Attendance and Punctuality at St Mary's
Our school aims to meet its obligations with regards to school attendance by:
· Promoting good attendance and reducing absence, including persistent absence
· Ensuring every pupil has access to full-time education to which they are entitled
· Acting early to address patterns of absence
We will also support parents to perform their legal duty to ensure their children of compulsory school age attend regularly, and will promote and support punctuality in attending lessons.
Every child should aim to achieve an overall attendance of 97%+ each academic year. Studies have shown that poor attendance is linked to poor attainment. At St Mary’s we want all our children to Enjoy and Achieve.
It is a parents’ legal responsibility to ensure the regular full-time attendance of their children. Miss Meah is the Attendance Officer for school working in conjunction with Mr C Aspin from the Education and Attendance Service.
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Attendance Letter 2022-2023 | [pdf 181KB] |
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Attendance Policy November 2022 | [pdf 231KB] |
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Educational Neglect Policy June 2020 | [pdf 227KB] |
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School Opening Times from Monday 9th January 2023
The Department for Education has announced that by September 2023, all mainstream schools will be expected to provide a compulsory week of at least 32.5 hours. This is part of Government plans to ensure that children and young people can fulfil their full potential in the classroom. Full details can be found at:- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/opportunity-for-all-strong-schools-with-great-teachers-for-your-child
The 32.5 hour minimum expectation includes the time in each day from the official start of
the school day (i.e. morning registration) to the official end to the compulsory school day
(i.e. official home time). The 32.5 hour minimum includes breaks and lunch times, as well as
teaching time and any extra-curricular activities that all pupils are expected to attend. It
does not include any optional before or after school provision.
The changes at St Mary’s are minimal and will be as follows:-
Nursery
Start - 8.55am
Collection – Between 3.00pm and 3.15pm
Reception
8.50am – 3.20pm
Key Stage 1
8.50am – 3.20pm
Key Stage 2
8.45am – 3.15pm
These changes will come into effect from Monday, 9th January 2023.
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Length of School Week Letter November 2022 | [pdf 215KB] |
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School Opening Times
Children arriving after theses time will have to sign in using the Inventry System in the main reception and will receive a late mark (‘L’ Code). Children arriving 30 minutes late will receive an unauthorised mark for the morning session (‘U’ Code). If children are 5 minutes late every day that adds up to over 3 days lost each year. 15 minutes late is the same as being absent for 2 weeks a year.
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If your child is 20 minutes late a day they lose: |
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1 hour 40 minutes |
6 hours 40 |
10 hours a half |
20 hours a term |
65 hours a school |
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a week |
minutes a |
term |
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year |
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month |
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This is |
This is |
This is |
This is equivalent |
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equivalent to |
equivalent to |
equivalent to 4 |
to 13 full days |
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over 1 full |
over 2 full |
full days |
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day |
days |
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Absenses
All absences must be reported by 9.30am on the first day of absence. If we receive no contact from yourself, we will endeavour to contact you via the school texting system or telephone you direct. If we are unable to make contact with you by telephone, a letter informing you of the absence will be sent out and a reply slip included for you to complete and return to school. Consequently, all absences without reason will be marked as unauthorised on your child’s attendance record. School and the School Health Advisor are able to offer advice and/or leaflets on exclusions due to illness e.g:
1. Chicken pox (child can return once the spots are healed over)
2. Diarrhoea and Vomiting (24/48 hours after last episode)
3. Coughs and colds (no absence required)
4. Head lice (no exclusion, treatment should be completed without absence
Furthermore, if your child is absent for two or more days there may be occasions when school requires parents to provide proof of illness; this can be in the form of a doctor’s letter, copy of prescription and or medication, which clearly show the dates corresponding with the absence. Certain circumstances may result in a home visit; where possible we will contact you prior to this to agree a convenient time.
Please ensure that school has your most up to date contact details; home address, current mobile number and Email address.
