Attendance
At Provost Williams CE School, we place great importance on regular attendance at the school as we know that missing education has a really damaging impact on the progress that children make.
The School day starts at 8:50am
Regular attendance is a vital part of a child's academic and social success. All children are entitled to receive a full-time education and we do everything we can to ensure that all our students receive this entitlement and can make the most of their opportunities to realise their full potential. Staff work with students and their families to ensure every child attends the school regularly and on time. We can help with advice and support if you are experiencing any issues around attendance and punctuality. You can contact your child's class teacher in the first instance for support with attendance. Where appropriate the SENDCo and Head of School or Executive Headteacher may also provide support.
We have a legal duty to promote attendance and are required to publish attendance figures. Children should be at the school, on time, every day the school is open, unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable. Permitting absence from the school without a good reason is an offence and we are required to follow this up with families as part of our safeguarding responsibilities.
Reporting Absence
It is the responsibility of a child's parent/carer to inform the school of a student's absence and also to inform the school office of any changes to contact details. The school office must be notified of a child's absence by 9.30 a.m. on each day of absence providing the reason for absence and the date that the child is expected to return to school. Where no contact has been made, we will contact parents and/or other listed emergency contacts to request an explanation for absence and to check that the child is safe. Where required, we may conduct reasonable enquiries with friends or neighbours and will carry out ‘safe and well’ home visits as necessary. If no contact is made, we may request a ‘safe and well’ check from the police.
Every half-day absence has to be classified by the school as either AUTHORISED or UNAUTHORISED. Authorised absences are mornings or afternoons away from the school for a good reason such as illness or other unavoidable cause. Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider reasonable and for which no 'leave' has been given. This includes:
- Absences which have never been properly explained
- Children who arrive at the school too late to get their attendance mark
- Parents keeping children off unnecessarily, for example, shopping trips or unauthorised holidays in term-time
As far as possible, medical and dental appointments should be made outside of the school day. Where this is not possible, a note and appointment card should be sent to us prior to the appointment so that necessary medical absences can be authorised.
Punctuality
Being on time is important to your child's education. If a child is persistently late, they miss the start of lessons which may have a negative impact on their learning, confidence and self-esteem. Lateness disrupts your child, their class and the staff working with them. The school doors open at 8:40am, when the children come into the school. Classroom doors close at 8:50am, after which time children should enter through the school office.
- Being 5 minutes late every day will result in your child losing around three learning days a year.
- Being 15 minutes late every day equates to having two complete weeks off a year.
Persistent lateness can result in a penalty notice being issued, which carries a fine.
Term Time Holidays
Government guidance does not permit parents to take children on holidays during term time except under the most exceptional circumstances. If you do decide to take your child on a family holiday that has not been authorised, their absence will be recorded as 'unauthorised' and could result in a prosecution and a fine.
Encouraging good attendance
During the year, we encourage children to attend school by rewarding the class with the highest attendance each week and by awarding small prizes (such as pencils) to children who are on time during 'Early bird' weeks held each term. We also work with families to try to support children to attend regularly and recognise the value of being in school. Further information on attendance and how we support families to maintain good attendance is available in our full Attendance Policy published in the policy section of our website.
References
The Educational Act 1996
The Education (Pupil registration) ( England ) Regulations 2006