Upton Junior School

Attendance Policy 2022

Our school welcomes your child. We are excited to get started on this year’s lessons and activities.

Help your child attend today to achieve tomorrow.

If your child is registered at our school, it is our responsibility to work with you and your family to ensure regular school attendance. Good attendance is linked to better life chances in the future.

In our school we have a member of senior leadership who leads on attendance as well as your child’s class teacher and our family support worker/attendance officer who are always happy to talk.

In the event of your child being absent, to support attendance we may:

• make daily contact with you to seek information on your child’s well-being and reason for absence
• visit you at home as part of our safeguarding responsibility
• meet with you and your child to find agreed solutions to any barriers in attending
• make reasonable adjustments to help your child attend
• work with you to decide on a plan to include your child’s voice in helping them attend
• seek outside agency help as needed
• keep records of any absence and reasons for absence
• inform the local authority if needed

Missing school can mean missing out.

Talk to us if your child is having difficulties coming to school.

Please phone the school by 9 O’clock on the first morning of absence and each morning after that. This helps us keep your child safe.

If we are not satisfied with the reason for absence, we may not authorise the absence. If your child has more than 10 unauthorised absences in any 8-week period we may issue a fixed penalty notice warning and alert the local authority.

Attendance Policy

Attendance Lead: Katie Stacey

Attendance Officers: Tammy Johnson

Registration begins: 8.40am

Present mark given until: 8.55

Late mark given between: 8.55am and 9.25am

U code, un-authorised absence, applied after: 9.25

This policy adheres to Department of Education guidance found here School attendance guidance (publishing.service.gov.uk)  Parents are responsible for making sure that their children of compulsory school age receive a suitable full-time education as stated here Stat guidance template (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Statement of Intent

For a child to reach their full educational achievement a high level of school attendance is essential. We are committed to providing an education of the highest quality for all our pupils and endeavour to provide an environment where all pupils feel valued and welcome. Parents/ Carers and pupils play a part in making our school so successful. Every child has a right to access the education to which he/she is entitled. Parents/carers and teachers share the responsibility for supporting and promoting excellent school attendance and punctuality for all. It is our duty to consistently strive to achieve a goal of 100% attendance for all children. Every opportunity will be used to convey to pupils and their parents or carers the importance of regular and punctual attendance. For our children to take full advantage of the educational opportunities offered it is vital your child is at school, on time, every day the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable. The routines children develop around attendance and punctuality at school are the same as the expectations of any future employer in the world of work. High attainment, confidence with peers and staff, and future aspirations depend on good attendance.

Good attendance is important because:

 · statistics show a direct link between under-achievement and absence below 95%

 · regular attenders make better progress, both socially and academically

 · regular attenders find school routines, school work and friendships easier to cope with

 · regular attenders find learning more satisfying

 · regular attenders are more successful in transferring between primary school, secondary school, and higher education, employment or training.

Legal framework/ responsibilities

Parents and carers are responsible for ensuring that children attend and stay at school. It is the responsibility of the school to support attendance and to take problems seriously which may lead to non-attendance.

Penalty Notices may be issued under the Local Authority’s (LA) Code of Conduct for the use of Penalty Notices in Cases of Non-Attendance at school. A copy of this Code of Conduct can be obtained from the Attendance Officer or the Education Welfare Service.

Roles and responsibilities

Responsibilities of classroom staff 

· Ensure that all pupils are registered accurately.

· Promote and reward good attendance with pupils at all appropriate opportunities.

· Liaise with the attendance leader on matters of attendance and punctuality.

 · Communicate any concerns or underlying problems that may account for a child’s absence.

· Support pupils with absence to engage with their learning once they are back in school.

Responsibilities of Pupils

· Attend every day unless they are ill or have an authorised absence.

· Arrive in school on time.

· Take responsibility for registering at the reception desk if they are late or are leaving the school site during school hours.

Responsibilities of parents/carers

Ensuring your child’s regular attendance at school is a parent/carer’s legal responsibility (Section 444 of the 1996 Education Act) and permitting absence from school that is not authorised by the school creates an offence in law.

