Attendance Policy
Prepared and implemented in January 2010 ..............................
Authorised by the Chairman of the Performance and Standards Committee January 2010 ..............................
Review Date:
Spring 2011
ATTENDANCE POLICY –ALSAGER SCHOOL 2010 INTRODUCTION This policy was developed through a process of consultation with the relevant professionals who support our students in Alsager School. The policy statement takes account of: The Education Act 1996. The Education(Students Attendance Records) Regulations 1991. The Education( Student Registration) Regulations 1995( amended 1997). Guidance for L.A. & Schools on Behaviour and Attendance in place of Circular 10/99 and 11/99. It was approved by the Governing Body on 20th January 2010 It will be reviewed annually.
Name
Role
Responsibility
D.Pointon
Deputy Head
To monitor attendance throughout the school To monitor and effectively intervene in improving the attendance of individuals. To oversee the whole school situation. To support the school in achieving its objectives by following L.A. guidelines To monitor the attendance of all special needs students
College Managers Governor EWO SENCO
POLICY STATEMENT Alsager School is committed to improving students’ attendance and punctuality. Underpinning this commitment is the knowledge that only if students attend school regularly and punctually they will be able to take full advantage of educational opportunities available to them. The school will strive to provide a welcoming, caring and safe environment, whereby each student feels wanted and secure. All school staff will work with the students and their families to ensure each student attends school regularly and punctually. The school will establish an effective system of incentives and rewards which acknowledges the effort of students to improve their attendance and timekeeping and will challenge the behaviour of those students and parents who give low priority to attendance and punctuality.
AIMS
To improve the overall attendance percentage of students at school. To make attendance and punctuality a priority for all those associated with the school including pupils, parents, teachers and governors. To develop a framework which defines agreed roles and responsibilities and promotes consistency in carrying out designated tasks. To provide support, advice and guidance to parents and students.
To develop a systematic approach to gathering and analysing attendance related data. To further develop positive and consistent communication between home and school. To implement a system of rewards and sanctions to promote effective partnerships with the Education Social Welfare Service and with other services and agencies. To recognise the needs of the individual student when planning reintegration following significant periods of absence.
PROCEDURES TO ENSURE NOTIFICATION OF ATTENDANCE.
Holidays Parents should not normally take students on holiday in term time. Each request for holiday absence will be considered individually taking account of: age, time of year of proposed trip, its nature and parental wishes, overall attendance pattern of the student and the student’s stage of education and progress. Parents are requested to come into school to discuss any proposed holiday in school time with a senior member of staff or their College Manager. We are advised that absence should be greater than 10 days only in very exceptional circumstances. Indeed, with LEA agreement, students can be taken off role if they fail to return by the due date. Students will be considered to have unauthorised absence if they exceeded the agreed length of absence.
Parent’s role in monitoring attendance. Alsager School will endeavour to monitor all students’ attendance by contacting parents on the first day of absence if we are not informed of the student’s absence. To this end we request that the procedures outlined are followed : Parents contact their child’s College Manager by telephone or email before 9am on the first day of absence if their child is ill, has a medical or dental appointment or for any other reason. dod@alsagerschool.co.uk, or telephone 01270871103 lovell@alsagerschool.co.uk, or telephone 01270871108 moreton@alsagerschool.co.uk, or telephone 01270871109 royce@alsagerschool.co.uk, or telephone 01270871111 On returning to school the student should show the College Manager their organiser with the absence sheet completed. Any long term illness or absence should be discussed with the College Manager so that an educational plan of action can be drawn up to ensure the student does not fall behind with his/her studies.
Failure of parents to inform the school of the reason for a child’s absence within ten school days will result in the absence being deemed unauthorised. If the school has reservations about regular absences then parents will be contacted by the College Manager. The school will follow the County guidelines if unauthorised absence continues.
