Attendance & Punctuality Policy

Issue 1   |  3rd September 2023

This Attendance and Punctuality Policy was approved by the Governing Board on 4th October 2023

Co-op Academy Stoke on Trent

Westport Road, Tunstall Stoke on Trent ST6 4LD

Tel: 01782 882300 Email: stok-academy@co-opacademies.co.uk

Web: https://stokeontrent.coopacademies.co.uk

            Co-op Academy Attendance Policy September 2023

  1. Introduction

1.1. At the Co op Academy Stoke on Trent every child matters. As an Academy, we are very aware of the important relationship between good  attendance, effective learning, and good academic progress. Academy attendance and good punctuality is considered essential to ensure sustained academic progress. It is vital that students attend the Academy regularly in order to learn and progress academically as well as socially.

Research has demonstrated that the higher the attendance of a student, the higher their GCSE grades are at the end of Year 11. Attendance above 95% every year in school equals one grade difference across all GCSE grades and increases the chances of students achieving a grade 4 or higher in English and Maths.

We expect all our learners to aim for 100% attendance as any absence has a negative impact on a child’s learning, and regular absence has a significant negative impact on achievement and opportunity. We know that learners with high aspiration and attendance go on to achieve better outcomes and live healthier, wealthier, and more enriched lives, are more likely to be able to access higher education and have better employment prospects.

1.2. Parents have a legal duty to ensure children of compulsory school age attend school regularly.

1.3. Ideally, all students would have an attendance rate of 100% although, clearly, we recognise that occasionally students may not be able to attend. For this reason, attendance of 96% and above is considered acceptable. Attendance below 96% is a concern. A child with an attendance rate below 90% is classed as a Persistent Absentee.

1.4. We are proud to praise and reward our students for their outstanding attendance throughout the academic year and  to thank parents & carers  for their continued support in ensuring they arrive on time and attend each day.

1.5 This policy document sets out the procedures we have in place to:

• Encourage all students to attend regularly;
• Monitor student attendance and intervene as necessary; and
• Provide advice and support to parents and students.

1.6 This policy should not be seen in isolation but is a strand that underpins all other policies related to the well-being of children including safeguarding, behaviour, bullying and children missing in education.

2. Aims

2.1. Our Academy aims to meet its obligations with regards to Academy attendance by:

• Promoting high attendance and reducing absence, including persistent absence
• Ensuring every student has access to the full-time education to which they are entitled
• Acting early to address patterns of absence

2.2.  We will support parents to perform their legal duty to ensure their children of compulsory school age attend regularly and will promote and support punctuality in attending lessons.

2.3.  We expect every student to attend punctually every Academy day unless there is a legitimate reason for the absence.

3. Legislation and Guidance

3.1. This policy meets the requirements of the school attendance guidance from the Department for Education 2018 (DfE) and refers to the DfE’s statutory guidance on school attendance parental responsibility measures. These documents are drawn from the following legislation setting out the legal powers and duties that govern school attendance:

• The Education Act 1996
• The Education Act 2002
• The Education and Inspections Act 2006
• The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006
• The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2010
• The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2011
• The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013
• The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2016
• The Education (Penalty Notices) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013
• Parental responsibility measures for school attendance and behaviour 2015
• Children missing education Sept 2016
• Keeping children safe in education Sept 2023
• Working together to improve school attendance 2022

3.2.  This policy also refers to the DfE’s guidance on the school census, which explains the persistent absence threshold.

3.3.  This policy will also be applied in line with current equalities legislation.

3.4.  The Co op Academy Stoke on Trent adopts the local Stoke on Trent authority Admissions policy and the national statutory Schools Admission Code of Practice.  

4. Attendance Registers

4.1. By law, education establishments are required to keep an attendance register, and all students must be placed on this register.

4.2. All schools (including academies) must keep a record of attendance register entries for at least 3 years.

4.3. The attendance register will be taken at the start of the first session of each Academy day and once during the second session. It will mark whether every student is:

• Present
• Attending an approved off-site educational activity
• Absent
• Unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances

We expect registers to be completed (a) accurately and (b) within the first five minutes of each lesson starting.

