Attendance

A parent has a legal responsibility to ensure that their child attends school regularly. If a child is unavoidably absent from school parents are expected to contact school by telephone call on the morning of the first day of absence and on each subsequent day, identifying the reason for absence and the expected date of return. If no contact is received, then absence protocols will be instigated.

If a child is absent, the following actions will be initiated by the school:

• The first day calling procedures will be activated for all students who are not in school after close of register at 9:50am and where no reason for absence is known.
•  If there is still no contact made from the student’s parents, a further telephone call home will be made again that morning.
• If school cannot contact a parent and are concerned about a student, a home visit may be carried out.
•  School will telephone home if a student leaves the school without permission.

 In certain circumstances the school may also:

•  Visit the home of the student.
• Write, text and/or email parents of a student to highlight attendance or punctuality issues.
•  Invite parents to discuss how school can support the family to make improvement.
• Discuss the student at the termly Targeted Support Meetings with the Local Authority to seek advice and guidance on additional support strategies.
•  Refer to Early Help and/or other external agencies to offer support, guidance, and advice.
• Refer to the Local Authority for joint enquiries to be made to establish the whereabouts of the child through Children Missing Education procedures.
• Refer to the Local Authority to consider issuing a penalty notice or to consider prosecution when all other interventions have failed, or an unauthorised leave of absence has been taken.

When a student arrives late to school, they miss essential instructions given at the beginning of lessons. Furthermore, when students arrive late, it can disrupt the entire class and therefore valuable learning is lost. Statistics show, arriving 5 minutes late each day adds up to missing 3 whole days of school by the end of the academic year.

Procedure:
• Students should arrive into the school building no later than 8:40 am. At 8:45 am the doors will close meaning anyone that arrives after that will be deemed as late.
• Students who are late to school will have their names recorded by a member of staff on duty. As a consequence, students will be issued with a 30-minute after school detention on the follwing day.
• If the problem persists, we will require parents/families to attend a meeting to resolve the issue. Please view the punctuality strategy in Appendix 2.
• 10 or more incidents of persistent lateness to school (After registration has closed) within a ten week period can result in a Fixed Penalty Notice Fine.

The school register will officially close at 9:20 am. Students arriving after this time may be marked as having an unauthorised absence for the morning session – U code (Late after the close of register). This is categorised as an unauthorised absence for the session. Parents will be contacted to discuss any patterns of late arrival. Repeated arrival after the close of registration will result in appropriate interventions being instigated and may also result in a penalty notice being issued or prosecution.

At Ernesford Grange Community Academy, we believe that punctuality is an important part of learning and is a key lesson for later on in life.

The Headteacher can only authorise leave of absence in exceptional circumstances. The Headteacher will consider each application individually taking into account the specific facts and circumstances and relevant background context behind the request. If a leave of absence is granted, the Headteacher will determine the length of time the student can be away from school. All absences associated with a family holiday (without exceptional circumstances) during term time will be marked as unauthorised on the register. Any parents known to have removed their child from school for the sole purpose of a holiday may be referred to the Local Authority by the Attendance Team and be issued with a fixed penalty notice.

All leave of absence applications must be made at least 10 school days prior to the leave of absence. If a child fails to return from a term-time holiday within 10 Academy days of the expected agreed date of return, the Headteacher has the right to remove the student from the Academy roll.

A penalty notice request may be submitted to the Local Authority by the Attendance Team should:

• The parent fails to submit a leave of absence request in advance of taking the leave.
• An application for a leave of absence is not authorised by the Headteacher but is still taken.
• A longer period is taken more than the agreed number of days.

When absence is granted by the Headteacher, the parent will need to agree a date of return. If a student fails to return on the expected date and contact is not received from, or made with the parents, school will seek advice from the Local Authority. This could result in a possible child missing from the education procedure being instigated.

Families should try to make appointments outside of school hours wherever possible. Where appointments during school time are unavoidable, we ask that parents notify the school in advance of the appointment wherever possible.  The student should only be out of school for the minimum amount of time necessary for the appointment. In most circumstances, a child should not miss a whole day at school for an appointment. No student will be allowed to leave the school site without parental confirmation.

