attendance furness academy
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Improving Attendance Every Day Every Half Day Every Lesson Counts! Any absence affects the pattern of a child’s education and regular absence will seriously affect their learning. “Every Lesson Matters” in the Academy and students who have time off often find it difficult to catch up and do well. Furness Academy promotes our core values and we encourage all students to reach out and have the opportunity to achieve their personal best. We want to work in partnership with parents, carers, students, teachers 2
and the wider community in our pursuit of this goal. For our children to gain the greatest benefit from their education it is vital that they attend regularly and on time. Your child should attend Furness Academy every day the Academy is open unless the reason for absence is unavoidable, EVERY DAY, HALF DAY and LESSON MATTERS.
Furness Academy Attendance Target The minimum level of attendance expected for all students at Furness Academy is 96% which is equivalent to no more than 8 days absence per student per academic year.
The Government considers an attendance of below
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93% ID unsatisfactory
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Our target is to achieve better than this because we know that good attendance is the key to student success and academic achievement.
We will keep you informed of future projects or initiatives that will focus on improving attendance and how your child’s attendance compares with the Government expectations.
Good attendance means A better chance of being successful in life
It is easier to make and keep friends
There is a strong link between the number of days absence a student has and the qualifications that a student achieves.
Not missing important lessons
Not setting bad behaviour patterns
Student absence can disrupt teaching routines and may affect the learning of others in the same class.
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Why good attendance is important Chris is a new Year 7 Student He/she has 90% attendance Chris thinks this is pretty good So does his/her parent/carer Are they right? Is Chris’s attendance good?
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What does 90% attendance mean?
attendance
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missed every week
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Let’s look a little closer One school year at 90% attendance Means your child will miss four whole weeks of lessons, which equals 100 hours of education missed.
90% attendance over five years of education means Year 7
Year 8
Half a year missed Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
or 500 hours of education missed! 5
What impact might 90% attendance have on your child’s life? Research suggests that…
17 missed school days a year equals a drop in a grade
in GCSE achievement
(DfES)
The Good News
The greater the attendance... ...the greater the achievement Graduate Degree
£15.01
per hour
What could Chris’s potential earnings look like?
A levels
£10.25
per hour
6
GCSEs
No Qualification
per hour
per hour
£9.02
£7.44
employment is hard to find without qualifications
The Attendance Team People Responsible for Attendance matters at Furness Academy Mrs Robinson Assistant Principal
Mrs Isaacs Education Welfare Officer (EWO)
Mrs Gunson Attendance Lead and Education Welfare Officer
Mrs KELLS Attendance Officer
Mrs Isaacs and Mrs Gunson Furness Academy Education Welfare Officers
EWOs provide support and advice on problems relating to attendance, putting parents/carers in touch with other support agencies who may offer assistance. EWOs help and encourage good communications between home and the Academy. The EWOs will always try and resolve the situation by agreement with the family but, if other ways of trying to improve the students attendance have failed and unauthorised absence persist the EWO will use sanctions such as Penalty Notices.
OUR ATTENDANCE OFFICER, MRS KELLS Work alongside Academy Staff, Parents and Students to help create a culture for improved attendance and attitude to learning and encouraging good communications between home and school. We all want to address student engagement within the Academy community, and need to work as a team. Your continued support therefore is vital in making your child’s journey through the academy a success.
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Attendance policy We are hopeful that if we all work together we will help your child to achieve their personal best.
Reason for the absence Possible length of time the student will be out of the Academy.
The place to be on a school day is at the Academy. If you are not in the academy then you must have a just reason and a parent/carer should have telephoned 01229 484270 preferably before 8.40am on the first day of absence. Absence messages should contain the following information: Student Name Learning Group
￟ You are expected to attend the Academy every day unless you are medically unfit or have an urgent unavoidable family reason not to attend. For absences longer than five days parent/carers should contact the Academy each following Monday morning if the child’s absence spans more than one week. For long term absences a parent/carer may be requested to obtain a medical note.
