Attendance

Attendance Matters at
Ravenscroft Primary School

At Ravenscroft, attendance is monitored rigorously each day by our Pastoral Lead and office staff to ensure that all pupils are in school and to examine and follow up on pupils’ absence. All children are expected to have an attendance rate of 97% or above, unless medical conditions or exceptional circumstances prevent this. If your child is unwell and cannot attend school, you must let us know each day on ParentApp.

If you are unable to access this, please contact the school office on 0151 477 8290. If you do not inform us, Miss Clarke will call you to find out the reason for absence. If we are unable to contact you, we may feel that it is necessary to visit your home.

 Illness, appointments, and holidays

• If in doubt, send your child in and we will contact you if your child is unwell. Please ensure contact numbers are updated when necessary.
• With sickness and diarrhoea, your child must be kept at home for 48 hours after their last bout. (See further detail on the website)
• Medical appointments should be made out of school hours if at all possible. If your child has to see a doctor or dentist in school time, they should attend school for as much of the day as possible. It is not permitted to take a whole day off school for a medical appointment unless the appointment lasts all day.
• In line with Authority policy, we do not authorise any holidays during term time. If you choose to take your child out of school for any reason, an ‘Application for leave of absence in term time’ form on ParentApp must be completed at least 2 weeks in advance to inform us of any plans.
• Only in exceptional circumstances will permission for leave be granted.

Punctuality

Schools are legally required to take a register of pupils first thing in the morning and at some point, in the afternoon. If a pupil is late but the register is still open, they are marked as late. If the register has already closed when a pupil arrives late and without a satisfactory explanation, it will be classed as late after the register has closed which will count as an absence. Our registers close at 9:10am.

Continual punctuality is important because if, for example, a child arrives 15 minutes late at school each day, they lose almost 2 weeks of education a year. Regular Absence due to lateness (after 9:10am) may be referred to the Education Welfare Officer. Absence due to lateness (after 9:10am) may be referred to the Education Welfare Officer.

The link between attendance and attainment in school is clear. The more a pupil is in school the more they increase their opportunity to fulfil their potential.

For your information:

• Classroom doors are open from 8.40 and close at 8.50am. If your child arrives after this time, please enter through the main entrance where they will be recorded as late. (They will be given the code L on the register). We monitor punctuality and will address concerns over persistent latecomers.
• Registration closes at 9.10am. If your child arrives after this time, they will be recorded as late after register has closed and will not receive a morning attendance mark, which will affect their overall attendance. (They will be given the code U on the register for that session)

We have many initiatives in place to facilitate good attendance, such as:

• Our Breakfast Club is open from 8.00am.
• Our Pastoral Lead, Natalie Clarke, is available to discuss any problems or concerns you may have about attendance.
• Weekly, termly and annual recognition and celebration awards/ assemblies for attendance and punctuality.
• All staff have a responsibility for promoting good attendance and children know the reasons

What should I do if I’m worried about my child’s school attendance?

The first thing to do is to contact school to discuss your concerns. Miss Clarke will happily meet with you to discuss any issues or barriers to good attendance.

What are my responsibilities regarding my child’s school attendance?

As a parent/carer it is your responsibility to ensure that any child of compulsory school age attends school both regularly and on time. The local authority has a duty to make sure that all parents/carers fulfil this responsibility.

Family holidays during term time

From 1 September 2013, the Department of Education changed the regulations regarding requests for family holidays during term time. The changes to the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 mean there is no legal entitlement for parents to take their children on holiday during term time. The new regulations also make it clear that headteachers may not authorise leave during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Headteachers would not be expected to class any term time holiday as exceptional.