Attendance Policy

Attendance Policy

1.0 Introduction
Co-op Academy Woodslee recognises that regular school attendance is central to raising standards in education and improving the life chances of all children. Regular attendance at school enables children to gain maximum benefit from a range of educational and wider opportunities available to them. Children are expected to attend school for 190 days each academic year. This policy sets out the framework for how parents, carers, Academy staff and governors as well as partner services can work together to help all children within Co-op Academy Woodslee to achieve the highest possible levels of attendance.

Failing to attend school on a regular basis will be considered as a safeguarding matter. Co-op Academy Woodslee is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, visitors and volunteers to share this commitment. Our attendance policy MUST be adhered to to ensure the safety of all children who are on the roll of Co-op Academy Woodslee. Ensuring your child regularly attends school is your legal responsibility and permitting absence from school without a good reason creates an offence in law and may result in prosecution.

At Co-op Academy Woodslee we have an Attendance Team who works with the Locality Attendance Officer (LAO), staff, governors, pupils and their families to monitor, consolidate and improve the school’s attendance and pupil punctuality. All children should be at school, on time, every day, unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable. 

2.0 Regular School Attendance

The need for regular school attendance is given a high priority at Co-op Academy Woodslee. Parents of children of compulsory school age are, by law, required to ensure that their children receive a suitable education through regular attendance at school. Children must start full-time education once they reach compulsory school age. This is on 31 December, 31 March, or 31 August following their fifth birthday - whichever comes first. Children who are not yet of compulsory school age but access our Foundation One (Nursery) provision are still required to have a good level of attendance 96% or above. Failing to have a good level of attendance may result in  losing your child’s allocated teacher lead nursery provision place.

Research conducted by the Department for Education (DfE 2016) confirmed that, as the level of overall pupil absence increases, the likelihood of pupils achieving what they are capable of decreases. 

Failing to attend school on a regular basis will be considered as a safeguarding matter.

The following table illustrates percentage attendance over a school year and the equivalent days/weeks of learning missed:

3.0 Aims
Our Attendance Policy aims to:

• Support our pupils and their parents/carers in the establishing and maintaining the highest possible levels of attendance and punctuality.
  
• For all children and families to value attendance and punctuality highly.  
• Ensure that all our pupils have full and equal access to have the whole curriculum over those 190 days with the aim of raising children’s achievement and levels of attainment.
  
• Ensure that parents/carers are aware of their legal responsibilities for their child’s attendance at school.  
  
• Ensure that our attendance meets Government and Local Authority guidelines and targets.
  

4.0 Co-op Academy Woodslee Community Attendance Expectations
4.1 We expect that all our pupils will:  

• Attend school every day.
  
• Attend school punctually:

8:45am each day for Nursery  children or 12:15pm if attending the afternoon Nursery

8:50am each day Reception to Y6.  

‘Be on time for 10 to 9!’

• Attend appropriately prepared and equipped ready to learn each day.
  
• Take ownership of their attendance and be able to tell the Class Teacher or a member of our Attendance Team if there is anything that might be affecting their attendance.

4.2 We expect that all parent/carers will:

• Ensure their child regularly attends school and be aware of their legal responsibilities.
   
• To ensure that their child arrives at school punctually for 8:45am/ 8:50am every day and is prepared for the day ahead.  A reason should be offered for any lateness.
  
• Ensure that parents contact school daily if their child is absent or if they know in advance that their child will be unable to attend school. It is important that parents / carers keep in touch with school about all absences. This information is used to help determine whether children’s absence is recorded in the register as authorised or unauthorised.  If parents do not communicate with school, and staff are unable to establish contact, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised.
  
• To trust that school staff will contact them during the school day if a child is ill in school and needs to go home.
  
• To make all medical appointments outside school hours whenever possible, and to inform school in advance of any medical appointments that cannot be scheduled out of school time. For absence to be authorised as a medical absence, schools do require evidence, such as an appointment card or letter.

• To take family holidays during school holiday periods, and to be aware that there is no entitlement to withdraw children for authorised leave of absence during term time. Any requests for leave of absence during term time should be made in writing and in advance to the head teacher. Application of Leave Request 

Forms are also available at our school office.