4.4. Any amendment to the attendance register will include:

• The original entry
• The amended entry
• The reason for the amendment
• The date on which the amendment was made
• The name and position of the person who made the amendment

4.5.  Every entry in the attendance register will be preserved for 3 years after the date on which the entry was made.

4.6.  Students must arrive at the Academy by 8.40am for 8:50am lessons on each Academy day.

 4.7.  The register for the first session will be taken at 08:50 and will be kept open until 09.20. The register for the second session will be taken at 12:30pm in Key Stage 3 and 13:10pm for Key Stage 4 and will be kept open until 14:10pm.

5. Unplanned Absence

5.1. Parents must notify the Academy on the first day of an unplanned absence – for example, if their child is unable to attend due to ill health by 09:00 or as soon as practically possible. They should call the Academy on each morning of a longer-term absence unless a doctor’s note has been provided stating that a defined period of absence is necessary.

5.2. Parents can notify the Academy of an unplanned absence by calling 01782 882300 and following the automated instructions or by emailing stok-attendance-m@coopacademies.co.uk.

5.3. Absence due to illness will be authorised unless the Academy has a genuine concern about the authenticity of the illness.

5.4. If the authenticity of the illness is in doubt, the Academy may ask parents to provide medical evidence, such as a doctor’s note, appointment card or another appropriate form of evidence.

5.5. If the Academy is not satisfied with the authenticity of an illness, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised and parents will be notified of this.

  6. Medical or Dental Appointments

6.1. Missing registration for a medical or dental appointment is counted as an authorised absence; advance notice is required for authorising these absences.

6.2. Parents should make medical and dental appointments out of Academy hours where possible. Where this is not possible, the student should be out of the Academy for the minimum amount of time necessary.

6.3. Parents can notify the Academy of an unplanned absence by calling 01782 882300 and following the automated instructions or by emailing stok-attendance-m@coopacademies.co.uk.

7. Lateness and Punctuality

7.1. A student who arrives late but before the register has closed will be marked as late, using the appropriate code (L).

7.2. A student who arrives after the register has closed will be marked as absent, using the appropriate code (U).

7.3. A text will be sent to parents of all late students informing them of lateness. Any student who is late more than twice in the same week will be placed in Headteacher's after-school detention on a Friday. A text will be sent to parents informing them of this.

8. Following up Absence

8.1 The Academy will follow up any absences to ascertain the reason, ensure proper safeguarding action is taken where necessary, identify whether the absence is approved or not and identify the correct attendance code to use (refer to home visits and appendix 5).

8.2. All students who are absent from school for a week or more should have contact with a member of staff, primarily by a home visit or by a video call. The frequency of contact should be determined by the level of risk but as a minimum weekly for the duration of the student’s absence. The exception would be if they have been seen by another professional within this time period or have been directed not to do so by the police or children’s services.

8.3. The staff member must have sight of the student and record their appearance and interaction with the child.

8.4. Clear information should be provided to parents regarding the expectations for their child to attend the academy despite appealing the decision made by the LA to allocate their child to the academy.

9. Reporting to parents

9.1. Parents will receive a written report on their child’s attendance at the end of each academic year as part of the annual report.

10. Authorised and unauthorised absence

10.1. The Headteacher may not grant any leave of absence to students during term time unless they consider there to be 'exceptional circumstances' (refer to Appendix 3).

10.2. The Academy considers each application for term-time absence individually, taking into account the specific facts, circumstances and relevant context behind the request. A leave of absence is granted entirely at the Headteacher’s discretion.

10.3. Valid reasons for authorised absence include:

•       Illness and medical/dental appointments

•    Religious observance – where the day is exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which the student’s parents belong. If necessary, the Academy will seek advice from the parents’ religious body to confirm whether the day is set apart

•      Traveller students travelling for occupational purposes – this covers Roma, English and Welsh Gypsies, Irish and Scottish Travellers, Showmen (fairground people) and Circus people, Bargees (occupational boat dwellers) and New Travellers. Absence may be authorised only when a Traveller family is known to be travelling for occupational purposes and has agreed this with the Academy but it is not known whether the student is attending educational provision

10.4. The Headteacher will not authorise absence for any of the following reasons:

•      Term-time holidays (refer to Appendix 3)

•      Study leave. Study leave should not be granted by default once tuition of the exam syllabus is complete, and study leave should only ever be granted to students in Year 11. If the Academy does decide to grant study leave, provision should still be made available for those students who want to continue to come into the Academy to revise.