Lateness being Poor punctuality is If your child arrives not acceptable. If after registration minutes your child misses the time they MUST late every day start of the day they sign in at student whole can miss work and services. Students lesson do not spend time will be entered as every with their Learning late on the register. week Group Leader getting Safeguarding our vital information and students is important. the news for the day. Late If you have any problem arriving students also disrupt getting your child to attend the lessons, can be embarrassing Academy on time please contact the for the child arriving late and can Attendance Officer on 01229 484270 encourage future absence. who will be happy to support you to resolve the problem. The school day starts at 8.40am and we expect all students to be in class at that time. The Academy recommends that students arrive at the Academy by 8.30am. 8
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Punctuality is a priority for all students if your child is persistently late you will be asked to discuss the issue with the Head of Year to resolve the problem If your Child is absent We will: Telephone or text you on the first day of absence if we have not heard from you; If your child’s absences are increasing and we are not aware of a good reason for this we will invite you in to the Academy to discuss the situation with your child’s Head of Year. If absence persists the Education Welfare Officers may then review further appropriate action, including legal interventions with the local authority.
If your child continues to be persistently late for school after 9.30am you may face the possibility of a Penalty Notice.
The EWOs will always try and resolve the situation by agreement with the family but, if other ways of trying to improve the students attendance have failed and unauthorised absence persist the EWO will use sanctions such as Penalty Notices. Due to change in Government legislation - Holidays in term time cannot be granted. for details on exceptional leave of absence requests please see letter below. 9
Dear Parent/Carer I am writing to update you on some of the changes to the Academy’s Attendance Procedures which include punctuality to school. The Academy and the Governing Body are keen to promote improved attendance. It is vital that all students attend regularly and on time. Outlined below are the expectations:- Students leave home on time and arrive at the Academy by 8:30 am, with correct uniform and equipment to start the day (including their tablet). - Parent/carer to telephone the Academy if your son/daughter is to be late. - Contact the Academy by 8:40 am on the first day of absence if your son/ daughter is unable to attend through illness – 01229 484270 – Option 1, Text 07624815968, or email info@furnessacademy.co.uk. - If you receive a text message as a result of your child’s absence it is important that you respond to this text to ensure your child is appropriately safeguarded. - Contact Mrs Kells, the Academy Attendance Officer, if the reason for absence requires a more personal contact. - We need u p t o d a t e contact numbers at all times so please ensure you inform us of any changes. - Requests for exceptional circumstances leave of absence must be made in writing to Mrs Robinson, Assistant Principal, and if possible at least 4 weeks prior to any leave and can only be authorised by the Principal. Reasons such as family bereavement or taking part in a religious event would be acceptable for short absences. Unacceptable reasons for missing Academy education include general holidays, shopping, concerts and birthdays. If your child is absent or late we will: • Telephone and text you on the first day of absence if we have not heard from you. • If no response is received a member of Academy staff will make a home visit to check on the welfare of the student (this new procedure will begin week commencing Monday 10th February 2014). • If your child’s absences are increasing and we are not aware of a good reason you will be invited to meet your child’s Head of Year and the Education Welfare Officers. • If absences persist the Head of Year may refer the matter to the Education Welfare Officers. • Any student who is late twice in one week will make this time up in their lunchtime. Ensuring your child regularly attends school is your legal responsibility and permitting your child to have any absence from Furness Academy, without a good reason, is an offence in LAW (The Education Act 1996) and may result in legal action. We are very keen to work with parents/carers to ensure that all students meet the minimum attendance target of 96% (no more than 8 days per student per year). If you require any further information on this please do not hesitate to contact me. Yours faithfully Helen Robinson Assistant Principal
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Rewards, and special Rewards, Targets, Projects Targets, initiatives and special initiatives Projects Good attendance is a priority at the Academy. We want to achieve the best for our students and in order to do this a student needs to attend the academy every day and be on time.
targets. Targets for the Academy, Learning Groups, Year Groups and Houses are displayed in the Academy and in Learning Groups and students should take the time to study them.
Your child has an important part to play in meeting their attendance Daily awards for Learning Groups with 100% attendance Trips to football games, theme parks, Leavers’ Ball
Prize draws for tickets to entertainment/events Seasonal awards including Easter eggs and Christmas selection boxes
fully charged Awards for all students with 100% for a full year
For further details on the full attendance policy contact the school office 11
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