Attendance Overview
At St Peter Chanel we have high expectations for excellent attendance of all our pupils. Our attendance is currently 96% which is above the national average, with 27% of our pupils having 100% attendance. We understand that there is a clear link between attendance and achievement. If pupils are not attending school they will be unable to access the learning opportunities available to them.
We work closely with the Educational Welfare Service to reduce absences and this partnership has proven to be effective and additional support for parents.
The school’s monitoring and evaluation of absences is continuously analysed.
- If a child’s absence is unexplained, the school will write to the parents/carers and ask for a written explanation on return. A reply slip is provided for ease. An unauthorised absence is considered to be truancy.
- Parents/carers are responsible in law for ensuring that children of compulsory school age receive full-time suitable education. Failure to discharge this duty could result in the LA prosecuting the parents/carers in the Magistrates Court.
- The law requires regular attendance at school. This means attending school punctually every day and for the whole school day during term time unless there is a good reason (such as illness) for absence.
- Parents/carers do not have an automatic right to withdraw pupils from school for a holiday in term time and in law, have to apply for permission in advance.
The School must have written notification and explanation of any absences. The decision to grant leave of absence remains with the Headteacher and Governors of the school. This will be discretionary and only be granted in exceptional circumstances, e.g. family funeral, sudden illness etc. Each application for leave of absence will be considered individually.
An Education Welfare Officer (EWO) visits the school regularly to check on attendance and any cases of unauthorised absence or protracted absences will be highlighted and action taken where appropriate. The school issues formal attendance letters termly for those children who have attendance below 95%, advising parents/carers that their child’s attendance is below the recommended average. This forms part of the parental sanction process administered by the Educational Welfare Service.
A record of the child’s attendance, absences and unauthorised absences for the year is recorded on the child’s Annual Report. The Registration Certificate issued illustrates the absences within the academic year, a summary of sessions attended, authorised and unauthorised and the possible attendances. An attendance percentage is given. This is a legal requirement. A key to the codes used on the Registration Certificate is illustrated below. Please also see our Attendance Policy
Key to Codes
/ = Present (AM)
\ = Present (PM)
B = Educated off site (not Dual reg.)
C = Other authorised circumstances
D = Dual registration (attending other estab.)
E = Excluded (no alternative provision made)
G = Family holiday (not agreed or days in excess)
H = Family holiday (agreed)
I = Illness (not med/dental appointments)
J = Interview
L = Late (before registers closed)
M = Medical/Dental appointments
N = No reason yet provided for absence
O = Unauthorised Abs (not covered by other code)
P = Approved sporting activity
R = Religious observance
S = Study leave
T = Traveller absence
U = Late (after registers closed)
V = Educational visit or trip
W = Work experience
# = Planned whole or partial school closure
Y = Unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances
X = Non-compulsory school age absence
Z = Pupil not on roll - All should attend / No mark recorded
Attendance Certificates
The two classes (one from FS/KS1and one from KS2) with the best attendance from the previous week are awarded a certificate each week.
Punctuality
All children are expected to be in school by 8.50 am when school commences. If a child arrives into school late, the parent/carer will be expected to complete a Late Arrival Form giving the time of arrival, reason for lateness etc. Regular checks are made on punctuality. When concerns arise, a parent/carer will be notified by letter.
A record of the child’s punctuality is also recorded in his/her Annual Report and Attendance Registration Certificate. Copies of a child’s reports, including reports of attendance and punctuality are passed on to their respective secondary schools.
Referrals
If, during discussion with the EWO, attendance drops below 80% and this does not improve it will be escalated through the referral process. Parents receive a school concern letter, then an EWO concern letter, they are then invited to attend a meeting with the Headteacher and EWO and if this does not result in an improvement they are referred to the EWO service. This is explained to parents if they are at risk of this.