutor as soon as possible a telephone call on the day would be most immediate a letter on return would also be appropriate. It is the student s responsibility to make sure they are registered as present and that any absence, which may be deemed authorised, is backed up by the appropriate evidence Students are expected to achieve at least a 90% attendance record for timetabled lessons and form periods INTRODUCTION - ATTENDANCE (1) How will this attendance information be collected? By registration in the first instance. It is assumed that all lessons are attended, unless the subject teacher has been informed of and where relevant, agreed to, absence. Please note that it is the students responsibility to make sure that they are registered for all form periods and lessons this is particularly important if a member of staff other than the form tutor/subject teacher marks the register. Students can be marked in as late, but only by a member of staff. ABSENCES (2) Absences will be considered to be unauthorised unless there is a valid reason otherwise. In other words, where there is an absence and the student wishes to claim this as authorised, it is up to the student to notify the school in line with this policy. If the reason for absence could have been foreseen, then the student should have applied in advance for authorised absence with their tutor. So, for example, it might be acceptable for a student to attend an Open Day if this was applied for in advance; but it would not be acceptable to miss classes without prior notification and then to claim that the absence should be authorised. It is not acceptable for a student to arrange absence from school on a day when there is any form of official examination or assessment is scheduled to take place except in extreme circumstances. Where the claimed reason for absence could not reasonably have been foreseen, the school will consider whether the absence was really unavoidable. An absence, which could not have been notified in advance, should be notified to the school on the day in question; unless, exceptionally, Page 9 of 12

10 there is a good reason why this could not be done. In this circumstance, the tutor needs to be contacted as soon as possible, preferably at the next tutor session. a) Absences which can be foreseen in advance. Absences will only be authorised in advance if the reason given for the absence is valid. b) Absences which cannot be foreseen in advance Where an absence genuinely could not be foreseen in advance, the student should make arrangements to tell the school as soon as possible on the day in question that they will be missing classes. Where a student has failed to do this, the absence will be treated as unauthorised. The only exception to the principle above is where the student can supply a strong reason why they failed to contact the school that day. Sickness Absence The expectation is that parents/carers must explain a short illness with a letter or telephone call, up to a maximum of 8 days per year. Beyond this, supporting medical evidence will be required (e.g. letter from medical practitioner, prescription, appointment card). Although parents/carers are expected to explain absences, the decision to authorise absences remains with the school. The request for medical evidence to support the authorisation of absences for sickness may be implemented before 8 days in the year if the level of absence is felt to be of concern (e.g. a number of absences in a short period of time, lots of absences early on in the year/term) The school is entitled to turn down applications for authorised sickness absence if we have reason to doubt the validity. Clearly, an emerging pattern of non-attendance due to sickness without explanation would be unacceptable. Page 10 of 12

11 Appendix 5 The Local Authority has introduced a system where any pupil who has an attendance of 85% or less with at least 15% unauthorised absence over a 6 week period or 10 consecutive sessions unauthorised absence will meet the criteria for legal intervention which could be in the form of a Fixed Penalty Notice. This includes unauthorised leave in term time. (Please refer to Holiday in term time policy) Dear Parent/Guardian, Attendance at school and legal intervention Ensuring that our students have a high level of attendance is vital for them to progress and achieve their best. Our exam data shows a clear link between students with low attendance and under performance. The Local Authority has introduced a system where any pupil who has an attendance of 85% or less with at least 15% unauthorised absence over a 6 week period or 10 consecutive sessions unauthorised absence will meet the criteria for legal intervention which could be in the form of a Fixed Penalty Notice. Starting from 23 rd April 2014 any pupil at Notre Dame who meets either criteria, will be referred to the Local Authority for action to be considered. Please note that this will include unauthorised holidays. We would like you to be aware that if a Fixed Penalty Notice is issued it is a fine of 60 per parent per child which must be paid in one payment in 21 days. If unpaid a further invoice for 60 per parent per child is issued, both individual invoices would then have to be paid making a total payment of 120 in 28 days Failure to pay the total amount within the timescale will result in legal action being taken. Our aim is to ensure that our pupils receive the most from their education and I hope that we can count on your support in this matter. Yours sincerely, Mr B. Conway Headteacher Page 11 of 12

12 Appendix 6 Missing Child Process Form Tutors take a register at 8:50am and 1:20pm. Teachers must take a subject register at the start of their lesson. If a student has been registered as present in school, but is not in a lesson the follow process must be followed. Teacher contacts Pastoral Office by phone to inform that a student registered present in school is absent from their lesson. Or, LSC ring to inform that a student has walked out. If Pastoral Office can't be contacted, ring Main or Student Reception who must then contact Pastoral. Pastoral Office inform AHSW and PASM in person or by phone. If not contactable, contact DH or Head. They are identified as the Lead and must follow through the incident. Pastoral Office check if student is on Safeguarding list. If yes, ensure a Safeguarding Officer informed by phone. Pastoral Office find out when student was last seen and confirm they are no longer on site. Pastoral Office inform Main and Student Reception and whoever is on Patrol that a student is missing. Lead makes a decision whether police are to be contacted straight away. Pastoral Office contact parents on any available numbers to inform them and ask what number they can be contacted on in 30 mins. Parents asked if the Police should be contacted straight away. 30 mins after last call, parents contacted again. In discussion with Lead, a decision is made with the parents whether to contact the Police. If after 1 hour of the student going missing it has not been possible to contact the parents, the Lead must contact the Police and record the incident number. The student s teachers for the remainder of the day are informed that the student is missing and to phone Pastoral Office if they return. Page 12 of 12