Parents/Carers will:

· inform the school on the first day of absence

 · discuss with the tutor/class teacher any planned absences well in advance

· support the school with their child in aiming for 100% attendance each year

· make sure that any absence is clearly accounted for by telephone or text on the first and subsequent days of absence, or by letter if a phone is unavailable

· avoid taking their child out of school for non-urgent medical or dental appointments

· only request leave of absence if it is for an exceptional circumstance.

Interventions/ Reward Systems

98- 100%- This is excellent attendance

97.9% - 96%- Your child’s attendance is good and you are giving them the best chance of success.

95.9% - 92%- Attendance at this level is becoming a concern and you will need to have a conversation with a member of staff. We may use the following strategies to help with your child’s attendance.

• Letters/postcards home for attendance improvements 
• Targeted Clinic for parents – Coffee morning, keeping in touch, help and support with pastoral team 
• Transport problem solving 
• Remote offer of work – through Oak Academy while reengagement plan in place to help child come to school more regularly 
• Environmental review and consideration of sensory needs  
• Access to pastoral / ELSA support if appropriate 

Attendance anywhere below this will be monitored closely with targeted additional support. Your child is considered a Persistent Absentee and attendance is a serious concern. This may trigger a referral to the Local Authority to consider legal interventions and statutory action. Our aim is to support with reintegration and we may use any and all of the support and provision listed on the graduated response.

Below 50%- Your child is considered a Severe Absentee and will be subject to intervention from the Local Authority, legal interventions, statutory action including fixed term penalties and possible referral to other outside agencies for a supported return.

Legal Interventions

There are a number of Legal actions open to a school, Academy Trust or Local Council to enforce school attendance. Local councils and schools can use various legal powers if your child is missing school without a good reason. These Include:

• A Parenting Order
• An Education Supervision Order
• A School Attendance Order
• A fine (sometimes known as a ‘fixed penalty notice’)

Improving Attendance at is a priority and as such, we may use any of the above enforcement actions if our internal procedures have not resulted in improved attendance. 

Lateness/Punctuality

It is important to be on time at the start of the morning and afternoon school sessions and to lessons. The start of school is used to give out instructions or organise work. If your child is late, they can miss work time with their class teacher getting vital information, cause disruption to the lesson for others, and it can be embarrassing leading to possible further absence.

· The school day begins at 8.55am and all pupils are expected to be in school at this time. Morning registration opens at 8.40am and it closes at 9.25am.

 · All lateness is recorded daily. This information will be required by the courts, should a prosecution for non-attendance or lateness be necessary.

· Arrival after the close of registration (9.25am) will be marked as unauthorised absence and coded U in line with Department of Education guidance. This mark shows them to be on site, but is legally recorded as an absence.

· If a pupil is late due to a medical appointment, they will receive an authorised absence, coded M. Please be advised that, where possible, doctors and dentist appointments are to be made outside of school hours or during school holidays. Department for Education guidance suggests all official registers should be closed a maximum of 30 minutes after the start of school – but schools can choose to use a shorter period.

Pupils who are consistently late are disrupting not only their own education but also that of the other pupils. Ongoing and repeated lateness is considered as unauthorised absence and will be subject to legal action. Parents, guardians or carers of pupils who have patterns of lateness will be contacted to discuss the importance of good time keeping and how this might be achieved.

If lateness persists parents, guardians or carers will be invited to attend the school and discuss the problem and support offered. If support is not appropriate or is declined and a child has 10 or more sessions of unauthorised absence due to lateness recorded in any 10-week period, the school or LA will be required to issue parents/carers with a Penalty Notice.

If you collect your child, please collect your child promptly at the end of the school day. Where late collection is persistent and/or significantly late, the school is obliged to take any uncollected pupil to a place of safety and share concerns, as necessary, with other agencies. If one is available, the school will place a child into the after-school club and provide the parent/carer with the bill.

Absence Due to Illness

It is recognised that children can become ill and may occasionally need to have time off school. If the authenticity of illness is in doubt, school will request parents to provide medical evidence to support the illness.