Doctor/Dentist Appointments Parents sign the student organiser and the student signs in at the College Manager’s office when they return. If the appointment is in school time after they have registered the student shows the teacher the note in the organiser before they leave the classroom and then signs out at the College Manager’s office. If a student is ill or hurt then permission to go home or be picked up by a relative will need authorisation from any College Manager or Senior Staff member. The student signs out as normal.
Lateness Students will be deemed late if they fail to attend the registration sessions. Initially, they will be marked as absent on the register. Registers will remain open for 30 minutes as per the DCSF instructions. Latecomers will sign in at the College Manager’s office. If the student is more than 30 minutes late then the whole session is deemed as an unauthorised absence.
Unauthorised absences The school will deem as unauthorised any absence that has not been verified by the student’s parent/guardian within ten school days using valid reasons such as illness, medical appointments, bereavement etc. However, it must be clear that examples of unauthorised absences shown below are unacceptable: Sibling’s birthday Shopping Market day Working Hairdressers Sibling’s school closed-having to look after them. Visiting relatives. Study Leave Study leave should be used sparingly and only for Year 11 students during (not before) public exams.
Student’s role in the process to enable school to monitor attendance Procedures need to be written into the student organiser and emphasised to all students on induction day. 1. Attendance at registration, both am and pm is compulsory. 2. If late for whatever reason students must sign in at the College Manager’s office.
3. If students have to leave school during the day they must sign out at the College Manager’s office. 4. Students must attend all lessons and on no account leave the school premises without permission. 5. Students who have appointments during the school day must have written authority from their parents, show the teacher the note written in their organiser and sign out of school at the College Manager’s office.
Form tutor’s (or substitute) role in monitoring attendance 1. Registers should be marked correctly before 9a.m. and at afternoon registration period. (see appendix A on procedures for marking registers).If tutors have any concern about a student’s attendance they should notify the College Manager so arrangements for a home call can be made. 2. Form tutors need to check student organisers for evidence of authorised absence or a note from the office or from the parent and amend their register accordingly. 3. Form tutors should ensure that patterns of lateness or absence are reported to the College Manager. Involvement of external agencies and the EWO may follow. 4. Form tutors should be emphasising the importance of uninterrupted attendance at school. 5. Form tutors will ask students for their reasons for absence but failure to provide written evidence of absence after ten days will result in unauthorised absences being recorded. 6. Form tutors will be told if students’ parents have been issued with a FPN (fixed penalty notice) and any absence that has not been immediately verified will result in code 0 being recorded in the register.
College Manager’s role in monitoring attendance 1. Ensure that they call home in the first two hours of the school day to any student’s home if they have not been marked present. 2. Ensure that all form tutors have been instructed to mark their registers properly. 3. Ensure that form tutors follow up all absences and lateness quickly reporting to the College Manager any problem students or perceived patterns of absence. 4. College Manager will collect statistics every half term(or more often if that is their wish) to analyse attendance rates. The data will be passed on to the form tutor so that discussion with the students can take place. 5. More serious absenteeism will be dealt with by the College Manager and where necessary the EWO will be informed. Education action plans for those students with major problems will be established with the partnership of the parents, school and EWO. 6. All cases of unauthorised absence will be followed up by the College Manager and reported back to the parents and sanctions will follow. 7. Rewards— we have certificates for 100% attendance by term and year. We will celebrate the event in assembly and on the website. Students who achieve 100% attendance throughout their school life will have their achievement recognised in the school newsletters that are sent home to parents on a regular basis.
Leadership group’s role in monitoring attendance 1. Setting the target figure for the whole school.
2. Ensuring that there is a strong link with the College Manager on monitoring attendance, involvement with students and parents where appropriate and with EWOs and other agencies. 3. Reporting attendance figures and targets to the Governing Body. 4. Regularly updating policy changes. 5. Reporting attendance figures to parents via web site and newsletters.
Appendix A Electronic registration
Log onto SIMS.net Your homepage indicates your groups for today. Open up your form group by clicking on the appropriate lesson. Mark all students as / (present) or N (no reason given at present). If a student appears before registration is closed alter the N to a L (late) and enter how many minutes late they were. Save the details.
