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Longfield Academy Attendance Policy

The attendance policy of Longfield Academy has been reviewed and adopted by the Student and Community Committee of the Governing Body, June 2007

Date of Policy Review: June 2007
To be reviewed: September 2009

1. Statement of Intent
Longfield Academy is committed to providing a full and efficient educational experience to all students. We believe that, if students are to benefit from education, punctuality and good attendance are crucial. As a school we will organise and do all we can to ensure maximum attendance for all students. Any problems that impede punctuality and regular attendance will be identified and addressed as speedily as possible.

It is the policy of our school to celebrate achievement. Attendance is a critical factor to a productive and successful school career. Our school will actively promote and encourage 100% attendance by all of our students.

Our school will give a high priority to conveying to parents and students the importance of regular and punctual attendance. We recognise that parents have a vital role to play and there is a need to establish strong home-school links and communication systems that can be utilised whenever there is concern about attendance.

If there are problems that affect a student's attendance we will investigate, identify and strive in partnership with parents, the students and other stakeholders to resolve those issues as quickly and efficiently as possible. We will adopt a clearly focussed approach aimed at returning the student to full attendance at all times.

The school is committed to promoting race and gender equality within all practices and procedures related to attendance and punctuality.

2. Principles
Longfield Academy will:

• Ensure that all staff are aware of the Roll Call / Registration procedures and receive appropriate INSET with regard to these.
• Complete Roll Call accurately at the beginning of each morning and afternoon session.
• Complete a Registration during every lesson of the day.
• Stress to parents/carers the importance of contacting the school early on the first day of absence, and provide effective mechanisms for them to make contact with the school about their sons/daughters.
• Promote the importance of full attendance and punctuality to achieving a productive and successful school career.
• Through consultation days and reporting systems, ensure that parents/carers are made aware of the attendance pattern of their son/daughter, and provide and opportunity to discuss how it may affect learning.
• Work towards ensuring that all students feel supported and valued. We will send a clear message that, if a student is absent, she/he will be missed.
• Support students who have difficulty accessing education through the work of the Family Liaison Officer and other members of the Learning Support Team
• Highlight with students, and the parents of students, who have been absent the importance of catching up on work missed. The school will provide them with opportunities to do so without disrupting the learning of other class members.
• Display attendance data rates around the school and reward good and improved attendance of all students.
• Ensure regular evaluation of attendance patterns by the Access Officer in conjunction with the Heads of Learning and the Attendance and Behaviour Service (ABS).
• Consult members of the school community, governors and ABS in the development and maintenance of the whole school attendance policy.
• Enable the Access Officer and the other key staff to liaise with other schools and agencies, ensuring that there is a good awareness of the most recent national and local initiatives, and that these are taken into account when developing new attendance strategies.

3. Procedures for recording attendance, absence and punctuality
The statutory recording of attendance/absence at the start of each session will be known as Roll Call. This will be undertaken during Period 1 and 5 each school day.

The recording of attendance/absence during Periods 2 – 4 will be known as Registration.

The recording of attendance/absence in each case will only be undertaken by designated staff.

No student will undertake the process at any stage.

Roll Call of all students will be undertaken by designated staff at the beginning of each morning and afternoon session, using the Serco Facility system. Roll Call is at 8.45 and 14.15 and recorded information must be sent immediately to the central computer. Registers officially close at 9.45 and 15.15 respectively.

Students are considered late if they arrive for Roll Call after the lesson teacher has finished marking the register and has entered them as absent. When arriving after 8.50 a.m. a student must report to Reception where they will sign in the “Late Book”. Students will be given a written slip to give to the Teacher, as explanation for lateness. Failure to produce a written slip will result in the student being sent back to reception to follow correct procedure. Members of the office staff will oversee the “Late Book” procedures and the information relating to late arrival will be scrutinised by the Access Officer.