Pupils are required to attend school for 190 days each year
Schools absences and attendance figures:
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‘PUPIL’ Final Attendance for the year |
Equal to days absent |
Equal to weeks absent |
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95% |
9 days |
2 weeks |
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90% |
19 days |
4 weeks |
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85% |
29 days |
6 weeks |
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80% |
38 days |
8 weeks |
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75% |
48 days |
10 weeks |
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70% |
57 days |
11.5 weeks |
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65% |
67 days |
13.5 weeks |
Medicals
Where possible, please make medical appointments outside of school hours. However, we understand at times this is sometimes difficult, on these occasions please provide school with a medical card or letter. A medical appointment DOES reduce your child’s percentage attendance.
Please also be aware we are not able to authorise siblings being taken out of school when they do not have an appointment. These absences will be unauthorised.
Other Absenses
Children are required to attend school every day. Please be aware that absences for ‘snow’ ‘rain’ or ‘extreme cold weather’ days do affect your child’s overall attendance if they do not attend and if school make the decision to remain open during adverse weather conditions, absences will be unauthorised.
Sporting Activities
School acknowledge that there are occasions when children will be required to attend sporting tournaments, competitions or sporting exams during term time. Proof of this must be provided to school. School are unable to authorise competitions that are held over the weekend but where parents choose to travel to the venue on a school day.
Acting/ Modelling Applications
Whilst school supports extra-curricular activities, children who are required to attend auditions, assignments or productions during the school day, must put their application in writing to school, allowing at least one school week for the request to be processed. Each individual application will be considered. Governors agreed that a maximum of 5 days per term may be granted, taking in to account; any attendance concerns, the impact on the child’s academic progress and any events occurring at the time of the request.
Religious Observance
School encourage and support our children and their families to celebrate religious events, however children are expected to be in school every day leading up to religious festivals and back in school immediately after. If parents keep their children off school for longer than is entitled these days will not be authorised. School will only authorise the date of the festival, a maximum of 2 days per academic year.
Holidays in Term Time
Penalty Notices
School may at times request that a Penalty Notice, through the Education Attendance Service, is issued to a parent/carer, this will only be used when parent/carers have been informed of our concerns, offered support but do not work with us and/or show continued and sustained improvement. Penalty Notices will be requested for the following reasons;
1. Persistent unauthorised late arrival to school
2. Unauthorised absences were no reasons have been provided by the parent/carer or the reason is not accepted by school
3. Holidays during term time
Parents must from the 1st September 2013, pay £60 within 21 days or £120 within 28 days, this is per parent, per child’.
Fast Track to Attendance
Fast Track to Attendance is a time focused approach to improve attendance. The aim of Fast Track is to promote early intervention by school and where necessary by the Local Authority. The aim is to ensure that rapid and appropriate action is taken to tackle absence problems as soon as they become apparent. Failure to make and sustain changes will result in the Local Authority prosecuting through the courts.
Children Missing Education
At St Mary’s RC Primary, we believe all children, regardless of their circumstances or background are entitled to a full time education which is suitable to their age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs.
Pupil absence will be followed up on a daily basis as a matter of priority. Every child who has a continuous period of absence of three days or more will be required to provide proof of absence; home visits will also be undertaken.
School will follow the Education Attendance Service process when a child has been absent for three or more days without reason, contact will initially be via telephone, followed by a home visit and a letter. If after 10 school days no contact has been made, school will complete the Child Missing Education (CME) form and forward the schools investigation to the Local Authority, who will then follow their procedures. After a period of 20 days and on completion of all safeguarding checks, a child will be removed from school roll.
School follow Department for Education Statutory guidance, which can be found on the link below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-missing-education
Educational Neglect
School have adopted the Local Authority ‘Educational Neglect Policy. This policy links the effects of poor attendance to educational neglect and means that for those children whose attendance is particularly poor, a referral to children’s social care may be made.
Rewards
Weekly celebration assemblies are held; an attendance trophy is awarded to the class with the highest attendance. If a class achieves 100% they are rewarded with an ‘Own Clothes Day’.
Children with 100% attendance during a term receive a certificate.
Children are rewarded for whole year attendance at the end of the summer term. Children will receive a certificate; these differ dependent on percentage attendance achieved; Gold, Silver and Bronze award. Each child will then be placed in to a draw and have the opportunity to win a Family Ticket to the cinema.