Attendance Policy

MISSION STATEMENT

The aim of this policy is to underpin our Mission Statement:

  • To provide all students and staff with the opportunity to work hard and achieve their personal best
  • To encourage personal, moral and spiritual development withinaChristian framework
  • To create and sustain an educational environment where everyone feels cared for and is equally valued
  • To develop links with parents/carers and encourage community involvement
  • To ensure that positive attendance allows the delivery of the Every Child Matters Agenda

OUR CORE VALUES

All work will be characterised by the following values:

  • Honourable Purpose: We aim to be positive in everything, doing what is good and aiming to benefit others as well as ourselves
  • Humility: We seek to do our personal best without bragging and to encourage others to achieve their best without being critical or jealous of their efforts
  • Compassion: We care for those who are in difficulty and who are hurting, recognising that the world does not exist for us alone
  • Integrity: We can be trusted to be honest and truthful, to say what we mean and to do what we say
  • Accountability: We recognise that having the freedom to express ourselves means we must also accept responsibility for our words, thoughts and actions
  • Courage: We aim to do what is right, whatever the danger; we face our fears and find ways of defeating them
  • Determination: We know that hard work and the refusal to give up are essential if we are to achieve anything worthwhile

Students who attend the most - achieve the most

Introduction:

Trinity Academy is a successful school and your child plays their part in making it so. We aim to provide a safe, secure learning environment and a rich, motivating curriculum which enables all members of the community to achieve their personal best by making a positive contribution and achieving economic well-being.

Our goal is to ensure that all students achieve their full potential in a learning environment where they feel safe, happy, accepted and included.

To enable our students to gain the greatest benefit from their education it is vital that they attend school regularly and on time every day the school is open, unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable.

It is very important, therefore, that parents and carers make sure that their child attends regularly and on time and this Policy sets out how, by working in partnership, we will achieve this.

Why Regular Attendance is so important:

Attendance is essential if young people are to achieve their personal best, it is the foundation of equality of opportunity, and has a direct impact on attainment and opportunities for future employment.

Any absence affects the pattern of a child’s schooling and regular absence will seriously affect their learning. In addition any student’s absence or lateness disrupts teaching routines which may impact upon and negatively affect the learning of other students.

Ensuring your child’s regular attendance at school is your legal responsibility and permitting absence from school without a good reason creates an offence in law and may result in prosecution ( The Education Act 1996, Sections 444(1) and 444(1a).

Understanding types of absence:

Every half-day absence from school has to be classified by the school (not by the parents), as either authorised or unauthorised. This is why information about the reason for any absence is always required, preferably in writing.

Authorised absences are mornings or afternoons away from school for a good reason like illness, emergency medical/dental appointments; which unavoidably fall in school time, family emergencies or other unavoidable cause.

Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider reasonable and for which no “leave" has been agreed. This type of absence can lead to the Local Authority using sanctions and/or legal proceedings. This includes:

  • Parents/carers keeping students off school unnecessarily
  • Truancy before or during the school day
  • Absences which have never been properly explained
  • Students who arrive at school too late to get a mark
  • Looking after family members
  • Shopping, birthdays, day trips and holidays in term time which have not been agreed

If your child appears reluctant to attend school, please ensure that you contact a member of school staff immediately to discuss any issues that might be negatively affecting your child’s school attendance. Please do not give in to pressure to excuse your child from attending school because this may give your child the impression that attendance does not matter and can make the situation worse. You can contact Mrs Cresswell, Education Welfare Officer at school on extension 171 if you are having problems getting your child to school and she will do her best to provide information, support and/or advice.

Parent/Carer Contact Details:

There are times when we need to contact parents about lots of things, including absence, so we need to have your accurate contact details at all times. Please help us to help you and your child by making sure we always have an up to date home address and telephone number. This is particularly important if we need to make urgent contact with you for example if your child is ill.

