Research has shown that there is a clear link between academic outcomes and school attendance. We want all students to achieve excellent outcomes to give themselves the very best chance in life. At Central Academy we wish to work in partnership with parents and carers and so are seeking your full support in ensuring that your child attends the Academy every day and on time. We are always pleased to work together with parents/carers in resolving any difficulties, but we are also committed to improving attendance levels at the Academy.
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 dropping one grade in your GCSEs.
We take absence very seriously. This has a positive effect on attendance at the school. Our Attendance Matters posters, which are displayed around school, show clearly the learning that is lost when students do not attend school.
Your child will be informed of their attendance weekly by their form tutor.
Central Academy monitors students closely whose attendance is falling and will contact you if your child’s attendance does not improve. As a parent/carer you are committing an offence if you fail to ensure that your child attends the Academy regularly and punctually, even if they are missing school without your knowledge. It is important that parents/carers monitor single day absences, as these days soon add up to weeks.
Absence
If your child is unable to attend, contact school on the first day of absence before 9.00am.
Please remember to contact school every day before 9.00am when your child is absent for more than one day. If your child is ill and unable to attend school for 3 or more consecutive days, we may ask that you provide medical evidence to support the absence. This could be a doctor’s letter, a copy of a prescription for medicine or the prescribed medicine packaging itself. Ultimately school is responsible for deciding if the absence is acceptable or not. Only genuine absence will be recorded as authorised.
Punctuality
Why is Punctuality Important?
Research shows that attendance and punctuality are the single most important factors in school success. Students are reminded that:
Being on time:
- Gets your day off to a good start and puts you in a positive frame of mind, so that you can make the most of your learning opportunities;
- Sets positive patterns for the future. You can’t expect to keep a job if you’re always coming in late;
- Leads to a good attendance record;
- Leads to better achievement because you attend the WHOLE of all of your classes.
- Arriving just 5 minutes late every day equals 3 days of education over the whole year
- If you miss 30 minutes of school a day –this amounts to 19 days of lost learning each year. This equates to under 90% of lessons attended, which means that you are persistently absent.
At Central Academy all students are expected to be on lineup at 8.25 am, students who are late to line up more than once will lead to a break time detention and non-attendance to this will be escalated.
Late to school after 8.35 am will lead to a 30 minute detention on the same day.
Late marks will be shared with parents weekly, along with behaviour points, house points and attendance percentage.
Persistent lateness my result in a referral to the school attendance team, for more intensive support.
Guidance and support for parents and carers
There are important steps that you can take to help support your child’s attendance and punctuality to school:
- Ensure your child attends every day, on time, equipped and ready to learn. Lineup each morning is at 8.25 am.
- Ensure school has up-to-date addresses and telephone numbers. We will contact you by text, telephone call or email if your child is absent and you have not contacted school to notify us of the absence.
- If your child is ill, contact school on the first day of absence.
- If you wish to check your child’s attendance please contact the attendance office or your child’s Year Group Manager. They will inform you if your child has been registered. Please note that we are only able to share attendance information with parents/carers listed as official contacts on our school records.
- If no contact is received regarding the absence, it is recorded as unauthorised, so please respond to all texts and telephone calls regarding attendance. Ultimately school is responsible for deciding if the absence is acceptable or not. Only genuine absence will be authorised. You may be asked to provide medical evidence if your child has been absent for more than 3 consecutive days and they have a poor attendance record. This could be a doctor’s letter, a copy of a prescription for medicine or the prescribed medicine packaging itself.
- Ensure that medical appointments are made outside of school time. In situations where this is not possible, we ask that students attend school before and after the appointment (as appropriate), ensuring that they only miss the smallest possible amount of lesson time.
- Avoid trivial absences such as, ‘buying new shoes’. This would not be accepted as a reasonable absence.
- Holidays should not be taken in school time. Any Leave of Absence can only be agreed by the Principal and only agreed where there are exceptional circumstances. A Leave of Absence form must be completed for such a request to be considered.
- Respond to letters or telephone calls regarding attendance and punctuality. We may invite you into school to discuss avenues of support and establish an action plan if we are concerned about your child’s attendance. It is important that we work together to resolve any difficulties.
- Contact your child’s Year Team Manager in the first instance if you are experiencing difficulty in getting your child into school.
Attendance Rewards
At Central Academy we reward groups and individual students who attend regularly and whose attendance is improving. There are plenty of ways in which we celebrate and reward students who attend well:
- Every week students with 100% attendance for the previous week receive a postcard home.
- Every half-term students with 100% attendance for the year to date are celebrated.
- During Attendance Booster Weeks throughout the year, more rewards and competitions are available to students who attend and take part.