ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY

At Delph Side we aim to instil a passion for learning that empowers our pupils to be successful and exceed expectation so that they develop into confident, caring individuals that are well equipped to take the future in their stride. 

To support our Delphsiders in achieving their potential, we expect that pupils and parents take pride in their daily attendance and aim to reach our target of 97% across the academic year. To facilitate this, we offer a Breakfast Club and open our doors at 8.45 to a welcoming morning task, to help everyone to settle comfortably into the school day in good time.

 

Our target for the whole school attendance is 97%.

Every child has the right to attend school every day, and the law states that regular attendance in an education setting is a requirement. Broken weeks of attendance, and unreasonable absences often lead to a child's wellbeing, devleopment and progress in learning being hindered over time. To avoid this, we believe that it is everyone's responsibility to play their part in ensuring that all children attend regularly.

We believe each person of our school community has a role and responsibility for improving attendance in this school, such as:

 

Parents: 

Ensure children attend regularly and punctually Contact school on 1st day of absence 

Avoid any leave in term time and apply in advance using form if the reason for leave is unavoidable/exceptional 

Attendance at meetings in school 

Participation in Parenting Contracts and Common Assessment Framework, and cooperate in support and interventions offered by school or other agencies 

 

Pupils: 

Acknowledge behaviour needed out of school, e.g. early bedtime Attend school/registration punctually 

Speak to parents/teacher if issues arise that may have an effect on school attendance 

Cooperate and participate in interventions and support offered by school or other agencies 

 

Headteacher / School Attendance Lead: 

Take the lead in ensuring attendance has a high profile within the school Ensure there are designated staff with day-to-day responsibility for attendance matters 

Ensure adequate, protected time is allocated to discharge these responsibilities 

Take overall responsibility for ensuring the school confirms to all statutory requirements in respect of attendance 

Consider each request for leave against the school's criteria, decide whether some or all of the leave will be authorised and notify parents of this decision.

Where there may be ambiguity regarding an absence, make the decision whether or not to authorise an absence or to request further evidence to support the decision- making process 

 

Designated Staff: 

First day response: Contact parents if a reason for absence has not been provided 

Input and update the attendance registers 

Regularly identify and monitor pupil, class and whole school attendance and punctuality levels, particularly that of vulnerable groups 

Regularly communicate pupil attendance and punctuality levels to parents Work with children and parents to remove barriers to regular and punctual attendance and use Parenting Contracts where appropriate 

 

All School Staff: 

Provide a welcoming atmosphere for children and provide a safe learning environment 

Ensure an appropriate and responsive curriculum 

Provide a sympathetic response to any pupils' concerns 

To be aware of factors that can contribute to non-attendance to see pupils' attendance as the responsibility of all school staff Participate in training regarding school systems and procedures 

 

Governors:

Adopt the whole-school policy and review regularly 

Monitor the consistent implementation of the attendance policy 

Set aspirational targets for improving the school's attendance figures 

Work with the Headteacher in establishing criteria against which leave requests will be considered. This is important to ensure the process is equitable and consistent. 

 

 As a school, we reserve the right to:

  • Inform parents of their responsibilities for maintaining regular attendance for their child. 
  • As Inform parents regularly of their child’s attendance using the traffic light system. 
    • 97-100% - Good - Outstanding - GREEN LIGHT
    • 93-96.9% - Satisfactory - AMBER LIGHT
    • 92.9% and below - Unsatisfactory - RED LIGHT
  • We aim to support any family in difficulties or crisis. 
  • Refer families requiring support to Lancashire's Pupil Attendance Support Team
  • Actively seek Court Prosecution when needed, but we do this as a very last resort. 
  • Reward good attendance; weekly, half termly, termly and annually through certificates, praise in assembly, rewards and a class attendance treats as required.
  • Inform parents of lateness and the impact of lateness.
  • Arrange supportive meetings to discuss attendance concerns.

 

Administering medicine in school

If your child needs medicine, prescribed by a doctor, to be administered in school, please complete a medical consent form at the school office, and we can administer medication to your child. In many cases, this prevents unnecessary absences and often helps the child to maintain their learning, their friendships and helps them to feel included and on-track in their learning.