Parents

Attendance

Introduction to Attendance Policies and Procedures

Here at Corngreaves Academy we have the highest expectations across all areas of school life including attendance. We value positive relationships between both staff and pupils and want all pupils to feel they belong here and are valued. We work with our pupils to ensure that they have the highest possible attendance at school. We believe that this is the best way for them to succeed and to get the most out of all we have to offer. 

We want to see all our pupils with 96% or above attendance

There is a clear link between academic outcomes and school attendance. We want all pupils to achieve excellent outcomes to give themselves the very best chance in life. There are 175 non-school days per year for holidays, shopping and appointments. There is no need, except in extreme circumstances to miss a day’s education. If you miss one session in a week (remember, there are two sessions per day) your attendance is 90%.  This means you miss 19 days of education in a year and risk not being ready for the next stage of education. 

It is vital we work together to teach our pupils the value of attending school each and every day. However, we do appreciate that at times, pupils may not be able to attend school. We ask our parents and carers to follow the processes which can be found below. They support our safeguarding procedures and helps us with keeping your child/ren safe.

Should you have a concern about your child’s attendance, then we ask that you contact us to discuss this. We believe in strong partnerships across all parts of school life. This includes attending school. It is also important to us that pupils arrive to school on time, and they must be at school by 08:50am. 

Support

We take absence very seriously. We are committed to supporting any child who is finding it difficult to attend school regularly. We will target support for any pupil whose attendance falls below 95%.

Further information on support can be found in our Attendance Policy or by contacting Miss Kimberley Jones who is the schools Attendance and Pastoral Lead. 

Attendance Roadmap of Support Strategies

5 Foundations of Effective Attendance Practice – The Strategic Approach

Here at Corngreaves Academy we adopt the 5 Foundations of Effective Attendance Practice framework, this is modelled on the work of Professor Katherine Weare. The emphasis is on developing a school culture and climate which builds a sense of connectedness and belonging to ensure all children can attend school and thrive.  

The approach ensures we prioritise building solid working relationships with children / parents prior to any escalation.  The staged approach ensures we identify triggers early that can lead to poor attendance issues such as; mental health issues, lack of trust, communication and relationship breakdowns and the possible lack of networking opportunities both internal (in-school) and external (external agencies).

Our promise to monitor and support attendance
  • We will contact you on the first day of an absence by telephone if you have not called in and given the reason for absence.
  • We will contact you if we have any concerns over attendance and/or punctuality.
  • We will monitor attendance closely. Each month we produce an attendance report, which allows us to track attendance and monitor specific pupils or pupil groups. In cases where we have identified repeated non-attendance and have concerns, we invite parents/carers to a School Non-Attendance Meeting, during which we discuss with the parents/carers strategies for improving attendance. We approach each meeting with the aim to work in a cooperative partnership with parents/carers with the child's best interests at heart.
  • We will support you in promoting good attendance and punctuality across the school.
  • We will be there for you if you contact us about issues that may be impacting on your child’s attendance. We will do our best to support you and find a solution to the problem.
  • The School’s Designated Safeguarding Lead will get involved with persistent absentees to ascertain any issues and if support is needed, will be there to help.
How to report an absence

If your child is absent from school for any reason, then you must inform the school on the first day of absence by telephoning the school office on 01384 569333 stating your child's full name, class and reason for absence before 8:30am each day of the absence

If a pupil is absent and no message has been received, the school office will call parents/carers and seeks reasons for absence. We have additional emergency contact beyond the parents/carers to support any need to make contact. If contact cannot be made, a Safe and Well Welfare visit will be made to the home address by staff.

Let's work together to improve attendance!

Punctuality

As with attendance, we place a high priority on punctuality. We believe that 'every second counts' and being on time is a key life skill which sets up our pupils for a successful future. The impact of lateness is not only felt by the pupils themselves, in terms of missed education, but also can be disruptive for the class as a whole.

We monitor punctuality closely and in cases where we have identified repeated lateness and have concerns, we invite parents to a 'School Late Attendance Meeting', during which we discuss with the parents/carers strategies for improving punctuality. We aim to work in a cooperative partnership with parents/carers, finding solutions to create consistent punctuality which always have the child's best interests at heart.

Late collections

We also monitor and record late collections. We expect all children from Reception to Year 6 to be collected at 3.15pm. Children in Pre-School should be collected at 3:30pm. If the child is not collected within 10 minutes of this time, parents/carers will be contacted. If a parent or carer expects to arrive late for any reason, we ask that they inform the school office as soon as possible. Late collection can cause upset to children and also cause added work for school staff. In cases of repeated late collection, we will arrange a meeting with parents/carers to find an acceptable solution. We also ask parents/carers to let the class Teacher or the office know if they need a different adult is to collect their child.

Department for Education (DfE) Documents

As a school we adhere to the documentation sent out and published by the DfE.

The Following publications become effective as of September 2022. As a school we are already working towards these goals and have the procedures in place. 

Summary table of responsibilities for school attendance

Working together to improve school attendance

Attendance Newsletters

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