   11.Legal Sanctions (refer to appendix 3 and 4)

11.1. The Academy can fine parents for the unauthorised absence of their child from school, where the child is of compulsory school age.

11.2. If issued with a penalty notice, parents must pay £60 within 21 days or £120 within 28 days. The payment must be made directly to the local authority.

11.3. The decision on whether or not to issue a penalty notice ultimately rests with the Headteacher, following the local authority’s code of conduct for issuing penalty notices. This may take into account:

• A number of unauthorised absences occurring within a rolling academic year
• One-off instances of irregular attendance, such as holidays taken in term time without permission
• Where an excluded student is found in a public place during school hours without a justifiable reason (refer to Appendix 3)  

12. Strategies for Promoting Attendance

12.1 The Academy aims to promote good attendance and works with parents and students to achieve this aim. Specific strategies include:

12.2 Positive praise from Academy staff

• Daily phone calls, home visits and truancy calls
• 100% attendance badges
• Attendance League competition in each year group, with best performing form each week receiving a reward breakfast
• Celebration at half termly whole Academy assembly
• Positive calls home and letters
• Half termly praise messages to parents to students whose attendance is above target
• Termly praise messages to parents whose attendance has improved.
• Prizes awarded for most improved attendance
• Prizes awarded for 100% attendance per term
• The Academy is open to students from 8.00am and provides a free breakfast
• Periodically, the Academy may hold an “Attendance Focus week" where visits are made to the homes of all absent students and reminders given about the importance of good attendance. The visits will usually be undertaken by members of SLT.

13.  Safeguarding

 Refer to Children missing from education

13.1  All staff should be aware that children going missing, particularly repeatedly, can act as a vital warning sign of a range of safeguarding possibilities. This may include abuse and neglect, which may include sexual abuse or exploitation and child criminal exploitation. It may indicate mental health problems, risk of substance abuse, risk of travelling to conflict zones, risk of female genital mutilation or risk of forced marriage. Early intervention is necessary to identify the existence of any underlying safeguarding risk and to help prevent the risks of a child going missing in future. Therefore, the Academy will put in place appropriate safeguarding responses for children who go missing from school, particularly on repeat occasions.

13.2  Emergency contact numbers should be provided and updated by the parent with whom the student normally resides. This goes beyond the legal requirement but is good practice. Doing so provides the Academy with additional options for making contact with a responsible adult when a child is missing and is also identified as a welfare and/or safeguarding concern.

13.3  The Academy fully adopts the statutory guidance when Children Missing in Education. The Local Authority will be informed of the absence of any child for a continuous period of 5 days or more without school’s permission. Where a student has not returned to school for ten days after an authorised absence or is absent from school without authorisation for twenty consecutive school days, the student can be removed from the admission register when the Academy and the local authority have failed, after jointly making reasonable enquiries, to establish the whereabouts of the child. This only applies if the school does not have reasonable grounds to believe that the student is unable to attend because of sickness or unavoidable cause.

13.4. The academy will also arrange full-time education for excluded students from the sixth Academy day of a fixed period exclusion.

14. Attendance Monitoring

14.1. The attendance officers along with the Year Managers monitor student absence on a daily basis.

14.2. If a student’s absence goes above five days in an academic year, shows patterns of absence which are unusual or includes unauthorised absences, the Academy will contact the parents to discuss the reasons for this.

14.3. If a student’s attendance gives cause for concern, the Academy will prepare and implement an attendance support plan through an attendance clinic. The student and their parents will be invited to a meeting/clinic in the Academy in order to contribute to this plan.

14.4. If Academy strategies are insufficiently successful in improving attendance, the attendance officers will refer to the education welfare officer.

14.5. The persistent absence threshold is 10%. If a student's individual overall absence rate is greater than or equal to 10%, the student will be classified as a persistent absentee.

14.6. Student-level absence data is collected daily by Wonde and published at national, regional and local authority level through the DfE's student attendance dashboard. The underlying school-level absence data is published alongside the national statistics. We compare our attendance data to the national average and share this with the Co-op Trust.

