Attendance
Regular and full time attendance is essential if children are to benefit fully from their time at school.
Due to Government Advice and Guidance, our school will no longer be able to authorise Absence from Learning (Holiday Requests) during term time. This change came into effect September 2013.
Under instruction from the Education Welfare Department, the current expectation for pupil attendance in school is at least 95% or above which would allow for 12 sessions (6 days) for sickness or authorised absence. Should your child’s attendance fall below this expectation our Attendance procedure will be followed. All attendance is closely monitored by Mrs Miles (Safeguarding and Welfare Lead) and Mrs Punchard (Data Manager). Please contact Mrs Miles if you have any concerns around your child’s attendance.
Attendance Policy & Procedures 2023-2024
9.00 – 12.00 – Morning Session
1.00 – 3.15 – Afternoon Session (Reception finish at 3.10pm)
Children can enter their classrooms from 8.45 a.m. Children arriving after 8.57am must be taken to the office for registering. They will then be marked as late in the register. The school gate closes at 8.57am to allow your child time to reach the classroom in time for morning registration at 9am. If your child arrives after 9.20am this will be recorded as an unauthorised late, resulting in a missed morning mark.
Procedures for Authorised and Unauthorised Absence
The school uses computerised SIMS registers. These are the responsibility of Mrs Punchard (Data Manager) who works closely with Mrs Miles (Safeguarding and Welfare Lead).
Absence due to illness – if your child is unwell and unable to attend school please call the school absence line on 01202 778181 (press 1) and leave a message including name, class and brief details of illness, you will need to call each day of your child’s absence for this to be authorised. The absence line is available 24hrs. If your child has had sickness/diarrhoea they cannot return to school until they are 48hrs clear from their last episode.
Absence due to medical appointments – If your child has a medical/hospital appointment during the school day please notify the school office and provide evidence of the appointment. Dentist appointments should be made outside of the school day.
Leave of Absence Requests
If you should require absence from school during term time you will need to complete a ‘Request for leave in term time due to exceptional circumstances’ form (see below) and return to the school office who will confirm your request once it has been processed. All requests will be recorded as unauthorised and will incur a Fixed Penalty Notice Fine (FPN) from the BCP Council unless deemed as ‘Exceptional Circumstances’.Leave in Term Time Request Form
Attendance Matters!
The parents/carers of children who are absent who have not provided a reason for absence will be contacted by telephone and/or text (via Parentmail) to ascertain the reason for the absence. If no contact is made then a home visit may be made to establish the welfare of the child. If no contact is made by 11.00am the absence will be recorded as unauthorised, a call must be received for every day your child is not able to attend, a message can be left on the school absence line 24hrs a day. All parents/carers have a legal obligation to notify the school when their child is unable to attend.
School Attendance Audits are carried out every half-term by Mrs Punchard (Data Manager). Meetings then follow with Mrs Miles (Safeguarding and Welfare Lead) and Mrs Perry (Headteacher) to discuss the reported children. Where attendance is poor or erratic, the school attendance procedure will be followed and support given to parents/carers to help try and improve attendance. Persistently absent children will be closely monitored and parents/carers may be invited to attend an Attendance Meeting with the school to discuss further.
Every week a trophy/certificate is presented in assembly to the 'Class of the Week'. This is the class who has achieved the highest attendance for the week. A trophy/certificate is also presented to the 'Class of the Term' at the end of every half-term.
Children will also be presented with a certificate at the end of each term if they achieve 100% attendance - Bronze for Autumn, Silver for Autumn and Spring and Gold for Autumn, Spring and Summer.
The DfE Booklet, Policy and Practice on School Attendance “ states ‘…only the school, in the context of the law, can approve absence – not parents….’. Absences such as a child’s birthday, buying clothes, hairdressing appointments etc. may be condoned by parents but will be classified as unauthorised by the school.
Please click here to view our Attendance and Lateness Matters Poster
Attendance Agreement / Contract
We request that all parents/carers sign our 'Attendance Agreement / Contract' this will then be held on file for the period of attendance at Stanley Green Infant Academy. Attendance Agreement / Contract