• To be aware of curriculum requirements and to be especially vigilant with regards to attendance during particularly important times such as SATs, Phonics Screening, Y4 Multiplication Check etc.
  
• Contact school immediately whenever a problem occurs that may cause their child to be absent. To provide evidence and advice from a health professional when needed to enable school to gain a greater understanding of their child’s health issues. Our Attendance Team will offer advice and support if required.  
  
• Work in partnership with school and notify staff as soon as possible should their child be reluctant to come to school for any reason, or if there are any other issues impacting on school attendance. This is so that any problems can be quickly identified and overcome.

• To ensure that school has at least two sets of full contact details, and school is immediately informed of any changes made to the contact details.Data collection Form

4.3 We expect that the academy staff, teachers, support staff responsible for attendance and others identified will:

• Read and understand the Department for Education Guidance on  Working together to improve school attendance

• Demonstrate a strong and inclusive whole school attendance ethos that helps pupils to succeed and feel that they ‘belong’.
  
• Keep regular and accurate records of AM and PM attendance and punctuality.
  
• Encourage an open communication channel and work in partnership between home and school to improve attendance and punctuality. This will include meetings with parents and carers, where any support needs can be identified and addressed.
  
• Promote the importance of good attendance to pupils and their parents/carers at every opportunity (via newsletters, assemblies, school website, social media and any other communications between school and home)
  
• Investigate all unexplained absences to obtain reasons from parents and through child voice Return to School Interview . Although parents may provide a reason, only school can authorise an absence. In cases of long-term or regular absence due to medical conditions, verification from a GP/Medical Professional or supporting medical documents may be requested.  
  
• Regularly inform parents of the percentage attendance of their child.  Make initial enquiries regarding pupils who are not attending regularly or are absent for an extended period of time. Our Attendance Team will carry out unannounced home visits in a bid to support getting children into school.
  
• To incentivise, reward and celebrate good and improved attendance on an individual, group, and whole school level; creating a positive culture in which good and improved attendance is highly valued.
  
• Meet regularly with the Wirral Attendance Service and seek advice from the Locality Attendance Officer (LAO) both in respect of the management of whole school attendance matters, and of individual children whose attendance gives cause concern
  
• To refer children who are, or who are at risk of becoming, Children who are absent from education for prolonged periods and/or repeated occasions to the Local Authority usually after 10 days of consecutive unexplained absence.
  
• Refer children into the Wirral Local Authority’s Vulnerable Children’s Panel for advicePupil Registration and support in situations where parents are reluctant to engage voluntarily with early help, and concerns about unauthorised absence are ongoing. Parents will be made aware that this will be the case
  
• To analyse and evaluate a range of accurate attendance data to improve individual pupil and whole school performance, and to identify any vulnerable groups of pupils whose attendance is below what would be expected. A robust tracking procedure will be in place with respect to the attendance of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, children in receipt of Pupil Premium, and children who are Looked After by the Authority or have an allocated Social Worker.

Please note that under Section 23 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 gives Head teachers the power to issue Education Penalty Notices in cases of unauthorised absences from school. The responsibility for issuing Penalty Notices in Wirral will rest solely with Wirral Council. (see Code of Conduct: Education Penalty Notices for Unauthorised Absence and Exclusions, Wirral Children and Young People’s Department

)

5.0 Punctuality
Regular and punctual attendance at school is a legal requirement. When children arrive late and miss the start of the school day, they can miss work and vital information for the day. Late arriving pupils also disrupt lessons, and this can be embarrassing and upsetting for the child. Lateness can also encourage absence, as some pupils would rather not attend school at all, than arrive late.  Being punctual is a vital life skill.

• Registers are marked by 9a.m; if children arrive in class after this time, they will receive a late mark in the register (code L).
• In line with recommendations from the Department for Education (DfE), registers will close at 9:20 a.m. If children arrive after this time, they will be recorded as having arrived after closure of registers (code U). This counts as an unauthorised absence for that session.
• Late arrivals will be monitored and Punctuality Letters will be sent to those who are persistently late.
• If a child arrives at school late after 9.20am, lateness is recorded as an unauthorised absence (U). This affects a child’s attendance and if persistent, can result in a parent facing the possibility of a Fixed Penalty Notice
• Persistent lateness will be addressed by our Attendance Team and may result in Wirral Council issuing a £60 Education Penalty Notice. Parents can approach school at any time if they are having problems getting a child to school on time.  
• Pupil’s attendance and punctuality is recorded on their academic report and will be passed on to future schools, including secondary, as required.
  