Amending reasons for absence When a student’s absence is verified then alter the code N to the appropriate absence code. Right click over the N and choose the code. Remember to change the preserve icon to overwrite first. If, after ten days the student has not brought in a note then record it as unauthorised and refer it with details to the College Manager office where it will be followed. If a parent has been issued with a FPN then any absences will be automatically be recorded as code 0 on your register by you unless the parent informs you or the school of the reason for the absence before registration is closed on that day. *
Not on roll (no mark entered) To be used to fill up the individual yearly record for a pupil who becomes a registered pupil after the beginning of the school year or who leaves before the end.
/
Present at registration a.m. (present) For all pupils present at registration in the morning.
\
Present at registration p.m. (present) For all pupils present at registration in the afternoon
@
This mark should not be used.
B
Educated off site e.g Reaseheath or Stoke College.(approved and therefore classed as present)
C
Other authorised circumstances (authorised absent) This covers all circumstances where the headteacher has granted “leave”, which are not covered elsewhere, e.g. bereavement, family problems, weddings etc. It is also used where the LEA has granted leave for a licenced “performance”.
D
Dual registration/ child being marked at another school (authorised absent)
educational activity
This is only for use where children are on two registers as they cannot physically be present in two places at once and should not be double counted. They have to be absent from school X if they are present at school Y but the absence is authorised. (This situation should be exceptional as these childen have 20 sessions a week to be accounted for. It is better if the register is maintained at the “home� school and the P code used provided they attend where they are supposed to be). E
Excluded (authorised absent) This includes all fixed term exclusions and permanent exclusions until all the representation procedures have been completed. The child should not be removed from the admission register on the day of the exclusion itself.
F
Extended family holiday not agreed with the
H
Holiday leave approved in advance (authorised absent) School policy should define the procedures and how many days are available to parents. This is intended for children going away on an annual holiday, not for days out (which should not be authorised unless the school agrees, using C above). Note that applications for holiday leave should be made by the parent with care (even if they are not going on the holiday themselves). This code is also used for extended holidays if permission has been granted by the school, though it is often preferable to remove children from the admission register and re-admit them on their return.
I
Illness (authorised absent)
J
Interview (not medical or dental appointments) classed as an approved educational activity.
L
Late before registration closes/ for an acceptable reason (present) This is for children who are only a little bit late (within the registration period) or who come in at the first reasonable opportunity (for example when the car has broken down or the child has had a medical appointment). It is intended to reward those who come in as distinct from those who miss so much of the session that it has to be counted as unauthorised absent. Note that this is present.
M
Medical or dental appointments (authorised absent) Only for use where the pupil misses the whole session. If they need to leave school for an appointment or go home ill, there is no need to change the original present mark).
N
No reason yet provided - temporary mark (unauthorised absent) This is an interim mark which should be converted to a permanent mark before the regular printout of registers is made. There should be no Ns in the final version. If no adequate explanation had been provide, N should be converted to O with the College Manager’s permission.
O
Unauthorised absence not covered by any other code.
P
Approved sporting activity or attending alternative educational provision (e.g. home tuition and still on roll) (present) Note that this counts as an attendance. It should be used where children are involved in any representative sports event (or trial). In Cheshire it is also recommended for use where registered pupils are on roll but currently being educated off-site (provided the child attends as arranged, otherwise it is unauthorised absence.)
school.(unauthorised absence)
R
Religious festival for child’s family (authorised absent) Should be used for any major festival in any religious community. (There is no set limit on the number of days).
S
Study leave (authorised absent) Should only be used in Years 10 and 11. Note that these children are not classed as “present� as DfEE advice is that the activity is not supervised and the child may not actually be studying.
T
Traveller absence (authorised absent) Children currently away travelling but still registered as pupils as they are expected to return in the foreseeable future.