Letters and recommendations from medical professionals will be considered on a case-by-case basis but will not automatically be seen as a reason to authorise an absence.

Absences due to parents/carers health or medical procedures will not be authorised. 

If your child is unwell and you are unsure of whether to send them in to school a useful site to check is https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

What to do if my child is absent

First Day Absence

A child not attending school is considered a safeguarding matter in the first instance. This is why information about the cause of any absence is always required.

• Contact us as soon as possible on the first day of absence (before 9am).
• If contact is not made by the parent/carer, then the school will phone, email and/or text the contacts listed for this child to endeavour to make contact.
• If we are unable to make contact or ascertain sufficient reason for absence, the Family Support Worker will make a home visit.
• Records of the above will be made available to social care in the event of any Missing in Education investigation. 

If your child is absent, we will:

Telephone on the first day of absence if we have not heard from you; This is because we have a duty to ensure your child’s safety as well as their regular school attendance.  If we are unable to reach you and do not hear from you by 10am, your child’s absence will be recorded as unauthorized and we will continue to try and contact you via named contacts on your child’s record and if we are still unable to make contact we will seek advise from the Local Authority and/or Children’s services for next steps. We may-

• Invite you in to discuss the situation with the Family Support Worker if absences persist
• If absence is unauthorized and attendance falls below 90%, we will follow all DfE guidance

Please note: If your child is not seen and contact has not been established with any of the named parents/carers, after three days of absence the school is required to start child missing in education procedures. We will make all reasonable enquiries to establish contact with parents/carers and the child, including making enquiries to known friends, wider family (if schools have employed staff who would visit the family home to try to establish contact, such as a home school link worker, this should be added as an action here).

Third day absence

If your child is not seen and contact has not been established with you or any of the named parent/carers after three days of absence the school is required to start a Child Missing in Education procedure as set down by Southampton Council Guidance. We will make all reasonable enquires to establish contact with parents and the child including making enquires to known friends, and wider family. The Family Support Worker or SLT member will try to establish contact. If contact is unsuccessful the school will follow SCC guidance by making a CME referral.

Ten days’ absence

We have a legal duty to report the absence of any pupil who is absent without an explanation for 10 consecutive days. If the child is not seen and contact has not been established with the named parent/carer then the local authority is notified that the child is at risk of missing. Children’s Services staff will visit the last known address and alert key services to locate the child. So, help us to help you and your child by making sure we always have an up-to-date contact number. There will be regular checks on telephone numbers throughout the year.

Continued or ongoing absence

If your child misses 10% (three weeks/30sessions) or more schooling across the school year, for whatever reason, they are defined as persistent absentees. Absence for whatever reason disadvantages a child by creating gaps in his or her learning. Research shows these gaps affect attainment when attendance falls below 95%. As such, we monitor all absence thoroughly and all attendance data is shared with the local authority and the Department for Education. If your child is still absent has had absence and their attendance level is falling towards 90% we will contact you and, depending on the reasons for the absence, will contact you to inform you of our next steps. All our persistent absentee pupils and their parents are subject to an Attendance Recovery Action Plan

Medical Conditions

Pupils attending our Schools may have medical conditions, either long or short term that will affect their attendance at some stage in their school career. We understand that students with medical conditions are more vulnerable and have greater needs than the majority of their mainstream counterparts. This means that they may have more genuine absences from school for medical reasons or experience greater social needs than others. It is our responsibility as educators to do all we can to encourage and support regular and frequent school attendance whilst they are facing the challenge of ill health and remove the in-school barriers these pupils face, including considering external support and reasonable adjustments, for example, supporting their ongoing learning.

One of our aims is to support children back into school as soon as their health allows. We aim to help ensure that the reintegration process encourages maximum attendance is resumed as quickly as possible. This includes working with families, ensuring that they understand how important regular attendance is to their child’s development and health. We will support routines where school transport is regularly being missed and work with other partners to encourage the scheduling of additional support interventions or medical appointments outside of the main school day.