Absence Procedures:

If your child is absent you must:

  • Contact Mrs Blinkhorn the school’s Attendance Officer or Mrs Hill the Attendance Assistant by telephoning 01405810868 or 01405 813000 Ext 169 as soon as possible on the first and every day of absence.
  • Respond to all text messages that are sent to you from school with regard to your child’s absence.
  • Provide evidence of ‘emergency’ GP, dental or hospital appointments e.g. appointment card or letter of confirmation. Please note that non urgent medical and dental appointments should be arranged outside school hours. If unavoidable, permission to attend should be sought in advance.
  • Provide medical evidence to support continuous absence of one week or more e.g., hospital reports or information, copy of prescription, medication packaging which confirms your child’s identity. Without this evidence your child’s absence may remain unauthorised.

If your child is absent we will:

  • Text you on the first day of absence if we have not heard from you to find out the reason. (Mrs Blinkhorn: Attendance Officer or Mrs Hill: Attendance Assistant)
  • Telephone you on the third day of absence.
  • Send you a letter to express our concern if your child has been absent on two or more separate occasions.
  • If your child’s attendance remains a concern then we will arrange an Attendance Support meeting where you and your child can meet with a Pastoral Leader and our Education Welfare Officer; to enable supportive strategies to be put in place to improve attendance. If you do not respond to the letter of invitation or attend the meeting and your child’s attendance remains irregular then your child may be referred to the Local Authority Attendance and Student Welfare Service who may commence enforcement proceedings
  • Your child’s attendance will be monitored closely and if concerns remain then our Education Welfare Officer or Intervention Coordinators mayarrange to visit you at your home to discuss attendance issues and arrange any support that may be required.
  • Your child may be referred to the Local Authority Attendance and Student Welfare Serviceif your child hasunauthorised absence from school.

Please note that your child’s attendance will be monitored by the Pastoral Team on a regular basis and attendance may be discussed with your child to ensure that appropriate support is in place to encourage improved school attendance.

Persistent Absenteeism:

A student becomes a ‘Persistent Absentee’ when they miss 15% or more schooling across the school year for whatever reason and irrespective of whether the absence is authorised or unauthorised. Absence at this level is doing considerable damage to any child’s educational prospects and we need parents and carer’s fullest support and co-operation to tackle this.

At Trinity Academy we monitor all absence thoroughly. Any case that is seen to have reached the Persistent Absence mark or is at risk of moving towards that mark is given priority and action is taken to address this. It is very important that you co-operate with school staff to enable appropriate strategies and support to be put in place for your child.

If irregular attendance persists despite the ongoing support available, we have a duty as a school to inform the Local Authority Attendance and Student Welfare Service.

Lateness:

Poor punctuality is not acceptable. We expect students to arrive at school and individual lessons on time to avoid negative impact upon their learning and the learning of others.

How we manage lateness:

The school day starts at 8.25am and we expect your child to be in class at that time for morning registration, otherwise they will be given a late mark. In accordance with the Regulations, if your child arrives regularly more than 30 minutes after that time they will receive a mark that shows them to be on site, but this will not count as a present mark and it will mean they have an unauthorised absence. In addition your child may be given a ‘lateness’ detention.

If your child has a persistent late record and you have not responded positively to concerns raised with you by school staff; you will be asked to meet with Mrs Cresswell the school’s Education Welfare Officer. Please note that you can contact Mrs Cresswell at school, on extension 171, if you are having problems getting your child to school on time and she will do her best to provide information, support and/or advice.

Holidays during term time:

The Government has implemented new legislation effective from 1st September 2013 which means that no requests for holidays can be authorised except in exceptional circumstances.

When a parent/carer wishes to apply to take their child out of school during term time they must complete a leave of absence form and this should be submitted to the school at least 4 weeks before the proposed start of the holiday and before booking the holiday.

If you take your child on holiday during term time, without the authorisation of the Head Teacher, the Head Teacher will make a request to the Local Authority to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice. If a Fixed Penalty Notice is issued, the penalty is £60 per child, per parent/carer when the payment is made within 21 days, after 28 days it will increase to £120. Failure to pay within 28 days will result in a summons to appear before the Magistrates Court on the grounds that the parent/carer has failed to secure their child’s regular attendance at school. Please note that a separate Fixed Penalty Notice will be issued to each parent for each child and all monies are payable to the Local Authority

We look forward to your support in this drive to improve school attendance and encourage our young people to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available to them.