6.0 The monitoring of Attendance
Schools are required to take an attendance register twice a day, and this shows whether the pupil is present, engaged in an approved educational activity off-site, or absent.

At Co-op Academy Woodslee we monitor the attendance of all pupils and any child whose attendance is below 90% is scrutinised more rigorously. Early Help will be offered to the families to discuss how best to support parents whose children are not attending regularly enough. This may involve informal meetings, Attendance Passports, letters or home visits.

If attendance does not improve then it will be escalated and families will be invited in for an formal attendance panel meeting with the Attendance Team. In extreme cases, schools will seek advice and support from the Local Authority’s Vulnerable Children’s Panel in cases where concerns about a child’s unauthorised absence are ongoing. The Locality Attendance Officer may then become directly involved and may choose to take legal action against persistent offenders.

7.0 Attendance and Safeguarding
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Poor attendance may be identified as a safeguarding concern under the category of Education Neglect. Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:

protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s health or development; ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

Schools have a key role in ensuring children and young people are kept safe. Schools should be alert to unauthorised absence as being a potential indicator of educational or wider neglect. Neglect is the most common reason for a child to be the subject of a Child Protection Plan in the UK.

Working Together 2018 identifies neglect as

‘The persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development.

8.0 Absences
By law, schools must record absences and the reasons given. It is important that parents / carers keep in touch with school about all absences. This information is used to help determine whether children’s absence is recorded in the register as authorised or unauthorised. The head teacher has the ultimate authority to determine whether absences are authorised or unauthorised. If parents do not communicate with school, and staff are unable to establish contact, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised

If your child is absent you must:

• Contact school on 0151 334 1406, or email woodslee@coopacademies.co.uk , as soon

as possible on the first day of absence.

• Parents are required to telephone daily to give updates of their child’s illness and to inform on when their child is likely to return. 
• Send a note in on the first day of their return with an explanation of the absence along with any medical evidence to support the reason for absence – you must

do this even if you have already telephoned in.

If your child is absent we will:

• We will telephone or text you on the first day of absence if we have not heard from you.
• We may carry out a Home Visit if contact is not made and attendance concerns are ongoing. Call at home letter
• We will telephone or text other contacts you have provided if we are unable to make contact with you. This is in line with our Safeguarding Policy.  
• Your child’s class teacher will have a discussion with you if attendance falls below expected standard.  
• We will send you an attendance concern letter if attendance continues to fall below expected standard, however you can contact school at any time if you would like support with attendance.

8.1 Different Types of Absence

Health advice in relation to required absence periods for identified illnesses. The Headteacher may decide on an individual basis whether absence is authorised.

8.2 Medical Evidence 

The most common reason for children being persistently absent from school is illness. When pupils are having repeat absences due to reported illness, schools may need more evidence and advice to help decide whether or not the absence should be authorised, and to see whether any additional support is required.

Schools can accept the following as medical evidence:

• GP certificate
• Letter from health professional
• Appointment card / letter (dated)
• Prescription / Medication in the name of the child
• Screenshot of a text message from GP or NHS confirming an appointment which is to be emailed or printed
• Care of the chemist – date stamped slip to show medical advice has been sought

8.3 Medical Appointments

Medical appointments should be made for either before or after the school day or during the school holidays. On rare occasions and if this is not possible, medical appointment letters/appointment cards need to be brought to the office where the details can be entered onto their school records. Children should also be brought to school and collected just before the appointment and returned to school as soon as possible after the appointment. If parents have medical appointments for themselves, then they should ensure that alternative arrangements are made for their children to be either brought to or collected from school.

Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider reasonable and for which no “leave” has been given. This includes: 

● parents keeping children off school unnecessarily 

● children off school due to parent illness 

● truancy before or during the school day 

● absences which have never been properly explained 

● children who arrive at school too late to get a mark 

● holidays during term time that have not been authorised    

Parents whose children are experiencing difficulties should contact the school at an early stage and work together with the staff in resolving any problems. This is nearly always successful. If difficulties cannot be sorted out in this way, the school or the parent may refer the child to the Locality Attendance Officer (LAO) from the Local Authority. He/she will also support in helping to resolve the situation. If other ways of trying to improve the child’s attendance have failed, these Officers can issue Penalty Notices or use court proceedings to prosecute parents or to seek an Education Supervision Order on the child.   

Alternatively, parents or children may wish to contact the LAO themselves to ask for help or information. They are independent of the school and will give impartial advice. Their telephone number is available from the school office or by contacting the Local Authority.            

8.4 Holidays in Term Time / Leave of Absence
No holiday leave is permitted during term time for any pupil in line with the Government Regulations that have been in place since 1st September 2013. Headteachers can only grant a leave of absence during term-time if there are ‘exceptional circumstances’ surrounding the request, and parents have made an application in advance. Requests for a leave of absence during term time should be requested by completing a leave of absence form which can be collected from our main office Wirral Application of Leave. 

If the exceptional circumstances criteria is met the Headteacher will then determine the number of school days a child can be away from school. Exceptional requests are those which are considered to meet the criteria of being: rare, short, unavoidable and significant. Holidays not meeting these requirements will not be classed as exceptional. All holiday requests are looked at on an individual basis, where attendance, unauthorised absence and previous holidays are considered in the decision. If a pupil is taken on holiday or on leave of absence without prior agreement, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised, and the matter will immediately be referred to the Locality Attendance Officer which may result in the issue of Education Penalty Notices. Your child may also be reported as a Child who is absent from education for prolonged periods and/or repeated occasions to the Local Authority usually after 10 days of consecutive unexplained absence.

9.0 School Attendance, Safeguarding children who are absent from education for prolonged periods and/or repeated occasions

A child going missing from education is a potential indicator of abuse or neglect. School staff will follow the school’s procedures for dealing with children that go missing from education, particularly on repeat occasions, to help identify the risk of abuse and neglect, including sexual exploitation, and to help prevent the risks of going missing in future. Schools are required to make the local authority aware of every registered pupil who fails to attend school regularly and any children who have been absent from school, where the absence has been treated as unauthorised for a continuous period of 10 school days Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 regulation 12. The attendance lead and the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) should work closely to manage risks, ensure appropriate multi-agency engagement where necessary, so that children and young people receive the appropriate level of early help or statutory intervention to ensure they attend school regularly.

9.1 Individual Absence Procedures 

The academy applies the following procedures in deciding how to deal with individual absences:   

 ● If a child is absent, parents should contact the school on the first day of the absence before 9:00am via telephone/email to stating the reason why they are off. Parents must be clear on the reason- giving symptoms. The academy will then decide whether to authorise the absence. If authorisation were to be refused, for instance if a child was kept off school for a birthday, then the parents would be informed by the Administration and Attendance Assistant. Parents should continue to contact the school daily before 9:00am until the child has returned to school.    

●The academy will not authorise absences for shopping, looking after other children, illness of siblings or parents etc. Leave may be granted in an emergency (e.g. bereavement) or for emergency medical appointments.

We expect that most medical appointments i.e. Dentist or Doctor appointments are booked in the school holidays and after school time to ensure that our children do not miss out on learning in the school day.

● If  parents/carers fail to make contact and explain the child’s absence to the school by 9:00am, then the school will contact the home by telephone/text or via email on the initial day. By contacting the parent, the school also ensures that the parent is aware their child is not in school. This will enable them, where necessary, to establish that their child is safe. If the child who is absent is a Persistently Absent child or if there are concerns for the child, the Early Help Team will visit the property to engage with the family and ascertain the safety of the child.

In the event that the child/adult does not open the door, a letter is posted to request contact from the family immediately. Schools are required to make the local authority aware of every registered pupil who fails to attend school regularly and any children who have been absent from school, where the absence has been treated as unauthorised for a continuous period of 10 school days Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 regulation 12.

The procedure for a Children who are absent from education for prolonged periods and/or repeated occasions is then followed.