When students are absent from school for any reason, parents should contact the school on the first day to indicate the reason for, and the estimated length of the absence. The Access Officer will record any absence on the Facility Attendance Module. The School will provide a dedicated phone recording facility and email contact point, to enable parents/carers to effectively communicate with the Access Officer. Written explanation of a student's absence will be sought from parents either prior to, or upon the return to school of the student. This should be taken and placed into the mailbox provided, which will be outside the Access Officers office, where this will be filed and kept on record as necessary.

The School employs a system of “first day calling” for students who are absent, for whom no notification has been received. This process will be undertaken during the morning session and a written record will be kept. Copies will be circulated to the appropriate staff for information. A W13/letter will be sent to parents/carers where no acceptable explanation has been received 3 days after the commencement of absence.

In addition to the procedures outlined above students in Key Stage 5 are required to adhere to the ‘Attendance Policy including guidance on E.M.A.' as published by The Darent 16+Consortium. Registration of students by staff will take place during each lesson of the day, at the earliest convenient opportunity, using the Serco Facility system.

When a student is sick whilst at school they are to report to the KS3/KS4 Administrative Assistants who will contact parents to confirm that the student may leave the school site.

Prior to leaving the school site during the school day, every student in Key Stages 3 and 4 must report to reception and sign out. They will then be issued with an exit pass. This is for confirmation that a student is permitted to leave the school site and requires them to contact the office upon arrival at home. An alternative and specific procedure will pertain for students in Key Stage 5.

Students in Key Stage 5 who wish to leave the site during the school day must follow the signing out procedures determined by the Head of Learning in Key Stage 5.

4. Strategies for Improving Attendance and Punctuality a. General Strategies
The Access Officer will make Heads of Leaning aware of significant attendance trends and patterns, and seek their support to address any issues with students, parents/carers and other stakeholders.

The school will encourage parents/carers to monitor the attendance of their son/daughter by providing access to the SERCO Facility system through the Internet.

Attendance, punctuality and its impact on learning will be a key area for discussion between Learning Tutors and parents at the annual consultation days

A range of positive strategies will be used to reward individual students and groups for outstanding attendance.

Where a Learning Tutor has a significant attendance concern, they will raise these with the Access Officer. Regular liaison will take place between the Heads of Learning, Access Officer and Family Liaison Officer to ensure the appropriate action is being undertaken.

All members of the Learning Support Team will engage on a regular basis with outside agencies, including the Attendance and Behaviour Service, to develop a positive approach to student attendance. This will, wherever possible, include support to ensure students can access education, but may include punitive measures to reinforce legal aspects of school attendance.

Student attendance data may be shared with parents or carer, Educational Welfare Officer, Social Services, Police, relevant LEA's, Ofsted, and the Department of Education and Skills.

Parents will be informed about new attendance initiatives and developments through the termly newsletter.

b. Term Time Holidays
The School will not grant permission for family holidays during term time except under exceptional circumstances. If parents wish to be granted permission they must put their request in writing to the Access Officer. Any request will be considered by a member of the Senior Management Team. All absences due to unauthorised holidays will be considered as unauthorised holidays, and as such parents/carers may find themselves subject to Penalty Notice.

c. Penalty Notices
If (after consulting parents and the Educational Welfare Officer, and except in the case of unauthorised holidays, given 15 school days to effect an improvement) attendance or punctuality of an individual student does not improve, the following circumstances may be considered as appropriate reasons for the issuing of Penalty Notices:

• Truancy
• Parentally-condoned absences
• Persistent lateness after the Roll Call has closed
• Unauthorised absences.
• Deliberate taking of a holiday in term time, contrary to school policy.

Penalty Notices will be restricted to one per pupil per academic year. In cases where families contain more than one poor-attending pupil multiple issue may occur but this will be subject to careful consideration with external agencies.

There will be no restriction on the number of times a parent/carer may receive a formal warning of a possible issue of a Penalty Notice.

A student must be absent from school for at least ten sessions in any term before a Penalty Notice may be issued.

5. Monitoring and Evaluation
Attendance Data will be published annually for consideration by the Student and Community Committee of the Governing Body.

The relevant Assistant Headteacher will be responsible for monitoring attendance in their Key Stage(s).

The Headteacher has overall responsibility for school attendance figures, and action to improve attendance.