14.7. The Academy tracks the attendance of individual students to identify whether or not there are particular groups of children whose absences may be a cause for concern. It uses this information to identify any children who may be in need of intervention and support. Patterns of attendance and the impact of strategies to improve attendance are analysed by the Attendance Manager, and the Deputy Headteacher for Inclusion and monitored by the Headteacher, Board of Governors and Co-op Trust.

15. Support for Parents and Students  

15.1 The Academy understands that all students and families are unique and may have their own challenges and barriers to attendance to deal with. As such, support and advice on a range of issues is available through the Attendance Team, mentoring team and year managers.

15.2 We are also able to signpost or refer parents/carers or families to external agencies who may be able to offer additional support. These may include:

• The School Nurse
• YPDP (Drug & Alcohol Support Service)
• Early Help
• NSPCC
• Children’s Social Care
• Children & Adolescent Mental Health Service
• Counselling Services
• Catch 22
• Peer Mentors

15.3 On rare occasions the academy may arrange a short term reduced timetable to support a student who is struggling to attend on a full time basis due to a physical or mental health need. Reduced timetables are at the discretion of the Attendance Manager and Deputy Head Teacher for Inclusion and will be considered on a case by case basis. When a reduced timetable is offered, it will form part of a wider range of support, will be specific and short in nature and will be appropriately logged with the local authority (see appendix 6 & 7).

16. Education off School Site

16.1. On occasions students may be involved in educational activities off the Academy site, such as sport, residential, work experience, college link courses, field trips etc. If students fail to attend education off site, it is still deemed as Academy attendance and the register will reflect as to whether any absence is authorised or not. The circumstances of which may be referred to the Education Welfare Officer.

17. Home Educated Children

17.1. On receipt of written notification to home educate, the Academy must inform the local authority that the student is to be deleted from the admission register. The Academy should not seek to persuade parents to educate their children at home as a way of avoiding excluding the student or because the student has a poor attendance record. The Academy and local authority should not seek to prevent parents from educating their children outside the school system. There is no requirement for parents to obtain the Academy’s or local authority’s agreement to educate their child at home. Parents have a duty to ensure their child of compulsory school age receives suitable full time education but this does not have to be at a school.

18. Removal of Students from the Academy Role

18.1. Where the Academy notifies a local authority that a student’s name is to be deleted from the admission register, the Academy must provide the local authority with the following information:

• the full name of the student;
•  the full name and address of any parent with whom the student lives;
• at least one telephone number of any parent with whom the student lives;
•  the full name and address of the parent who the student is going to live with, and the date the student is expected to start living there, if applicable;
• the name of student’s other or future school and the student’s start date or expected start date there, if applicable; and
• the ground prescribed in regulation 8 under which the student’s name is to be deleted from the admission register.

18.2. Off rolling of a student can therefore only take place when the above has been completed and permission has been granted by the local authority.

19.  Attendance Procedures (Refer to Appendix 1)

19.1 The start of the day: The Academy starts with meet and greet followed by tutor time. AM Registers are taken during tutor time and are to be completed by 8:55 am.

• If a phone call or message about a student absence is taken by Reception and not through the designated attendance line, then an email is sent to the attendance team. The appropriate code is entered in the register by the attendance officers. The entry in the register is flagged and initialled to indicate that we have had a phone call from parents/carers about the absence. The Attendance Manager will check these marks and query those where there are attendance concerns about a particular student.
• Students arriving late, after meet and greet, sign in with a member of the attendance team. At the end of tutor time, 9:10am, the member of the attendance team enters any late marks in registers as appropriate.
• Students arriving after 9:10am sign in at the Main Reception. Registers close at 9:20am; students arriving before 9:20am receive a late mark in the register and students arriving after 9:20am receive a (U)-Unauthorised mark.
• Any student in receipt of more than 2 Late marks in the register in 1 week receives a Headteacher's detention served after school.
• The attendance team checks that all registers have been completed and saved during P1 and when appropriate, a tannoy announcement is given to remind staff to complete their registers.
• Fire Regulations are completed by 9.15am.
• If a student is absent, a phone call home will be made by the year manager team between 9.20am - 10am.
• If the year managers are able to contact parents and ascertain the reason for absence, this is then marked on the registers and communicated to the Attendance Officer.
• At 10am text messages and emails are sent to parents that the year managers have not been able to contact.