U
Late after registration closes or for no good reason (unauthorised absent) It is a matter for individual school policy to define when registration closes. It should not normally last longer than 30 minutes. This mark is for children who will not be credited with an attendance, even though they attended for part of the session. Note that it counts as unauthorised absence.
V
Educational visit (present) School-organised trips and visits, including residential trips. Can also be used for other trips of a strictly educational nature which are arranged by other organisations, provided they are supervised (not family holidays).
W
Work experience, vocational and college courses (present) Only Y10 and 11 pupils can do work experience, which must be supervised by the school or it would be illegal employment. (There is no maximum permitted number of days). This code should also be used for vocational and college courses where pupils are still on roll (day release and longer-term courses). Note that this is present (as long as the child attends as agreed.)
X
Only staff should attend (no mark entered) Inset and staff training days.
Y
Enforced closure (no mark entered) When the whole school is closed due to bad weather, heating problems etc.
Z
Not part of school year (no mark entered) School holidays between July and September.
#
School closed to staff and pupils and therefore attendance is not required.
-
All should attend but no mark recorded.
Attendance & Registration arrangements SIXTH FORM
•
Sixth Form registration takes place in the morning and lunchtime initially for Year 12. Year 13 register only in lunchtime sessions except on Thursdays when students are registered in the morning and at lunchtime.
•
All Year 12 and 13 students attend a tutorial session from 12.10pm to 12.30pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Tuesday and Thursday students register for five minutes only at 12.10pm (Tuesday) and 11.55am (Thursday) to allow fifteen minutes for individual mentoring on these days.
•
Students register on Thursday mornings as part of their PSHE programme.
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An attendance check is also carried out during each AS or A2 lesson by teaching staff. Year Heads carry out a detailed attendance analysis each Half-Term but staff are encouraged to discuss any absence patterns causing concern with the student’s individual Tutor who will then contact home as necessary.
•
During Study Periods: Year 12 students are expected to stay on school premises with the exception of Period 5. If Year 13 students can use their study periods more effectively at home they can do so.
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Students are asked to phone in on the dedicated Sickness Line if they are absent through illness or through medical appointments. The Sixth Form Support Manager publishes this list each morning. If a student is absent from your lesson but does not appear on the absent list, please inform the Personal Tutor. The Sixth Form administrator can also ring home on your behalf to check the reason for an absence.
•
Open Day Requests – Year 12 and 13 students may wish to attend a University Open Day in the Spring term of Year 12 or Autumn term of Year 13 to assist with their UCAS applications. They must complete the request form in their organiser and have it signed by their tutor before attending the Open Day. These visits must be kept to a maximum of four unless a student gains special permission from their Head of Year.
Student Absence Procedures (copy of procedures given to students)
All absences will be considered as unauthorized unless the school is informed accurately as to the reason for absence. Sickness •
Sixth Form Support Manager/EMA Coordinator may be contacted on Tel: 01270 871122.
•
If you are ill you can ring this number between 8.30am–9.30am. You must ring everyday if you are sick and provide your EMA number if you are part of this scheme.
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On your return you must complete a Self Certification Form to cover sickness of up to five continuous week days.
•
For periods longer than five days you must provide a medical certificate.
Authorised Absence •
You need to complete an ‘Authorised Absence’ Form and submit it to your Tutor at least two days before your absence and ensure it has been approved.
•
You can apply for the following absences:
University Open Day Job interview for full time employment Court appearance Funeral Major medical treatment that has to be conducted during school time.
•
Documentary evidence of the above must be provided for your Tutors scrutiny.
•
In the case of an emergency, such as family bereavement, a phone call in the first instance is acceptable followed by a note from Parent/Guardian.
Lateness If you are late for morning school or registration you must sign in with the Sixth Form Support Manager/EMA Coordinator in the Sixth Form Office. EMA Payments Payments are awarded for 100% attendance in a given week. For the odd day of genuine absence EMA payments may not necessarily be stopped. However, EMA payments will be terminated if the school believes that there are no genuine reasons for absence or that there is a pattern of regular sickness.