We give high priority to conveying to parents/carers and pupils the importance of regular and punctual attendance. We recognise that parents have a vital role to play and that there is a need to establish strong home-school links and communication systems that can be utilised whenever there are concerns about attendance. If there are problems which affect a pupil’s attendance we will investigate, identify and strive in partnership with parents/carers and pupils, alongside the main educational setting, to resolve those problems as quickly and efficiently as possible.

It is crucial that our schools receive and fully consider advice from healthcare professionals and listen to and value the views of parents and pupils. We understand that some children with medical conditions may be considered to be disabled under the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010. Some pupils may also have special educational needs (SEN) and may have a statement, or Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan which brings together health and social care needs, as well as their special educational provision. We will ensure that staff are properly trained to provide the support that pupils need, their healthcare plan is closely monitored and implement a Individual Healthcare plan if needed. We do not, however, do not have to accept a child in school at times where it would be detrimental to the health of that child or others to do so.

We are committed to ensuring that all relevant staff are made aware of a child’s condition, that there are cover arrangements in place in case of staff absence or turnover and any supply staff are briefed fully. Parents/carers should provide the school with sufficient and up-to-date information about their child’s medical needs. Our attendance policy should be applied fairly and consistently but in doing so we will always consider the individual needs of pupils and their families who have specific barriers to attendance.

Attendance Procedures – At a Glance

Welcome Back

On returning from absence, all pupils are made to feel welcome, helped to catch up on missed work and brought up to date with any information that has been passed to the other pupils.

Request for leave of absence

The DfE states: ‘Head teachers should only authorise leave of absence in exceptional circumstances. If a head teacher grants a leave request, it will be for the head teacher to determine the length of time that the child can be away from school. Leave is unlikely, however, to be granted for the purposes of a family holiday as a norm.’

Amendments to school attendance regulations were updated and enforced from September 2013: (Pupil registration) (England) regulations state that Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances only and this is not the norm. It is important to note that Headteachers can determine the length of the authorised absence as well as whether absence is authorised at all.

The fundamental principles for defining ‘exceptional’ are rare, significant, or unavoidable circumstances (which means the event could not reasonably be scheduled at another time). There are no rules on this as circumstances vary from school to school and family to family.

There is no legal entitlement for time off in school time to go on holiday and holiday will not be authorised.

Parents/Carers wishing to apply for a leave of absence need to fill in an application form (available from the school office) in advance and before making any travel arrangements. If term time leave is taken without prior permission from the school, the absence will automatically be unauthorised and if the number of sessions absent exceeds 10 consecutive sessions, the school may request the Local Authority to consider issuing a fine or a warning letter.

Taking holidays in term time will affect your child’s schooling as much as any other absence and as such, we expect parents to help us by not arranging holidays during school time.

School work for pupils that are absent will only be provided during exclusions or long-term medical absences and not during unauthorised absences. 

Advice to Parents and Carers

My child is trying to avoid coming to School. What should I do?

Children are sometimes reluctant to attend school. Any problems with regular attendance are best dealt with between the school, the parents and the child.

If a child is reluctant to attend, it is never better to cover up their absence or to give in to pressure to excuse them from attending. This gives the impression that attendance does not matter and may make things worse.

Please do contact your child’s class teacher or the Family Support Worker immediately to openly discuss your worries. Your child could be avoiding school for a number of reasons such as difficulties with school work, friendship problems, family difficulties, special educational needs or bullying issues.  It is important that we communicate effectively to identify the reason for your child’s reluctance to attend school and work together to tackle the problem.

In some cases, you may find it helpful to discuss the circumstances of your child’s difficulties with another professional and we may be able to make referrals or signpost you towards further assistance.

What can I do to encourage my child to attend School?

• Make sure your child gets enough sleep and gets up in plenty of time each morning. 
• Ensure that he/she leaves home in the correct clothes and is properly equipped.
• Show your child, by your interest, that you value his / her education.
• Be interested in what your child is doing in school, chat to them about the things they have learnt, their progress towards rewards, their friendships, and even what they had for lunch!
• Speak positively about school at home.