In most cases, absences for illness which are reported following the school’s absence reporting procedures will be authorised without the need for parents to supply medical evidence unnecessarily. In line with Department for Education guidance, if we do have a genuine concern about the authenticity of the illness, we may ask the parent to provide medical evidence, such as a prescription, appointment card, or other appropriate form of evidence. If the school is not satisfied about the authenticity of the illness, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised

Ernesford Grange Community Academy acknowledges the multi-faith nature of British society and recognises that, on some occasions, religious festivals may fall outside school holiday periods or weekends and is recognised as such by a relevant religious authority. Where this occurs, the school will consider either authorising the student’s absence or making special leave for religious observance. Parents are requested to give advance notice to the school.

At Ernesford Grange Community Academy we recognise that poor attendance can be an indication of difficulties in a family’s life. This may be related to problems at home and or in school. Parents are encouraged to inform school of any difficulties or changes in circumstances that may affect their child’s attendance and or behaviour in school, for example, bereavement, divorce/separation, emerging health concerns. This will help the school identify any additional support that may be required.

We also recognise that some students are more likely to require additional support to attain good attendance. The school will implement a range of strategies to support improved attendance based on the individual needs and circumstances of the child. 

To plan the correct support, we will always invite parents and students to attend a meeting to discuss the concerns and devise a plan to support the child’s regular attendance. Support offered will be child centred and planned in discussion and agreement with both parents and students. This may include a referral to Early Help or a Parenting Contract.

A student becomes a ‘persistent absentee’ (PA) when their attendance drops to 90% and below for any reason. Over a full academic year this would be 40 sessions (20 days). Absence at this level is causing considerable damage to a child’s educational prospects.

The attendance of all students at our school are monitored to identify children who are PA, or are who becoming PA. Where emerging concerns are identified we will instigate appropriate and timely interventions as outlined in the section above. Referrals may also be made to external agencies for targeted support.

If parents fail to engage with support and their child continues to have unsatisfactory attendance/ punctuality, a request may be made to the Local Authority to pursue legal proceedings either through a penalty notice or prosecution in the Magistrates’ Court.

Parents found guilty in a Magistrates’ Court of failing to secure their child’s regular attendance at school under the provisions of the Education Act 1996, will receive a criminal record and a maximum penalty of a £1000 fine under a Section 444 (1) offence or a £2500 fine or up to a 3-month prison sentence, under a Section 444 (1a) offence.

Penalty notices will be issued by the Headteacher to parents or carers if your children are absent from school. Penalty notices will be issued in line with the National Framework for Penalty Notices.

The threshold is 10 sessions (equivalent to 5 school days) for any unauthorised absence within a rolling 10 school week period. The 10-week period may span different terms or school years.

The school will prioritise a ‘support first’ approach offering support to families in cases where it is appropriate. Penalty notices can still be issued where support is not appropriate, such as leave of absence in term time or when support has not been engaged with.

Penalty Notices will be issued by post to your home address to each parent or carer by the local authority at the request of the Headteacher. The Penalty Notice is:

• £80 for each of your children if paid in full within 21 days.

• £160 if paid in full after 21 days but within 28 days.

If a second penalty notice is issued to the same parent within a rolling 3-year period, the notice will be charged at the higher rate of £160 with no option for this second offence to be discharged at the lower rate of £80. A national limit of 2 penalty notices that can be issued to a parent of the same child within a rolling 3-year period has been set within the National Framework, so at the 3rd (or subsequent) offence(s) a prosecution will be considered

The role of our rewards system is to motivate students, reinforcing positive attendance and embedding our Core Values. However, the Academy firmly believes that rewards should be given fairly and earnt by students. This means the Academy will acknowledge effort, achievements and meeting targets set.