20.  Home visits (refer to Appendix 5)  

• At approximately 10am, home visits may be made to vulnerable students, PA, RAP students or other students who we are concerned about even if we have received a message or contacted parents/carers. This is at the discretion of the attendance team. The attendance team researches the addresses using SIMS.  The wider Izone team prioritises who to visit.
• Before the wider Izone team leaves, they cross reference the violent and volatile list of parents and follow the Home Visit Procedures (refer to Appendix 5). They inform reception of their destination addresses.
• During an Attendance Focus week home visits will be made to all students who are absent irrespective of whether there has been communication with home or not.
• The Izone teams when arriving back indicate to the attendance officers whether contact has been made with parents/carers or not and the outcome of the visit.
• Any concerns arising from a home visit are logged with the safeguarding team via CPOMS by the individual who conducted the visit.

21. Roles and Responsibilities

21.1. The Board of Governors:

• Set targets for whole Academy attendance and persistent absenteeism in agreement with the Headteacher;
• Are responsible for monitoring attendance figures for the whole Academy on at least a termly basis. It does this through routine reporting from the deputy headteacher for Inclusion.

21.2. The Headteacher:

• Is responsible for ensuring this policy is implemented consistently across the Academy and supports other staff in monitoring the attendance of individual students, and issues fixed-penalty notices where necessary.

21.3. The Deputy Headteacher for Inclusion will:

• Line manage the Attendance Manager and Officers and ensure that the appropriate Izone staff fulfil their responsibilities in accordance with our agreed procedures
• Work with and support the Attendance Manager and Attendance Officers in monitoring and managing attendance and in initiating our formal procedures
• Work with the Attendance Manager to review and develop our attendance policy and procedures as appropriate
• Provide attendance data and the appropriate reports as requested by the Headteacher and Governing Body
• Intervene where there are issues with registers being completed incorrectly
• Be aware of their legal responsibility regarding Academy attendance, and understand that the Academy will use legal sanctions such as Penalty Notices and prosecution where necessary

21.4. The Attendance Team will:

• Monitor attendance data at the Academy and individual student level
• Report concerns about attendance to the Deputy Head for Inclusion
• Work with Education Welfare Officers to tackle persistent absence
• Arrange calls and meetings with parents to discuss attendance issues through attendance clinics
• Send out various letters to parents where attendance reaches relevant thresholds
• Advise the Headteacher when to issue fixed-penalty notices
• Take calls / answer phone messages from parents about absence and record it on the Academy system
• Complete Children Missing in Education paperwork
• Complete referral paperwork for statutory action by the Education Welfare Service
• Be aware of the vulnerable students in the Academy
•  Notify the local authority when deleting a student’s name from the register

21.5  Class teachers are responsible for recording attendance on a daily basis, using the correct codes, and submitting this information to the Academy office.

     21.6  Form Tutors will:

• Ensure that AM registers are completed by 8:55
• Monitor attendance data and share this information with students
• Promote excellent attendance within their tutor group
• Discuss concerns about attendance and punctuality with individual students and encourage them to improve
• Pass any medical evidence or letters relating to attendance to the Academy Attendance Officer
• complete and record return to study conversations with students in their tutor group following any period of absence

 21.7. The Izone Team will:

• Make daily telephone calls to parents of absent students
• Make home visits and record the outcomes
• Support the morning Meet and Greet
• Attend Attendance clinics if appropriate
• Offer support and signposting to other services for parents who request it.

21.8. Parents/Carers:

• Parents have a legal duty to ensure that their children of compulsory school age attend school regularly
• Inform the Academy straight away if your child cannot attend and give the reason
• Try to make medical, dental or other appointments outside the academy day
• Ensure the Academy is aware of any circumstances at home that may be likely to affect their attendance
• Encourage good routines at home which promote a healthy lifestyle including enough sleep
• Talk to your child about the Academy and let the Academy know if your child is worried about any issues such as difficulties with homework or friendship problems
• Do not book holidays in term time – this will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances
• Seek advice from your G.P. if you are not sure how long to keep your child off school with an illness
• Ensure the Academy has all your up to date contact providing preferably two emergency contact numbers
• Encourage your child to enjoy Academy life and make the most of all the opportunities available to them

22. Monitoring, Evaluation and Review

This policy will be reviewed every two years or as soon as possible after any changes in the most recent advice, guidance or legislation.

