Fishtoft Academy Attendance Procedure

AttendanceThe Key To Success

At Fishtoft Academy, we firmly believe that openness and collaboration are the key to success.

We set a culture of high expectations for all of our school community and firmly believe that in order for children to achieve well they need to be in school.

We understand that there are a variety of scenarios that can affect a child’s attendance, which is why our approach is built upon support, understanding and transparency. We will always look to engage with families to understand how we can help as a school and that, as families, you understand the full process beyond what we as a school manage and why discussions/presenting of evidence is required.

Together we can ensure that your child attends school and has the best possible start in their educational journey!

Absence Procedure

If your child is absent for any reason, it is important that you make contact with the office either by telephone or via the MyEd messaging app by 8.30am - giving reasons for absence.

If your child is not in school for registration at 8.50am and we have not heard from you, the office staff will contact you. If we are unable to reach you we will attempt to contact the additional contacts you have provided. If we are still unable to make contact with you, we would attempt to contact you throughout the morning. If we are still unable to make contact with you, a home visit may be carried out.

PA

A Persistent Absentee is any student whose attendance falls below 90% as stated within government guidelines.

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Persistent absence has a detrimental effect on pupils, as work missed is often not fully completed - leaving such pupils at a disadvantage to their peers.

Pupils with poor attendance are less likely to achieve their academic potential and may find that they suffer socially. We have a responsibility to ensure that pupils are given all the opportunities to succeed both academically, socially, and for their future life choices, hence the academy having a designated Attendance Team to support pupils and families where there are concerns regarding a student’s attendance.

To improve clarity for parents, you have access to your child’s attendance through the Parent Portal app. Here you can see an up-to-date attendance figure.

• Pupils with good attendance records generally achieve higher grades and enjoy school more.

• Having a good education will help to give your child the best possible start in life.

• Regular school attendance patterns encourage the development of other responsible patterns of behaviour.

• Evidence shows that good attendance is a key factor in enabling children to reach their potential.

Holidays

All holidays will be unauthorised. If you submit a holiday request, a meeting will be arranged to discuss what the procedure is so that you are fully informed about your decision. Any holiday absence will run the risk of a fine being issued by the Local Authority, which the Attendance Team will discuss with you. It is important to note that these procedures could take place.

AttendanceThe Key To Success

Illness

• If you have reported your child absent due to illness we may ask for evidence of appointments and, where applicable, for you to send photographic evidence.

• If your child is absent due to a sickness bug/upset stomach we take into consideration the NHS guidance of 48-hour isolation. However, some upset stomach cases may be due to something a child has eaten, or if there has been substantial time between sickness, which may not require the 48-hour isolation. We will work with you to discuss and establish a suitable return to school date in these instances.

Religious Observances

From time to time, a religious observance may be authorised as an exceptional circumstance. Please contact the office to arrange a meeting to discuss with the Attendance Team in school the individual

circumstances and requirements.

We will work with you to help understand the requirements, what evidence may be required, and what the school can authorise. Each case will be very different, so we are keen to work with families around this.

Home Visits

If your child has been absent for 3 days or more, a member of the team will visit your child at home. If the team is in the area on day one or two of your child’s absence, they may drop in to see all is well. If deemed appropriate, our attendance team may initiate a Police Safe and Well check if we are unable to make contact with you. These procedures are based around robust and rigid Safeguarding processes, to ensure we do all we can to keep our families safe. The welfare of our children and families is the number one priority. Schools also have

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a safeguarding duty, under Section 175 of the Education Act 2002, to investigate any unexplained absences.

SAPs

If your child’s attendance falls below 90% you may be invited in for a SAP (School Attendance Panel) meeting.

SAP meetings are a supportive measure to help us understand the reasons for your child’s absence - and to find ways forward to improving your child’s attendance.

Why Regular Attendance Is So Important

Research has shown that regular attendance and good punctuality are key factors in children achieving their full potential at school. Good habits formed early will benefit a child’s education and are a good preparation for life.

Any absence affects the pattern of your child’s schooling

- and regular absence will seriously affect their learning and achievement. When children miss vital key learning objectives it can be impossible to catch up, placing them at a disadvantage to their peers.

Pupils attend school for 190 days each year – a total of 38 weeks. If they miss days from school this will affect their attendance rate:

• Less than 5 days of absence = 98%+ attendance

• 14 days of absence (approx.) = 93.5% attendance

• 20 days of absence (approx.) = 90% attendance

• 30 days of absence (approx.) = 88% attendance

Every School Day Counts!

Although being absent cannot always be helped as we all do become ill from time to time, please take a look at the table below to show you exactly how much time your child could be missing.

As you can see, if a child achieves 80% attendance this means that they have missed approximately 40 days of education over the academic year, averaging 1 day per week. This clearly has a detrimental impact on a child’s education and life chances.