Furthermore, the Academy recognises that some students with seriously diagnosed medical conditions and/or disabilities may have a lower percentage attendance. Where this is the case, students will not be penalised for their diagnosed medical condition and/or disability. In some cases, and where appropriate, they may be awarded with a special attendance award, particularly if they have been committed to attending the Academy during periods of difficulty

• Have a clear school attendance policy on the school website which all staff, students and parents understand. 
•  Develop and maintain a whole school culture that promotes the benefits of good attendance. 
•  Accurately complete admission and attendance registers. 
• Have robust daily processes to follow up absence. 
• Have a dedicated Senior Leader with overall responsibility for championing and improving attendance.
• Proactively use data to identify students at risk of poor attendance. 
•  Work with each identified student and their parents to understand and address the reasons for absence, including any in-school barriers to attendance. 
• Signpost and support access to any required services where out of school barriers are identified.
• Take an active part in the multi-agency effort with the Local Authority and other partners and where the lead practitioner is outside of the school, continue to work with the Local Authority and partners. 
• Put additional targeted support in place to remove any barriers where absence becomes persistent.
•  Hold more formal conversations with parents and be clear about the potential need for legal intervention in future where there is a lack of engagement. 
•  Work with the Local Authority on legal intervention where support is not working, being engaged with or appropriate. 
•  Intensify support through statutory children’s social care where there are safeguarding concerns. 
• Work with other schools in the local area, such as schools previously attended and the schools of any siblings. 
• Agree a joint approach for all severely absent students with the Local Authority. 
• Proactively use data to identify cohorts with, or at risk of, low attendance and develop strategies to support them. 
• Work with other schools in the local area and the Local Authority to share effective practice where there are common barriers to attendance. 
•  Maintain the same ambition for attendance and work with students with SEND and/or medical conditions and their parents to maximise attendance. 
• Ensure join up with pastoral support and where required, put in place additional support and adjustments, such as an individual healthcare plan and if applicable, ensuring the provision outlined in the student’s EHCP is accessed. 
• Consider additional support from wider services and external partners, making timely referrals for children with SEND and medical conditions. 
• Regularly monitor data for children with SEND and medical conditions, including at board and governing body meetings and with local authorities. 
• Inform the student’s social worker, where there is one, if there are any unexplained absences and if the child’s name is to be deleted from the register.

• Parents/Families with parental responsibility have a legal obligation for ensuring that their child attends the Academy regularly and on time.
• Parents/Families should support the school by avoiding non-emergency medical/dental appointments for their child during school time. Where this is not possible, the student should only be out of school for the minimum amount of time necessary for the appointment. Parents/families must show the appointment card to school.
• Parents/Families DO NOT have an automatic right to take their child out of the school for a holiday or any other period of extended leave during term time.
• Parents/Families should contact the school by 8.30am on each day their child is absent and where possible, indicate the day of return. Parents/Families should respond promptly to absence texts received as this is a safeguarding concern and could trigger a home visit. Absence line phone number: 024 7645 3121 Option 1 – Option 1 or you can email the Attendance Team on attendance@egacademy.org.uk
• Parents/Families may be asked to provide medical evidence to allow the school to authorise absence where appropriate. This will usually be in the form of an appointment card, prescription etc.
•  Suspension from attending school is counted as an authorised absence.
• All unexplained absences will be investigated by the Attendance and Pastoral Teams and Parents/Families will be kept informed about any attendance concerns.
• Parents/Families should attend meetings about their child’s attendance and support the school in responding to concerns regarding attendance

• Students are expected to arrive to school site no later than 8.40am.
• Classroom learning is central to the Academy’s culture and each individual students’ development. The Academy’s expectation of attendance and engagement are set so that these mirror and develop behaviours and qualities associated with academic success and professional life.
• We ask that students are resilient and attend school regularly. Students should be aspirational and aim to achieve 0 Days off throughout the academic year. 
• We encourage students to communicate with parents/families, Tutor, Head of House or a trusted adult if there is an issue that is making them not want to come to school so that the Academy can provide support and advice.
• Students are expected to remain in the school all day and will not be allowed to leave the school site without permission. All students leaving the school site must have had permission granted by the Head of House on production of evidence for reason of absence. Students must collect a student pass from the Attendance Clerk at the time of exit.
• Truancy from the Academy is taken seriously and parents/families will be informed at the earliest opportunity.