Princetown Primary School Attendance Policy

							Princetown Primary School Attendance Policy

Ethos
Princetown Primary School is committed to providing a high quality and inclusive education for all
pupils. We believe that if pupils are to benefit from education, good attendance is crucial. As a
school we do all that we can to ensure maximum attendance for all pupils.
Any problems that prevent full attendance will be identified and addressed as quickly as possible.
It is the policy of our school to celebrate achievement. Attendance is a critical factor to children
achieving their potential and having a successful school career. Our school will actively promote
and encourage 100 per cent attendance for all our pupils.
Our school aims to communicate regularly with parents/carers and pupils the importance of good
attendance and punctuality. We recognise that parents/carers have a vital role to play and that there
is a need to establish strong home-school links and effective communication systems which enable
the school to discuss any concerns about attendance with parents/carers.
If there are problems which affect a pupil’s attendance the school will investigate, identify and work
in partnership with parents/carers and pupils to resolve those problems as quickly and efficiently as
possible. We have a clearly focused procedure with the aim to return the pupil to full attendance at
all times.

Objectives
      to work with parents/carers and encourage full attendance and punctuality
      to record and monitor attendance and absenteeism and apply appropriate strategies to minimise its
       occurrence
      to acknowledge and reward a successful record of attendance
      to ensure a consistent approach throughout the school

Statutory Duty of Schools
The Education Act 1996 requires parents or guardians to ensure their children receive efficient, full-
time education, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise. Schools are responsibility for
recording pupil attendance twice a day; once at the start of the morning session and once during the
afternoon session. An entry must be made in the attendance register for all pupils of compulsory
school age who are on the school’s admission roll.

Principles
Parents/carers are legally responsible for ensuring that a child of compulsory school age attends
school regularly.

We will:
   work towards ensuring that all pupils feel supported and valued.
   send a clear message that if a pupil is absent, she/he will be missed.
   consult with all members of the school community and the Education Welfare Service in
      developing and maintaining the whole school attendance policy.
   encourage parents/carers to be actively involved in promoting their child’s attendance.
   ensure that all staff are aware of the requirements of the registration process and that they
      receive training on Registration Regulations and the Law relating to attendance.
   ensure regular evaluation of pupils attendance and the school attendance policy by staff and
      the school governors.
Regular information will be sent to parents/carers and pupils informing them of attendance rates and
related issues.
Attendance is an important feature of the School Improvement Work and assessment procedure.
Consistent and vigorous monitoring and evaluation procedures are in place.

School Procedures to manage absenteeism

Registers are taken twice a day:
     8.55am and registers are closed at 9.10am
     1.00pm and registers are closed at 1.10pm

Class teacher informs the admin officer if a child has an unauthorised absence that morning. The
absence and reason is recorded in the class registers.
3) The admin officer contacts the parents (phone) to find out the reason for the absence and where
the child is.
4) The admin officer monitors attendance data at the end of each half term and informs the head
teacher if a child’s attendance begins to become a concern – 10 days or more in any given half
term.
5) The headteacher will contact parents/carers to discuss their child’s attendance and decide what
action should be taken.

6) Persistent absence will be brought to the attention of the school’s governing body. The
governors will not be informed of the identity of the individual pupils or their families.

7) The SI&C governor committee will monitor attendance on a termly basis.

8) If the pupil continues to be regularly late or absent the headteacher will contact the EWO and
arrange a fast track meeting with parents in school to review what action will need to be taken.
9) Our whole school ethos supports the importance of good attendance and punctuality. Lateness is
monitored and commented on. If a child’s punctuality improves this is equally celebrated with
positive praise.
     If a child is repeatedly late the class teacher informs the headteacher.
     The headteacher contacts parents to discuss reasons and what can be done to help them get
        their child to school on time.
     If lateness continues the headteacher contacts EWO.
10) The headteacher discusses the importance of good attendance and punctuality with parents prior
to their child starting during the home school visits.

11) Parents/carers are informed of their child’s attendance each term at parents’ evenings as number
of days missed and attendance is reported in the annual pupil written reports to parents.


Our attendance policy and procedures are included in the school prospectus and available on the
school website
The school attendance target is agreed annually with the support of the EWO.
The school governing body is informed of the school attendance targets and data. They are
responsible for monitoring the overall attendance figures. They are not informed as to the identity of
the individual pupils and their families.
Taking holiday in school in term time
Parents/carers are required to complete a holiday request form (available from the school office)
and return the completed form to school. With all holiday request the admin officer informs the
headteacher of the pupil’s attendance by writing it on the request form before the headteacher
agrees to/or does not agree to authorising the request.

The school complies with the common agreed TALC policy for taking holiday in term time
and informs parents of this policy each term

Please note the following points:
    1. You need to obtain permission from the school for a holiday in term time. You can do this
       by completing a holiday form available from the school office.
    2. Schools can authorise requests up to 10 days holiday in any given year.
    3. Permission will not be granted for the first two weeks in September or the first week of the
       other terms, as these are very important settling in times for the class. Or during the week in
       May when Year 6 pupils take the SATs.
    4. If your child has already missed a lot of school and their attendance is below 93% the school
       will be unable to authorise a holiday request.

 The Local Education Authority does check school registers and monitor pupil’s attendance
                        for term-time holidays and absenteeism.

The authorisation of a holiday request is the decision of the headteacher. Pupils can take one
holiday a year during term time as long as there is sound reason as to why the family cannot take
that holiday during the school holidays.

It is essential that everyone involved in promoting attendance is clear about the important role that
must be carried out in order to raise standards. Responsibility to promote attendance is the
responsibility of the whole school community.


This policy has been agreed by the governing body

Signed……………………………………………………                                    Date……………………………

(Chair of governors & SEN governor)