Attendance & School Term Dates
Attendance: general
Malpas Alport Endowed Primary School recognises the importance of good attendance and the impact it has on children’s progress, attainment, enjoyment of learning and relationships within school. Excellent attendance helps a child to realise their potential and ensure they are motivated, confident and enjoy a diverse range of curricular opportunities and experiences. Our school policy promotes excellent attendance, which is recognised and rewarded as an achievement. The school monitors attendance and ensures quick and early intervention if a problem is identified. We recognise that whole school preventative and proactive approaches are key to promoting children wellbeing and attendance.
The Governors, Head Teachers and staff wish to ensure every child has the opportunity to:
1. Fully participate in school life
2. Enjoy and achieve
3. Feel a valued member of the school community
A child must attend school every day that they are required to do so unless an exceptional circumstance applies. Children’s attendance has a direct impact on their attainment and for this reason it is important that, wherever possible, children are present in school.
Our Whole school target for attendance is 96%+
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?
- Let us know as soon as your child is absent and each day thereafter
- Try to avoid making appointments during term time or normal school hours
- Do not allow your child to stay off school unless it is unavoidable
- Provide medical evidence for appointments attended.
- Do not plan to take your child out of school for a holiday during term time
WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT YOUR CHILD’S ATTENDANCE? (see attached files for further guidance)
- Talk to your child, it may be a simple reason
- Talk to your child’s class teacher or a member of staff especially if our child appears to becoming anxious or worried about leaving you or about coming to school
Absence Procedures
If your child is not going to be in school for any reason, this needs to be reported by a telephone call TO SCHOOL. If we do not receive this notification, the absence will be marked as unauthorised.This will need to be done for each day that the child is absent from school BEFORE 8.30AM EACH MORNING. If we have not had notication of an absence by 9:15am, then the school will follow our safeguarding procedures.
Any illness or absence that is not reported to the office will be unauthorised.
Lateness and Punctuality
Pupils can attend school from 8:30am and school officially begins at 8:45am. All pupils are expected to be in school for registration at that time.
Register are taken at 8:45am
Registers close 8:50am
SAFEGUARDING: Any child who arrives after the gates are closed must be accompanied by a parent/carer and enter the school by the main entrance, reporting to the school office to sign in.
If pupils are not in class by 8:50am, they will be coded as ‘L’. Any late arrivals 9.15 be coded as ‘U’ which is an unauthorised absence for that session.
Leave of Absence
A child’s absence during term time seriously disrupts their continuity of learning. Not only do they miss the teaching on the days they are away but are less prepared for the lessons building on that teaching when they return to school. There is a consequent risk of under achievement, which we must seek to avoid.
In September 2013, amendments to the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006, make it clear that Head Teachers may not grant any Leave of Absence (holiday) during term time unless there are ‘exceptional circumstances’.
The Head Teacher and the Governing Body will determine what constitutes an exceptional circumstance on an individual basis. If parents/carers need to request Exceptional Leave of Absence, they must complete an ‘Exceptional Leave of Absence’ form available from the school office. It should be noted that if any application is declined and absence occurs of a consecutive 5 or more unauthorised days, then school may apply to the Local Authority for a Fixed Penalty Notice to be issued to each parent/carer.
The following will not be deemed to be exceptional circumstances:
- Family holiday
- Availability of less expensive holiday
- Availability of holiday accommodation
- Parent/carer’s working commitments
- Holiday pre-booked by another family member
Parental Guidance
Members of the Attendance Action Alliance have worked with the Department of Eduation to develop a short guide to help parents understand how they can work with school and the local authority to support their children to attend school and get the right support.
DFE guidance for parents on school attendance
ILLNESS
As a parent, it can sometimes be difficult to decide whether or not your child is well enough to go to school.
Missing lessons is upsetting for children and disruptive for the whole class and there is good evidence that children achieve better at school when they have good school attendance rates. Parents have a duty to ensure their child is not absent where this can be avoided. Schools may not authorise your child’s absence for a minor illness if they thought it was not necessary.
When should I keep my child off school?
Your child should only be kept away from school due to illness if they:
1. Have an infectious illness which could spread to other people
2. Need care during school hours that cannot be carried out in school
3. Are so unwell that they are not able to cope with lessons
The NHS website has useful advice here:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
Please refer to the douments below for information regarding our escalation procedures and also for support and advice.
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