Attendance and Punctuality
Our Vision
To strive to meet 100% targets for attendance and punctuality.
Why are attendance and punctuality so important?
Missing out on lessons leaves children vulnerable to falling behind. Prince Henry’s Grammar School seeks to ensure that every student receives a full-time education which maximises opportunities for each student to realise their true potential both socially and academically.
Over a period of five school years, a student with 90% attendance will have missed half of a whole year of schooling. Similarly, students with poor punctuality miss valuable lesson time and, if it happens regularly, progress will be jeopardised.
Definitions of attendance
The table below sets out our definitions of attendance. We expect outstanding attendance for all, however we do recognise that there are times when students will be absent from school. As a school, we work relentlessly to support students and families.
|
Outstanding |
98 - 100% |
|
Good (no more than 5 days off per year) |
97- 97.9% |
|
Cause for concern |
95- 96.9% |
|
Cause for serious concern |
<94.9% |
|
Persistent Absentee – possible legal action |
<90% |
We use the visuals below to develop a common language and ensure the profile of attendance and punctuality is high across the school.
Attendance visuals are used in assemblies and in the form time programme to reinforce the importance of attendance and punctuality.
Furthermore, we encourage staff to communicate the importance of excellent attendance and punctuality. We do this by explaining how absence and lateness impacts on the numbers of hours and days of learning missed.
Achieving excellent attendance is essential to achieving success and as such, we seek to work closely with parents, students and staff to ensure this can be realised. You may ask, ‘what can I do to help?'
What can I do to help?
As a parent or carer
you can help by:
- ensuring your child understands the importance of excellent attendance and punctuality
- taking an interest in their education – asking about school work and encourage them to get involved in school activities
- discussing any concerns they may have at school and inform their Year Manager to pass on concerns quickly
- not allowing them take time off school for minor ailments – particularly those which would not prevent you from going to work
- arranging appointments after school hours, at weekends or during school holidays will help to prevent disruption to your child’s education and to the school
- being open and willing to work with us to improve your child’s attendance
As a student,
you can improve your attendance by:
- speaking to a trusted adult about the reasons why you might not want to come to school
- trying hard every morning to get up and get to school, unless you are really unwell
- getting an early night, feeling tired on a morning can make getting to school harder
- ensuring you are prepared ahead of each school day
- making sure you get to school on time every day
What do I do if my child is not well enough to come to school?
If you feel that your child isn’t well enough to come to school, please call the Student Absence Line (01943 855682), email us at info@princehenrys.co.uk or use the unique text number as assigned to you by Arbor. Contact with school should be made before 8.30am on the first day of your child’s absence. Please inform us of the name and year groups of the child, the reason for absence and when you would expect them to return to school.
Medical appointments should be made for after school wherever possible. We may ask to see evidence of medical appointments.
The NHS have produced clear guidelines to be used by schools and parents which state when children should be kept off school and when they shouldn't. As a school we will be referring to this guidance to determine if we are able to record absences as authorised or unauthorised. You can find this information using the link below:
What does authorised and unauthorised absence mean?
As an academy we must follow national legal guidelines which means that holiday requests during term-time cannot be authorised. Because of this, absences or persistent lateness which are not agreed with us, may incur a penalty notice. These penalties are through the local council and we have no control over how they are given.
We cannot guarantee that we will authorise a student’s leave of absence during term time, as this is only done in exceptional circumstances. If you don’t get permission from our assistant headteacher, the absence is classed as ‘unauthorised’ and this includes lateness.
What will happen if my child misses school?
We keep parents up to date with their child’s attendance and confirm absences with them; this makes sure students are supported in their progress at the academy.
If you are concerned about your child’s school attendance, it is always best to talk to us first. We have a dedicated pastoral team who are here to help students and families.
Students with attendance of less than 95% are monitored closely by the pastoral team. We also have the specialist support of a parent support advisor and two student wellbeing officers who will be able to offer intensive support and guidance to students and families to help to improve attendance.
Contact the Attendance Officer
Christine Waite – info@princehenrys.co.uk or 01943 855682.