Attendance HEROES

At Woodcock Hill Primary School, we expect all of our pupils to be:

Here Everyday Ready On time and Engaged to Strive for Success.

Each pupil has an attendance record card which they complete daily; if they arrive at school on time, ready to learn they place a mark on their card. At the end of the week, if they have achieved 5 marks they gain one  'point'. Points can be exchanged for prizes in our attendance shop. Each prize has a points value, children may have to save in order to purchase the prize they want. If at the end of the term, they have received a Heroes point every week, they are awarded an attendance badge which they can wear on their school uniform.

   A blue badge for 100% attendance in the Autumn Term

   A green badge for 100% attendance in the Spring Term

   A yellow badge for 100% attendance in the Summer Term

   A Super Hero Goodie Bag for 100% throughout the school year

Please help your child to achieve their Attendance HERO prize by arriving at school every day on time.

The school day begins at 8.45am when the classroom doors open, and teachers are ready to greet your child.

Registers and classroom doors close at 8.55am – if your child is not present for registration, they will not receive their Attendance Hero mark for that day. They should report to the school office on arrival.

The school day ends at 3.25pm (3.20pm for EYFS)

First Day Contact

If your child is going to be absent from school for any reason at all, please contact the school office on the first day of your child’s absence.

Failure to contact the school may result in:

• a call from our school office
• a home visit from our Pastoral Support Manager

Continued absence and/or failure to contact the school may result in:

• prosecution through the courts
• police intervention

Please note: Woodcock Hill Primary School has a duty of care once your child enters the education system. If we do not know why a pupil is absent and we are concerned by the unknown absence the school may have no alternative but to contact the police and report the pupil as missing.

It is important that you contact the school as soon as possible and maintain communication with school throughout your child’s absence.

Leave of Absence

Did you know?

• Pupils only spend 190 days each year in school.
• Pupils who lose time from school do not do as well as they could.

There is never a good time to take children away from lessons, especially when…

• children have important assessments to complete, for example in Years 1, 2, 4 and 6.
• they move from Infant (KS1) to Junior (KS2).
• they move to Secondary School (KS3).

It is NOT true…

• that children can have 10 days holiday each school year.
• that they catch up.
• that lessons they miss are repeated at a later date.

It is true that…

If the Headteacher refuses permission, for whatever reason, for your child(ren) to undertake leave in term time (holiday) the school register will record their leave as an ‘unauthorised absence’. This can lead to Court Action. Each parent will be fined a minimum £160 per child (£80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days). If not paid within 28 days the Local Authority may prosecute.

Penalty notices may be issued to the parent of pupils who receive a second fine for the same child within any three-year period.

Fines per parent will be capped to two fines within any three-year period. Once this limit has been reached, the Local Authority may seek other action like applying to the family court for an Education Supervision Order and/or a prosecution. A prosecution could lead to a fine of up to £2,500, a community order, or a jail sentence of up to 3 months.

Please note:

• penalties and prosecutions are in respect of each parent for each child.
• The term ‘Parent’ includes any person who is not a parent of the child but who has parental responsibility for the child (and applies whether or not that person lives with the child) or who has care of him/her.

A 2013 amendment to The Education (Pupil Registration)(England) Regulations 2006, means that Headteachers can’t authorise leave during term time.

Court action could result in you having a criminal record.

Given the above information, if you would still like to request leave during term time for your child(ren) you will need to follow the procedure below:

• Visit the School Office and request a ‘leave in term time form’.
• Complete the form and gather all your travel documentation including RETURN flight tickets.
• Make an appointment via the School Office to meet with our Pastoral Support Manager.
• Attend the meeting with your completed leave of absence request and travel documentation.

 Arriving Late

When your child is late arriving at school, they miss the teacher’s instructions and the introduction to the lesson. This has a negative impact on your child’s education and is disruptive to their classmates. Your child may also feel embarrassed at having to enter the classroom late.

Frequent lateness can add up to a considerable amount of lost learning and can seriously disadvantage your child.

Support

If you are having difficulties in maintaining your child’s attendance or punctuality you should speak to the school as soon as possible.  Please make an appointment to meet our Pastoral Support Manager who will be able to advise, support you and, where appropriate, engage with external agencies.

We provide a Breakfast Club from 8.15am free of charge. Pupils can access a range of breakfast cereals, bagels and drinks. Some parents and guardians  find this helps with improving attendance and punctuality issues as well as supporting working families.

Remember, we are here to help.

Legal Action

Our aim is to support families and not to prosecute them. However, this is sometimes in the best interest of the pupil and our only course for resolution. In these circumstances the following will apply.

Section 23(1) Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2007:

Penalty notices may be issued to the parent of pupils who have unauthorised absence from school for first offences. (In cases of excessive absence, or repeat offences, whether for ongoing absence or leave in term time, the matter may be referred straight to Court)

• The amount of the penalty is £60.

• If this is not paid within 21 days, the amount rises to £120.
• If not paid within 28 days, the Local Authority may prosecute under section 444(1) unless it comes to our attention that the penalty notice had been issued in error.

Section 444(1) Education Act 1996:

“If you are the parent of a child of compulsory school age who fails to attend school regularly, you are guilty of an offence.”

• The court can fine each parent up to £1,000 per child, order payment of the prosecution costs, impose a victim surcharge, and/or make a Parenting Order.

Section 444(1A) Education Act 1996:

If in the above circumstances you, the parent, know that your child is failing to attend regularly at the school and fail without reasonable justification to cause him/her to attend, you are guilty of an offence.”

• The court can fine you up to £2,500 per child and/or sentence you to a period of imprisonment of up to 3 months, impose a victim surcharge and order payment of the prosecution costs.

Please note that:

• Penalties and prosecutions are in respect of each parent for each child.
• ‘Parent’ includes any person who is not a parent of the child but who has parental responsibility for the child (and applies whether or not that person lives with the child) or who has care of him/her.

Our aim is to support you and not to prosecute you.

Further Information