The policy will be promoted and implemented throughout the Academy when ratified and adopted by the Chair of the Wellbeing Governing Committee.

23.Appendices

Appendix 1: Daily Attendance Procedures flow diagram

8.00 - 8:30AM - ATTENDANCE MANAGER ARRIVES.

PRINTS OFF ASSEMBLY FORM TUTOR REGISTERS.                                          CHECKS VOICEMAIL FOR ABSENCE MESSAGES AND UPDATES REGISTERS WITH APPROPRIATE CODE AND FLAG DETAILING REASONS FOR ABSENCE. ANSWERS CALLS FROM PARENTS RE: ABSENCE, CHALLENGES ABSENCES AS APPROPRIATE AND UPDATES REGISTERS WITH APPROPRIATE CODE AND FLAG DETAILING REASONS FOR ABSENCE.

8:30- 8:40 AM - BRIEFING ATTENDED BY ATTENDANCE MANAGER

MONDAY - WHOLE STAFF BRIEFING

TUESDAY - THURSDAY - IZONE TEAM BRIEFING.

ATTENDANCE AND ADMISSIONS OFFICER TAKES CALLS AND UPDATES REGISTERS WITH APPROPRIATE CODE AND FLAG DETAILING REASONS FOR ABSENCE.

8.40 - 8.50 AM - STUDENT AND STAFF MEET AND GREET OUTSIDE. ATTENDANCE TEAM CHECK VOICE MAILS AND EMAILS UPDATING REGISTERS WITH APPROPRIATE CODE AND FLAG DETAILING REASONS FOR ABSENCE.

8.50 - 9.10 AM - FORM TIME/ASSEMBLY. ALL REGISTERS TO BE COMPLETED BY 8.55 AM. STUDENTS ARE ISSUED A LATE MARK AFTER 8.50AM. MORE THAN 2 LATES TO THE ACADEMY EQUATES TO A THURSDAY AFTER SCHOOL DETENTION.

FORM TUTORS SHARE ATTENDANCE DATA WEEKLY: Y7-10 MONDAY MORNING, Y11 TUESDAY MORNING.

FORM TUTORS COMPLETE 121 ATTENDANCE INTERVIEWS FOR PREVIOUSLY ABSENT STUDENTS AND LOG VIA GOOGLE FORM FOR SCRUTINY BY AHTS.

LATE GATES 8.50 AM - 9.10 AM.

TWO MENTORS PATROL WESTPORT ROAD ENCOURAGING STUDENTS TO HURRY TO SCHOOL.

ATTENDANCE TEAM MEET AND GREET LATE STUDENTS THROUGH THE MAIN RECEPTION. UNIFORM AND EQUIPMENT ARE CHECKED.

ATTENDANCE TEAM UPDATES THE ATTENDANCE DATA FOR THE YEAR GROUP IN ASSEMBLY AND UPDATES THE GENERAL REGISTERS FOR ABSENT STUDENTS WITH RED FLAGS.

9.15 AM FIRE REGS ARE COMPLETED

9.30 - 10 AM YEAR MANAGERS CALL ABSENT STUDENTS PRIORITISING SAFEGUARDING, Y11, AND PP. SLT X1 ALSO PHONE PRIORITISING DESIGNATED FOCUS GROUPS. RED FLAGS ARE DOCUMENTED.

10 AM - 11 AM - HOME VISITS DIRECTED BY THE ATTENDANCE MANAGER AND DIVIDED INTO GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS FOR EXPEDIENCY. CALLING CARDS TAKEN AND THE VISIT LIST AND SAFE WORD ARE SHARED WITH RECEPTION.

  Appendix 2: Academy Attendance Ladder

Appendix 3: Headteacher Academy Stoke on Trent Leave of Absence Guidance

In line with the law on school attendance, the Headteacher of the Academy Stoke on Trent will not grant leave of absence unless there are exceptional circumstances and the absence is short in duration.

The application for leave of absence must be made in advance and the Headteacher must be satisfied that there are exceptional circumstances based on the individual facts and circumstances of the case which warrant the leave.

