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Attendance
Home | Key Information | Attendance
Attendance
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Belvedere Infant School
Attendance and School Opening Times
At Belvedere Infant School we believe that regular and punctual attendance is absolutely vital if children are to make sustained progress, reach their full potential and feel part of their class and whole school community. Any absence affects the pattern of a child’s schooling and regular absence will seriously affect their learning. Parents have a duty to ensure that their children are receiving efficient full-time education. All children, regardless of their circumstances, are entitled to a full time education which is suitable to their age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs they may have. Children missing education (CME) are at significant risk of underachieving, being victims of abuse, and becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training) later on in life.
Schools also have safeguarding duties under section 175 of the Education Act 2002 in respect of their pupils, and as part of this should investigate any unexplained absences. Please see the Attendance Policy here.
So that every child can achieve their full potential we aim:
- To encourage pupils to attend every day and arrive punctually
- To create a warm, welcoming atmosphere where children feel valued
- To provide a stimulating and accessible curriculum
- To ensure parents understand the importance of good attendance and punctuality and are fully aware of school procedures
- To strive for an attendance percentage of 96% or above for each pupil in line with national standards.
Holidays in term time
Procedures in the school
Beginning of day – school gate opens at:
Lower Road entrance: 8.40am
Mitchell Close entrance for Nursery: 8.40am
Morning Registration:
8.45am Reception and Key Stage 1
Morning Nursery End of session time:
11.40am
Afternoon Nursery Start of session time:
12.25pm
Afternoon registration:
1.00pm Reception & Key Stage 1
School finishes:
3.25pm Nursery
3:15pm Reception and Key Stage 1
Total school opening hours:
15 hours per week Nursery
32.5 hours per week Reception and Key Stage 1
Absence procedures
Parents must contact the school on first morning of absence – telephone or email
If no contact is made/no explanation given for absence by the parent/carer the school will make contact – First Day Calling
If the school is unable to make direct contact the Safeguarding Lead may authorise engagement with Children’s Social Services
Home visits by Educational Welfare Officer may be made for pupils with persistent absence or where there are safeguarding concerns
Senior Leaders will be consulted about unexplained absences and they may authorise that the school need to contact Children’s Social Services, EWO or police when a child’s absence cannot be accounted for
Signing in and out
School office
Children leaving school in the day time
Evidence of appointment letter will be requested or confirmation text seen.
Rewards
Small certificates issued weekly for 100% attendance that week.
Each individual week of 100% attendance equals one entry into the prize raffle.
Termly 100% attendance certificates
Notifying parents of poor attendance/punctuality
Absence letters sent home fortnightly, lateness letters after 3 lateness in a ½ term. Meetings with Inclusion Team and if necessary Educational Welfare Officer
EWO visits to schools
Weekly
Children on the Child Protection Register
Safeguarding and Inclusion Team will contact social services if a child is absent, even when reasons are unauthorised
Belvedere Junior School
Lateness / Absence
Both of these are damaging to a child’s education and need to be avoided where at all possible. To reward excellent attendance and good punctuality, children will receive a certificate each term for 100% attendance and a chance to win a bicycle for 100% attendance for a full academic year.
Registration and Punctuality
- All children should be in line and ready to enter their classroom by 8.50am. Classroom doors close at 8.55am. Electronic registration is used in all year groups and taken twice per day at 8.55am and 1.05pm. A school day counts as 2 marks of attendance.
- Morning registration ends at 9.00am if a pupil arrives after this time he/she should be accompanied by the parent to the late desk in the main reception. They will be given a late slip to give to the teacher upon arrival in class. Any pupil arriving after 9.30am will become an unauthorised absence and marked as an absentee for the whole of the morning session.
- It is essential that children arriving and leaving school with a parent/guardian outside the normal school hours are signed in or out from the office. The signing in/out register in the office is used in the case of an emergency or a fire drill.
- Please note the school day ends at 3.20pm, please be prompt when collecting your children from school.
- The Educational Welfare Officer visits the school regularly to check the registers and will follow up any regular or long-term absences. They also hold intermittent late desks and are also interested in children who are picked up late at the end of the school day or after clubs.
Illness and Medical Appointments
Every effort should be made to arrange medical appointments outside of school hours. However we are aware that appointments during school time are sometimes unavoidable. If it is necessary for a child to be out of school for this reason, the child should be returned to school directly after the appointment.
Following an episode of vomiting or diarrhoea pupils are requested to remain away from school for a period of 48 hrs. This is in line with guidance from the Health Protection Agency for schools and childcare settings and helps to reduce the spread of infection between pupils.
Absence
An unauthorised absence is where there has been no communication by the parent/ carer as to why the child is absent or there is not a legitimate reason to miss school.
Parents/carers are requested to telephone on the first day of absence before 9.30am or as early as possible. Call the school on 01322 431 404 and press option 1 to report the child’s absence, giving your child’s name, class and reason for absence and then each morning, if appropriate, for the duration of the absence. The line is available 24 hours a day.
The schools attendance officer will endeavour to contact the parent/carer if no message has been received regarding the reason for the pupil absence.
After any absence, on return to school your child must provide a note from the parents/carers indicating the reasons for absence. This will be placed in the register.
Holidays
Whilst the school understands that there may be a need to take children out of school for family holidays, it is not desirable.
Leave of absence for a child to accompany parents on holiday during a school term is not allowed unless the approval of the Executive Headteacher or Head of School is obtained beforehand.
Parents should write to the Head requesting an authorised absence and stating why it is needed during term time. The Head will refuse to approve the leave of absence if it coincides with SATs tests and also if the child’s attendance is less than 95%.