St Monica's and Parents: Working in Partnership - Excellent Attendance as a Key Mission

Why is Attendance and Punctuality important to us here at St. Monica's?

Here at St Monica's, good attendance and punctuality is vital if children are to do their best and make good progress. Research shows that children are much more likely to meet age-related expectations if they have high levels of attendance at school, and we aim to promote this from the very start of their school career. This encourages children to form positive attitudes from a young age, which will influence their approach to work and life in later years. If children understand how important good attendance and punctuality is, they will achieve more in school and will develop good habits for the future. Remember, we can't teach an empty chair.

Here at St Monica's we are determined to build strong relationships and work jointly with families, listening to and understanding barriers to attendance and working in partnership with families to remove them. 

Our Attendance Outcomes

We have good outcomes here in St Monica's for attendance, but we always strive for even better. Our target each day is 97% and we have a Monday morning assembly to celebrate attendance and its key role for all pupils. 

 

At St Monica's, we aim to ensure that all children receive an education that maximises opportunities for each pupil to reach their full potential.  In order to achieve this, we work hard to provide a welcoming and caring learning environment where every member of the school community feels valued.

Every School Day Counts

In order for our pupils to achieve their very best it is important that their attendance is excellent.

Every lesson really does count for your child and catching up on lost time from school can be really difficult. Good attendance is linked to increased achievement, positive relationships with other children, and improved learning behaviours.

What are our expectations in St Monica's?

Attendance

It is statutory for children who are aged 5 or older to attend school. This means that all the children in our Key Stage 1 and 2 classes, and the children in our Reception classes who have already had their fifth birthday, must come to school every day.  We believe that excellent attendance at school will give your child the best possible chance of being successful in education.

We aim for 100% and classes achieving best class attendance for the half term receive a special class treat. Making sure your child comes to school every day is vital. Occasionally, children are unwell first thing in the morning, but we encourage parents to bring children in as soon as they are feeling better. A half day at school is better than missing a whole day. If your child feels unwell during the day we will, of course, inform you.

Holidays - important note: we do not authorise holidays in term time

All holidays must be taken during school holidays. Holidays in term time are not permitted, and the school will issue fines to families who take holidays during term time. 

Absence from school will only be authorised if it is due to illness or medical needs, however we do still encourage children to attend school unless they are very unwell. When children are not attending school because they are ill, parents/carers must inform us on the first day of absence, by calling before the start of school. If an absence is not reported by a parent then we are duty bound to investigate, and if no reason is given, then it becomes an unauthorised absence.

Please do not email about holidays, please come into our office and request a holiday form. This must be completed 20 days prior to the holiday. We appreciate working in partnership, as if we know you are going on holiday: this means we know where your child is for our safeguarding procedures and therefore a home visit will not be made. 

Punctuality

We open our school at 8:30am for informal entry, which lasts between 8:30am and 8:45am. Registration at 8:45am prompt. Any child arriving at school after 8:45am will be recorded as late and parents are required to give reasons for lateness and to attend meetings with the Headteacher if there is persistent lateness. Children arriving after registration has closed (9:15am) will be given an 'U' mark, which is classed as unauthorised.

What do we do to promote good attendance?

St Monica's is one of the schools within our Local Authority with consistently high attendance, and we work hard to maintain this. Each week, the overall school attendance is reported and celebrated during assembly. Attendance is also shared on our newsletter.

Pupils with above 98% for a term receive an attendance badge. A bronze badge is for one term with 98% or above attendance, silver badge for two terms and a special gold badge for a full three terms of above 98% attendance.

Pupils with 100% attendance also win a certificate for such an amazing achievement in our special awards ceremony at the end of the school year. 

How do we manage attendance and punctuality?

Our Attendance Lead and Headteacher monitor attendance and punctuality on a daily basis, contacting parents immediately when there is a concern and working with families to improve levels of attendance. If there are a significant number of absences, parents are required to meet school staff to discuss how this can be improved. Where attendance falls below 95%, children are tracked by the school for the remainder of the academic year. In cases of serious persistent absences then Court Orders are issued. 

If parents/carers are having difficulty bringing the child/ren to school on time, we will do whatever we can to support them in improving this.

Who is responsible for monitoring and improving attendance and punctuality?

Our Attendance Lead, Mrs Pattison, is responsible for attendance and punctuality in school, in conjunction with the Head of School. Mr Gouldbourne, Headteacher, is also our Attendance Champion - embedding good habits and ensuring the importance of good attendance is at the heart of all we do. 

As part of our commitment to improving the attainment of our pupils we monitor their attendance on a regular basis. During our regular monitoring we identify any pupil whose attendance causes concern. We then issue a first letter to register our concerns with parents. As part of our commitment to improving the attainment of our pupils we monitor their attendance on a regular basis. 

Parents please:-

• Telephone school if your child is going to be late.
• For routine non-emergency medical and dental appointments, please ensure they are made outside of school hours.
• Contact school preferably by 8:30 am on the first day of absence if your child is unable to attend through illness, giving an indication of the expected duration and return date to school.
• Medical Evidence must be provided for absence to be authorised (please see our attendance policy for further details)
• If a text message/phone call is received as a result of your child’s absence it is important that you respond to this text to ensure your child is appropriately safeguarded.
• Contact the School Office and request to speak to a member of staff privately if the reason for absence requires a more personal contact.
• In case of an emergency, we need up-to-date contact numbers at all times, so please ensure you inform us of any changes, especially to mobile telephone numbers. (As a school we request a minimum of two emergency contact details be provided)
• Leave of absence (typically holidays) must be requested using the form available in the school office. The school will notify you as soon as is practicable. These will only be authorised by the headteacher in exceptional circumstances.