Attendance
At St. Andrew’s, we seek to ensure that all of our pupils receive a full-time education which maximises opportunities for each pupil to realise their full potential. We will strive to provide a welcoming, caring environment, where each member of the school community feels welcome and secure. All school staff will work with pupils and their families to ensure each pupil attends school regularly and punctually.
We understand that children may need to miss the occasional day of school due to illness. However, where children are consistently absent from school for a day, or even a morning every week, there is a proven negative effect on their achievement, their friendships and their overall wellbeing. Many of our pupils do manage to attend for 100% of the time, and as a minimum we look for at least 97% attendance for every pupil.
Research clearly demonstrates the link between regular attendance and educational progress and attainment. Pupils with excellent attendance also benefit from:
- Continuity of learning in lessons.
- Support and guidance with reading, writing and maths.
- Maintaining friendships.
- Developing good habits for adult life.
Attendance and Punctuality Facts
|
If in a school year, your child is late every day by… |
Your child will have lost approximately… |
|
5 minutes |
3 days of learning |
|
15 minutes |
2 weeks of learning |
|
30 minutes |
19 days of learning |
|
If your child’s attendance during the school year is… |
Your child will have lost approximately… |
|
100% |
0 days of learning |
|
95% |
9 days of learning |
|
90% |
19 days of learning |
|
85% |
28 days of learning |
|
80% |
38 days of learning |
What do I do if my child is unwell?
- Decide whether your child is unwell enough to stay at home. Could they attend school to see how they go?
- Contact the school office on 0161 432 2731 to inform us of your child’s absence and the reason for this between 8.00am and 8.30am.
If we have not heard from you or if we do not have a reason for absence...
- The school office will CHECK that your child is not in the building by going to your child’s classroom.
- You will receive a text from the school office asking why your child is not in school. Failure to respond to this text will result in a telephone call/home visit from Mrs Dix, our school Attendance Officer.
You will then need to inform school each subsequent day your child is off school.
What should I expect if my child’s attendance becomes a concern?
- Attendance will be monitored weekly by our Attendance Officer.
- If there are any concerns about your child’s attendance you will receive a letter informing you that your child’s attendance is being closely monitored.
- If your child’s attendance does not improve, you will be requested to attend an initial meeting with the Attendance Officer to discuss your child’s attendance in order to support you to improve it.
- If there are still concerns regarding your child’s attendance, the local authority will then be notified and a penalty notice may be issued.
What if my child has a medical appointment?
Medical appointments should be made out of school hours where possible. If your child has to see a doctor or dentist in school time, you should notify the school office; your child should attend school for as much of the day as possible. It is not permitted to take a whole day off school for a medical appointment. Evidence for medical appointments will need to be provided if they are during the school day.
Celebrating Good Attendance
We celebrate pupils' attendance every week during our Celebration Assemblies. We display class attendance on our attendance board in the Hall. The classes in Key Stage One and Key Stage Two who have achieved the highest attendance percentages each week receive certificates to display outside their classroom. We also celebrate classes who have achieved 97% or above for that week and focus on the weekly whole school attendance percentage.
At the end of each term, children with attendance of 97% or above for the term will receive a coloured badge to wear. Children with attendance between 95% and 97% for the term will receive a certificate.
Letter to Parents - Pupil School Attendance and Attendance Policy