Attendance

Attendance and Punctuality

At Hazel Grove Primary School we believe that attendance and punctuality at school is not only a legal requirement, but is fundamental to the child’s development and attainment. Local Authorities, Schools, Parents and the wider community all have a role to play in improving attendance. At Hazel Grove we have implemented procedures designed to ensure that all our pupils attend regularly.

Authorised Absence

An absence is classified as authorised when a child has been away from school for a legitimate reason and the school has received notification from a parent or guardian. For example, if a child has been unwell and the parent has followed the procedures as set out in this policy.

Only the school can authorise an absence. Parents do not have this authority and consequently not all absences supported by parents will be classified as authorised.

Unauthorised Absence

An absence is classified as unauthorised when a child is away from school without the permission of the school.

Therefore the absence is unauthorised if a child is away from school without good reason, even with the support of a parent.

Punctuality

Punctuality is vital to the educational process.

If your child misses the start of the day, they can miss work and do not spend time with their class teacher missing vital information and news for the day. This can significantly reduce achievement, regardless of academic ability. Pupils arriving late also disrupt lessons, which can be embarrassing for the child and can in turn, encourage absence. The government have introduced new powers for the local authority to issue Penalty Notices in cases where parents do not take responsibility for ensuring their child arrives at school on time. Parents must take responsibility for getting children to school on time.

The start of the day is 8:55 for Reception and KS1 and 9am for KS2. Children arriving after this time must enter school through the main entrance, where their parent/carer will have to sign in at the office. Children must be accompanied to the office by an adult if late. It is unfair to expect children to report their late arrival for themselves. An arrival after 9.30am will be marked as an unauthorised absence.

Persistent latecomers will be referred to the Education Welfare Officer.

Monitoring

The Head Teacher in discussion with the Attendance/ Inclusions Officer will identify progress on Attendance by including the item on staff meetings, senior management meetings, and Governing Body meetings agendas. This will enable follow-ups and show whether the policy is really effective.

The Head Teacher will ensure that the policy is high profile throughout the year and especially at the beginning of a new school year through parents meetings and assemblies.

Evaluation

The Head Teacher and Attendance/ Inclusions Officer will use data from monitoring and feedback from staff, governors, parents and the Education Welfare Officer, to review and update the policy once every school year. A termly report to Governors will be made.