Where a leave of absence is granted, the Headteacher will determine the number of days a student can be authorised from the Academy. A leave of absence is granted entirely at the Headteacher’s discretion.

If your request is authorised, you are required to ensure your child catches up on any missed Academy work.  A family holiday is not an exceptional circumstance.

If you take your child out of the Academy without making a request, or if you still take your child out of the Academy after a request has been denied, the absence will be marked as unauthorised and a £60 Penalty Notice fine by Stoke-on-Trent Local Authority will be issued.

This £60 Penalty Notice rises to £120 if paid after 21 days but within 28 days.  If after 28 days it remains unpaid you may be summoned to appear before Magistrates to explain why your child has unauthorised school absences and you may be liable for a fine of up to £1000.

Parents/carers should be aware of the negative impact that taking time off during the term will have on children’s ability to reach their potential.

If, having taken into account all these points, you still wish to apply for a Leave of Absence to take your child out of school during term time, please complete the form attached to this letter and submit the request in writing to the Headteacher at least four weeks prior to the requested time of absence.

The Headteacher, Mr Richardson, will consider all Leave of Absence requests and will notify parents/carers of the outcome.

Please note: We advise that you do not plan for your child to be absent from the Academy without gaining prior agreement from the Headteacher.  The Headteacher cannot retroactively authorise absence from the Academy under any circumstances. The Headteacher will not grant a leave of absence if he believes it is to the detriment of a child’s education.

Appendix 4: Application for Term Time Absence Leave

Application for Leave of Absence

During Term Time

The Academy and Government strongly discourages parents and carers from applying for leave of absence during term-time. The Headteacher does not authorise leave requests unless these are short and exceptional in nature.

Student Name __________________________________________________________________

Year group ________________     Number of days requested _____________

First Day of Leave Requested __________________________________________________________________

Date of return to the Academy __________________________________________________________________

Parent contact telephone number __________________________________________________________________

Reason for exceptional circumstance request __________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Holiday □

Name _______________________________ (Parent/Carer)

Signed ______________________________ (Parent/Carer)  Date ____________

Leave requests should be made at least four weeks in advance, where possible by the parent with whom the child resides with.

Please note leave of absence which is NOT authorised by the Headteacher may result in a penalty notice fine being issued by the Local Authority at £60 per student, per parent. 

To be completed by the Academy Attendance Officer

Date request received ________________________________________________

Current attendance ____________ Previous year attendance_____________

Previous leave taken __________________________________________________________________

Appendix 5: Home Visits Protocol and Risk Assessment

Home Visits Protocol                                                                                                                                   

Before you leave the workplace:

A.      Do not visit if the parent/carer is known to be violent or volatile.

B.      Ensure that reception knows your whereabouts; leave details of the name and address you are visiting.  

C.      Ensure that you leave your contact numbers (always carry a mobile phone).

D.      Ensure that reception or the person monitoring your whereabouts knows your estimated time back. If not back by the time given, then the DB/receptionist must ring you.

E.       A code word is needed in case of an emergency, for example

•         “Amber” – This means that you are alerting staff that there is a problem or a potential problem.

•         “Ruby” – This means that 999 needs to be called, as it is an emergency situation.

•         These words can be used in a sentence for example, “Can you call Ruby to tell her I am running late, I am stuck on a home visit at address….” In this way they do not arouse suspicion with clients.  

Risk Assessment:

Before you knock on a door, please consider the following:

A.      The property – Look at the property to see if there are any dangers i.e. rubbish, is the entrance clear, any sharps around etc.  

B.      Family Relationships – Identify areas of concern, this will be highlighted in the attendance sheets produced by Julie Holdcroft.  This looks at who lives at the property and if there are any known risks, who may also visit the property.  

C.      Neighbourhood – Is it known for ASB, crime, a deprived area etc.

D.      Parking – Staff must always ensure that they turn their vehicles around to face the exit, to ensure that they can get away from the location quickly if need be. If parking is restricted outside the property then assess if it is safe to leave your car a distance away, or whether you abandon visiting.

E.       Additional Info - Look for pets, dogs especially can be extremely dangerous.  If there are pets to the front of the property, then assess if it is safe to even knock on.  

If you consider there to be any risk to your person or your car then do not proceed with a knock on.

