Thorne and Moorends
Primary Pyramid Attendance Policy
Aims
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To promote positive attitudes towards good attendance and time keeping amongst both pupils and
parents.
To ensure that parents understand their legal responsibility in securing good attendance.
To improve individual pupil and whole school attendance levels; to reduce the length and number of
absence due to term time holidays, in line with new government legislation from September 2013
To ensure regular monitoring of all pupil attendance, in line with Government and LA guidelines,
thereby ensuring early intervention.
To work with external agencies in order to support parents and pupils to secure regular and prompt
attendance.
To ensure a consistent approach throughout the Thorne and Moorends pyramid.
Objectives
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Parents will contact school by 9.30 am on the first day of absence. Where this does not happen the
school will follow up the absence by contacting the parents.
Newsletters, personal contact, Government and LA leaflets, formal meetings and home visits with
EWO will all develop parental understanding of their legal responsibilities.
Use a range of reward systems, promoting 100% attendance in assembly, sending letters to
parents, informal meetings and SAPs. All pyramid primaries will send out the agreed attendance
letter.
Attendance below 95% will be monitored on a regular basis.
Meet with EWO, identifying pupils to be targeted or referred to other agencies i.e. School Nurse,
Integrated Family Support, Social Care, CAMHs, Educational Psychologist.
Attendance to be a regular item for discussion at pyramid meetings. Pyramid wide implementation
of this policy, EWO awareness of the policy.
School Procedures
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First Day of Absence
Office staff will review registers on a daily basis, noting any children absent without a reason being
provided. After 9.30 office staff will contact parents in order to establish reason for absence. Where
parents can not be contacted a letter will be sent to establish the reason for the absence. Failure to
respond will result in the absence being unauthorised.
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Parents’ Legal Responsibilities
It will be made clear to all parents that they have a legal responsibility to ensure that their child/ren
attend school and the consequences of non-attendance. Support will be offered.
This will be communicated to parents through the school prospectus, Home/School Agreements,
regular items on school newsletters, meetings with those parents whose child/ren have a pattern of
absence or attendance falls below 95% attendance, personal contact, Government and LA leaflets,
formal meetings and home visits with EWO. These will all develop parental understanding of their legal
responsibilities along with involvement in the School Attendance Panel process for parents where
attendance shows no sign of improvements.
• Strategies To Improve Attendance
Reward systems used will include:
Weekly trophy presented in assembly
Prizes for highest class attendance each monthly
League table of class’s attendance
Class 100% attendance rewarded by individual prizes
Individual 100% attendance rewarded on a termly basis
Thorne and Moorends
Primary Pyramid Attendance Policy
Individual 100% attendance rewarded on an annual basis
Promote good attendance through assemblies, newsletters and displays.
Discuss any attendance issues at termly parents evening, giving parents an attendance print out.
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Procedures for Poor Attendance
Absences of 95% and below are reviewed fortnightly to decide on any actions to be taken.
Primarily a letter is sent to parents to notify them that their child/re’s attendance is below 95% and needs
to improve. The child/ren’s attendance will be monitored over a four week period.
After four weeks, if attendance has improved a congratulatory letter may be sent. If attendance has
continued to be below 95% a letter informing parents that no future absences will be authorised without
medical proof is sent.
If the situation has not improved over a further four weeks, action is taken in consultation with EWO.
This could include a referral to the School Nurse or other agencies, a letter inviting parents to a meeting
in school, home visits by EWO, or commencement of SAP proceedings following LA guidelines.
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Procedures For Holidays Taken In Term Time
In September each Primary school will send the agreed letter by the local authority
Following requests from parents for holidays during term time a letter will be sent out informing parents
of the decision consistent with current government legislation
fixed penalty notices will be issued where unauthorised holidays are taken, in line with current
government legislation
• Report To Governors
Head Teachers to report to Governors in their termly reports.
• Targets
Attendance targets are set each year in conjunction with EWO.
• Review of Policy
This policy is to be reviewed annually at the pyramid head’s meeting.
Updated February 2014