Any absence in term time destroys the continuity of your child’s education and reduces chances of success; which is why the Principal of Trinity Academy asks that you take your child on holiday when the school is closed.

Whole School Approach to Attendance:

Trinity Academy has a ‘whole’ school approach to attendance and it is crucial that all Trinity Staffwork together with Students, Parents, Carers and other relevant Professionals to communicate the attitude and belief that attendance at school is very important to the process of ensuring that young people have the best start in life through a positive, supportive and enabling education.Trinity has an Attendance Board that meets on a weekly basis to review data, identify issues and decide actions to support attendance improvement.

There are many pastoral staff in school to support your child with any issues of concern, these include their Tutor, Teaching and Learning Leader, Learning Mentors, Intervention Coordinators, Attendance Officers and Education Welfare Officer. All these staff works with the aim for your child to feel safe and happy in school and reach their true potential.

Mrs Michelle Cresswell has been employed by Trinity Academy as the school Education Welfare Officer to work in partnership with parents, carers, students, other agencies and school staff to provide specific and appropriate support to resolve any issues that prevent regular attendance. You can contact Mrs Cresswell at Trinity Academy on extension 171 if you would like information, support and/or advice with regard to any issues that impact upon your child’sattendance and/or punctuality.

Positive school attendance is advertised at every opportunity; on the attendance display board, plasma screens, during assemblies and in tutor time.

Student Premium

In 2011 additional funding called ‘The Student Premium’ was introduced by the Government. The funding is deployed by schools to ensure that the gap in attainment and achievement between students from low income families and others is addressed and students are not disadvantaged.

Trinity Academy is committed to ensuring that every student has the best possible chances of achieving their personal best. We aim to meet the individual needs of students by planning carefully to ensure that all funding which comes into school is utilised to ensure the best possible outcomes for them.

Some students in receipt of the Student Premium Grant have poorer attendance than their counterparts. To reduce this we have appointed Mrs Smith and Mr Liddle; two Intervention Coordinators in addition to our Education Welfare Officer and Attendance Team; to work with students identified as having poor attendance and with those at risk of poor attendance.Their work includes:

  • Organising and supervising a Breakfast Club
  • Personalised support/1 to 1 tuition
  • Attendance group work
  • Mentoring/Drop in
  • Liaison with appropriate staff regarding issues in school
  • Lesson Observations
  • Members of the Attendance Board that meets weekly

External Agency Support:

Trinity Academy has positive relationship with external support agencies that include:

  • Local Authority Attendance and Student Welfare Service
  • Integrated Family Support Service (IFSS)
  • South Yorkshire Police
  • The Hospital Link Unit
  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
  • The Emotional Logic Centre

Attendance Rewards:

Trinity Academy believes that it is very important to reward success and students with positive school attendance are eligible for the following:

  • The ‘Attendance Draw’ competition for each tutor groups years 7-11.

One person in each tutor group wins £50 at the end of the year for having attendance over 95%, with a further £50 draw for all students in each year group who have achieved 100%. Total reward funding £2500.

  • 100% Half Termly rewards of a ‘well done’ postcard, a chocolate bar and a Doncaster Rovers ticket voucher (during the football season) have proved popular amongst students since they were introduced in January 2011. This reward is achievable for all students in Years 7 to 13.
  • ‘Highest Attending Tutor Group’ - The Tutor Group in each year group (Y7 to Y13) with the highest attendance over a full half term will be rewarded and praised in the relevant assembly with a tin of chocolates.
  • The ‘Year 11 Prom’ is a major attraction for students and is only accessible to those students who attend school regularly and display positive school behaviour and engagement.

Trinity Academy Attendance Target:

School attendance at Trinity Academy has gradually improved over the last three years with attendance at 95.13% in April 2014.

Our aim is to continue to work closely with parents, carers and students to improve our attendance this year and successfully achieve our target of:

96%

Updated by MCR - April 2014