Whilst out visiting 

A.      Only visit in pairs.

B.      Look at the neighbourhood/area are you safe getting out of the car?

C.      Parking (detailed as above) taken into consideration.

D.      Assess the house from its appearance, is it safe to approach?

E.       Look for hazards (as above)

F.        Knock at the property in pairs; stand back from the door when it is answered.

G.      Never go into the property as it is not thoroughly risk assessed.

H.      If you are collecting a child, please ensure that they sit in the back of the car and use the seat belt.

Transporting a child should be an exception and not the norm.        

On Return

A. Please write up your notes of your home visit clearly stating the outcome of your visit.

B. Pass your notes/findings on to the attendance manager.

Appendix 6: Part-time / Reduced Timetable Consent Form

I understand my child has been placed on a part-time timetable for a limited period of time. I have discussed the matter fully with the school and I agree - During the period of the part-time timetable to:

• Take responsibility for my child during the hours when not attending school
• Ensure there is supervision of school work during those hours
• Ensure there is a flow of work between school and home for marking and guidance
• Take responsibility for the health and safety of my child when they are not in school

During the period of the part-time timetable the school will:

• Ensure a risk assessment is completed with regards to potential safeguarding, welfare, offending or harmful behaviour
• Ensure a C code is used in the attendance register when the pupil is not in school
• Monitor the effectiveness of the part-time timetable
• Hold a review on the agreed date
• Provide work for the pupil to do whilst at home and mark all work completed

Once completed and before commencing with the part-time /reduced timetable, this form and the notification form must be forwarded to  Pt.tablesschools@stoke.gov.uk 

 If the pupil has an Education Health & Care plan (EHCP) we are asking that the form and the notification form is forwarded to

Pt.tablesSEN@stoke.gov.uk A copy of both forms should be retained by the school and stored with the pupil’s record.

Appendix 7: Reduced Timetable Notification

Notification of Part Time Timetable

All pupils of compulsory school age are entitled to a full-time education. In very exceptional circumstances and where it is in a pupil’s best interest, there may be a need for a temporary part-time timetable to meet their individual needs. A part-time timetable should not be used to manage a pupil’s behaviour. The part-time timetable must only be in place for the shortest time necessary and not be treated as a long-term solution. Any pastoral support programme or other agreement should have a time limit by which point the pupil is expected to attend full time, either at school or at an alternative provision. There should also be formal arrangements in place for regularly reviewing it with the pupil and their parents / carers. In agreeing to a part time timetable, a school has agreed to a pupil being absent from school for part of the week or day and therefore must treat this absence as authorised.

We are asking all settings to complete the notification form and the part-time / reduced timetable consent forms, for every child who is accessing a part-time / reduced timetable and that these are returned to the following mailbox –

Pt.tablesschools@stoke.gov.uk 

If the pupil has an Education Health & Care plan (EHCP) we are asking that settings complete the attached form and send it to the following mailbox - Pt.tablesSEN@stoke.gov.uk 

If you wish to discuss any aspects of this form or the part time timetable please contact the team manager for the Education Welfare Service on 01782 235355 or email Education.Welfare@stoke.gov.uk 

Appendix 8: Attendance Within the Academy Alternative Provision Unit - The Loft

The attendance of the students who register in ‘The Loft’, the Academy alternative provision unit, is monitored daily by the Unit Manager. Students arrive and leave at times agreed between The Loft and the Parents. All absences are followed up by phone calls, text messages and home visits. The Loft team liaise with the Attendance Officers to ensure accurate recording of attendance. All attendance recording and issues are managed as outlined in this policy by the Loft Team and the Attendance Officers.  

Some students who attend The Loft will also be placed into college. The Loft Manager will complete placement visits and attendance checks for these placements.  Other outside provision placements are also used and attendance is monitored by the SENDCO.

Appendix 9: Attendance of Looked After Students

As part of the corporate parent responsibility local authorities are required to closely monitor the attendance of looked after students in their care. The Attendance Manager will support this by completing monitoring returns requested by the local authorities; these may be via a collection portal or via telephone contact.

Any concerns that arise about the attendance or punctuality of looked after children at the Academy will be discussed with the named member of staff with responsibility for looked after children and an approach will be agreed.