St George’s believes believes that regular attendance is a key factor in the drive to raise standards of attainment and enhance the learning opportunities of all pupils. Poor attendance and punctuality is recognised as a key factor in underachievement and disaffection.
It is the duty of all parents to actively promote and encourage excellent attendance with their children. Pupils are expected to attend the Academy every day. It is the responsibility of parents to perform their legal duty by ensuring their children who are registered at St George’s attend regularly and punctually. The Academy endeavours to support parents and pupils in this.
We are committed to:
· Promoting excellent attendance and reducing absence
· Ensuring full time education for every pupil
· Acting immediately to address patterns of absence and poor punctuality
ABSENCE PROCEDURES
It is the responsibility of the parent/carer to inform the Academy of a pupil absence and also to inform us of any changes to contact details. The Academy needs to hold an emergency contact number for more than one person. Emergency contact numbers should be provided and updated by the parent/carer. Parents/carers are asked to contact the Academy before 8.30am on EACH day that their child is absent, informing us of a reason for the absence and when their child will be returning to the Academy. Failure to inform the Academy of an absence will result in an ‘absence text message’ being sent, followed by a telephone call and home visit if necessary. Should you need to email and medical proof, please email: STGattendnace@cidari.co.uk.
APPOINTMENTS
Routine medical and dental appointments should be made outside of the Academy day where possible. Where this is not possible a note and appointment card should be sent in to the Academy prior to the appointment. Pupils must attend the Academy before and after the appointment where possible. If the appointment requires the pupil to leave during the day, they must be collected by an adult listed on the pupil’s record.
Where possible, pupils should come into the Academy to get their mark and classwork before going to their appointment. In the instance of a pupil arriving late to the Academy following an appointment, they should report to the Main Office where a member of the attendance team will provide them with an attendance slip. The pupil should then give this to their teacher to confirm that they have been registered in the Academy.
RELIGIOUS OBSERVATIONS
Parents must inform the Academy in advance if absence is required for a days of religious observance.
TERM TIME LEAVE
We require parents/carers to observe the term times of the Academy. A leave of absence is granted entirely at the Head of School’s discretion. The Head of School will not grant leave of absence unless there are exceptional circumstances. Where a leave of absence is granted, the Head of School will determine the number of days a pupil can be away from the Academy. The Head of School does not have the discretion to authorise holidays during term time. Any requests for leave during term time must be made 5 days in advance in writing to the Head of School.
INTERVENTION
St George’s recognises that early intervention can prevent poor attendance. We monitor attendance and punctuality throughout the year. Certain groups of pupils may be more at risk of poor attendance and the Academy will provide support and assistance wherever possible. Unannounced home visits will be conducted by the Academy Attendance and Welfare Team in cases of absence.
When a pupil is absent for the first time a letter will be issued outlining the support that is available to ensure good attendance. If a pupil’s absence then decreases to below 98%, a concerns letter will be sent. If no improvement is made, a medical evidence letter will be issued.
PERSISTENT ABSENTEE
In the case of persistent absence, arrangements will be made for parents to meet with/speak to our Attendance leads or pupil welfare officer. If attendance decreases below 90% the attendance service will be notified. Once referred to the Attendance and Prosecution Service they will attempt to resolve the situation by agreement.
PUNCTUALITY
See below for Academy start times. Any pupils arriving after this time will be classed as late and sanctioned accordingly.
All pupils must be in the academy by 8:14am
REWARDS
The Academy acknowledges 100% attendance in the following ways:
- Certificates
- Vouchers
- Pupil of the week