For many parents, a child starting school may be their / your first experience of being separated from them. This can seem daunting at first but thinking and speaking of it as a new and exciting adventure will help you both.  The transition into a settled and happy school life also depends on routine and regular, punctual attendance can help as much as any other intervention.

Not attending in circumstances related to Coronavirus (Covid-19)

The DfE publishes regular guidance to schools regarding the recording of absences due to circumstances related to Covid-19.  We will follow the current guidance when recording such absences and will clarify the current guidance upon request.

Record preservation

School registers are legal documents. We will ensure compliance with attendance regulations by keeping attendance records for at least 3 years. Computer registers will be preserved as electronic back-ups.

Criteria for success

• Improved attendance percentage for persistent absentees (10% or higher of their possible sessions missed)
• Improved attendance data across all years.
• Attendance rate increases
• Authorised absence rate decreases
• Unauthorised absence and persistent absence rate decreases
• Improvement in individuals' attendance
• The profile of good attendance within the school community is raised

Appendix 1

What your child missing out on

                 The effect on progress

365 days per year, a school year has 190. That leaves 175 days to spend on family time, visits, holidays, shopping, celebrating and appointments.

Appendix 2 – Child absent through illness- standard letter

To the parents/carers of ???

Class ???

Date

Dear ???

ATTENDANCE FOR: First Name Last Name -  percentage attendance

We would like to make you aware that we are becoming increasingly concerned about your child’s attendance, as (his/her) attendance is only ???%.

We can see that there have been several occasions when (child’s name) has been ill. We want to work in partnership with parents and carers to support you in your legal duty to ensure that your child is receiving their entitlement to full time education. Please let us know if you think a school nurse can help with any medical concerns you have about your child. Obviously if (child’s name) suffers from an ongoing medical problem we need to be made aware of this so we provide the right support.

Due to the amount of illness this academic year, from (date), if (child’s name) is absent due to illness, we cannot authorise the absence unless you provide medical evidence such as a doctor’s appointment card, medication or a copy of a prescription.

If there are specific reasons for your child’s attendance pattern that you think the school should be made aware of, please contact the school office to make an appointment with our Family Support Worker.

Over the coming weeks we will monitor (child’s name) attendance and if it continues to cause concern, I will have no option but to ask you to attend a meeting to discuss the matter further.

Guidance around medical conditions is found in our attendance policy, accessible through our website.

If your child is unwell and you are unsure of whether to send them in to school a useful site to check is https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/ If you are experiencing any difficulties at home, particularly with attendance, we would encourage you to contact our Family Support Worker who can offer advice or assistance. Attendance is reviewed every half term.

Yours Sincerely,

Appendix 3 – Child’s Attendance below 95%

To the parents/carers of ???

Class ???

Date

Dear ???

ATTENDANCE FOR: First Name Last Name -  percentage attendance

I am aware that your child has been absent from school on several occasions throughout the year.  As your child’s attendance has now fallen below 95% we would like you to discuss their level of absence with our Family Support Worker.

Your child’s attendance is considered is a safeguarding concern. Our aim is to support with reintegration and this might include the following

• Attendance recovery action plan
• Tailored catch up plan
• Work with parents around routines and signpost parenting support
• Request for medical evidence

I would also like to take this opportunity to remind you of the school’s requirements regarding school absence.

• Parents/Carers must ensure regular and punctual attendance by their child.
• If your child is going to be absent from school due to illness, you must advise the school by no later than …..am.
• Any absence from school for any reason other than illness must be requested 4 weeks in advance using the application for leave of absence form which is available from the school office. This is only granted in exceptional circumstances.

Please be assured that we want to work in partnership with parents and carers to support you in your legal duty to ensure that your child is receiving their entitlement to full-time education (Education Act 1996). If you require any further clarification of the information within this letter, please do not hesitate to contact the school office to make an appointment with us to discuss this further. 

Yours sincerely

Appendix 4- Child’s attendance below 90%

To the parents/carers of ???

Class ???

Date

Dear ???

ATTENDANCE FOR: First Name Last Name -  percentage attendance

I am aware that your child has been absent from school on several occasions throughout the year.  As your child’s attendance has now fallen below 90% it will be been necessary for you to discuss their level of absence with our Family Support Worker.

