Attendance Policy
This Policy should be read in conjunction with
the LA Attendance Policy, Strategy and Guidance
Introduction
The
Governors place the highest priority on attendance and punctuality. Good attendance maximises children’s opportunities
to make the best of the education we are offering. Absence from school undoubtedly has a detrimental effect on a pupil’s
progress and attainment. Days off school add up to lost learning, resulting in poorer progress, possible difficulties in forming
relationships and settling into groups and essential teacher time taken up with explanations of missed work to absentees.
Aims
- To improve and maintain the high level of attendance for pupils at Colebrook
Infant School
- To clarify the respective responsibilities of parents/carers and school with
regard to attendance
These
will be achieved by;
- Establishing procedures to monitor attendance and punctuality
- Rewarding good attendance and punctuality
- Creating efficient registration systems for class teachers
- Establishing clear procedures to distinguish between authorised and unauthorised
absence and late for registration
- Developing effective referral systems when a problem is identified, involving
external agencies where necessary
Responsibilities of the Parents/Carers
- To ensure that their children attend school regularly.
- Ensuring that their child only misses school for reasons which are unavoidable
or justified such as illness or days of religious observance
- To avoid family holidays and visits during term time.
- As far as possible to arrange medical appointments outside school hours
- To discourage absence due to minor ailments
- To discuss any problems about a child being unwilling to come to school with
the class teacher or headteacher, rather than keeping the child at home.
- To promote good attendance and punctuality
- To follow school procedures for reporting absence
- To ensure that their child arrives at school on time
- To ensure that their child is signed into school as per school procedure should
the child arrive late
- To ensure that their child follows the school disciplinary code
- To attend parents’ evenings and other meetings as necessary
- Being aware of letters that their child brings home from school
Responsibility of the School
Class Teachers
- To take the register promptly and accurately in the morning and in the afternoon
- To enter a code for absence, in consultation with the headteacher
if necessary
- To follow
up absences for which they do not have a slip or holiday form by informing the school office
- To encourage pupils who are trying to improve their attendance
- To discuss concerns with the headteacher,
who will if necessary, take these up with the parents/carers or Educational Welfare Officer if appropriate
Any member of staff taking absence messages
- Take written note of pupil and reason for absence
Office Staff
- To telephone parents/carers when notified by the class teacher that a child
for whom no slip or holiday form has been received is absent and note response
Headteacher
- To ensure that registers are accurate and apply the absence codes from the
DfES in line with the Governors’ decisions on authorised and unauthorised absences.
- To keep
a record of each academic year’s register for the following three years
- To liaise with class teachers on issues of pupils’ attendance
- To liaise with parents and pupils on issues of attendance
- To meet regularly with the school’s Educational Welfare Officer to discuss
and refer pupils with difficulties re school attendance
- To reward 100% attendance 3 times a year (at the end of terms 1&2, 3&4,
5&6) reward 100% attendance for the whole year
School Governors
- To review and update the Attendance Policy annually
The Role of the Educational Welfare Officer in School
- To monitor registers regularly
- To arrange regular meetings with the head
teacher to discuss and advise on problems related to school attendance
- To agree on action to be taken by the school/Education Welfare Service
- To liaise and make referrals with other agencies as appropriate
- To feedback and exchange information in relation to work that has been undertaken
by the Educational Welfare Officer/School
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