Your child is considered a Persistent Absentee (PA 10% or higher of possible sessions missed) Their attendance is a serious concern. This may trigger a referral to the Local Authority to consider legal interventions and statutory action.

Our aim is to support with reintegration and this might include the following

• Attendance recovery action plan

• Tailored catch up plan
• Team around the child meeting
• Home visits
• Work with parents around routines and signpost parenting support

I would also like to take this opportunity to remind you of the school’s requirements regarding school absence.

• Parents/Carers must ensure regular and punctual attendance by their child.
• If your child is going to be absent from school due to illness, you must advise the school by no later than …..am.
• Any absence from school for any reason other than illness must be requested 4 weeks in advance using the application for leave of absence form which is available from the school office. This is only granted in exceptional circumstances.

Please be assured that we want to work in partnership with parents and carers to support you in your legal duty to ensure that your child is receiving their entitlement to full-time education (Education Act 1996).

If you require any further clarification of the information within this letter, please do not hesitate to contact the school office to make an appointment with us to discuss this further.

Yours sincerely,

Appendix 5- Process for Leavers

If your child is leaving our school (other than when transferring to the secondary school) parents are asked to give the school office comprehensive information about their plans including any date of a move and your new address and telephone numbers, your child’s new school and the start date when known. This should be submitted to our school in writing.

If pupils leave and we do not have the above information, then your child is considered to be a ‘Child Missing in Education’.

This requires schools and Local Authorities to carry out investigations to try and locate your child, which includes liaising with Children’s Services, the Police and other agencies. By giving us the above information, these investigations can be avoided.

• Parent/Guardian is required to notify the Headteacher in writing, giving the leaving date, new address and phone numbers and detailed reasons.
• Parent/Guardian to complete the Dorset County Council in year transfer application
• Parent(s)/Guardian(s) need to ensure that they have cleared all payments on the MCAS system.
• The school will contact the child’s new setting on the date stated they will start to confirm that this transfer has taken place

Appendix 6 – Possible Exceptions

Absence through child participation in public performances, including theatre, film or TV work and modelling.

Parents/carers of a child performer can seek leave of absence from school for their child to take part in a performance. They must contact the Headteacher to discuss the nature and frequency of the work, whether the child has a valid performance licence and whether education will be provided by the employer during any future leave of absence. Any absence approved by the Headteacher as being part of a child’s participation in a public performance is recorded as an authorised absence.

Absence through competing at regional, county or national level in sport.

Parents/carers of able sportsmen and women can seek leave of absence from school for their child to take part in a regional, county, national and international events and competitions. It is however, down to the Headteacher’s discretion whether to authorise this.  They will wish to discuss with you the nature and frequency of the absence and how learning will continue if absence occurs. Permission for your child to leave early or arrive late to attend coaching and training sessions are also at the discretion of the Headteacher and are not likely to be approved if it is a regular event, unless the sports club or association are providing an education tutor as part of their coaching.

Absence through religious observance

Absence due to days set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which parents or carers / the child belongs will be authorised by the school.  These days must be universally recognised to be authorised.

Service Families

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) issue additional guidance to schools with regards to term time absences for the children of service families.  This is provided because it is acknowledged that the operational needs of the Armed Forces may legitimately prevent a service family from taking holidays within the school holidays.  Ultimately the decision on whether to authorise leave in term time still lies with the Headteacher, however further clarification regarding the exact circumstances may be sought from Unit Commanding Officers and their welfare staff. When deciding whether to authorise an application for a leave of absence from a service family, the Headteacher will take into account the circumstances, the child’s attendance record and the school year which the child is in. 

Gypsy Roma and Traveller families

Absence of a child from a traveller family that has left the area may be authorised if the absence is for work purposes only and it is believed that the family intends to return. To ensure the continuity of learning for traveller children, dual registration is allowed. That means that a school cannot remove a traveller child from the school roll while they are travelling. When the traveller is away the home school holds the place open and records the absence as authorised through the T code. Distance Learning packs for traveller children are not an alternative to attendance at school.