Attendance

Attendance

Attending every day gives your child the best chance of success. Those who attend every day, on time, attain higher grades and will be able to go on to attend the best universities, or a real alternative.

It is the law that parents or carers must make sure their child of compulsory school age receives a full-time education. As a parent or carer, you are responsible for making sure they go on time every day.

All scholars are expected to attend school every day. Whilst occasional sickness is unavoidable, it is of key importance that the attendance of every scholar is kept above 97%.

If a scholar is regularly absent, they will fall behind with learning, this makes attendance fundamental in making sure young people become successful learners.

A child who misses school for at least 10% of the time is considered a persistently absent child and prolonged or frequent absenteeism is treated seriously. Parents are breaking the law when their child regularly misses school and can therefore be fined. New statutory attendance guidance details below

Penalty notices will be issued by the local authority for each scholar absent from the Academy.

For Example: If 3 siblings are absent from the Academy, this would result in each parent receiving 3 separate fines.

Penalty notices can be issued for the following reasons:

• 5 consecutive days of term time leave.
• 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a 10-week period. Penalty notices will be considered when there have been 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a 10-week period.

 

First offence	The first time a penalty notice is issued for term time leave or irregular attendance, the amount will be £160 per parent, per child to be paid within 28 days issued to and to be paid to the local authority. The fine will be reduced by the local authority to £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days.
Second offence (within 3 years)	The second time a penalty notice is issued for term time leave or irregular attendance, the amount will be £160 per parent, per child to be paid within 28 days issued to and to be paid to the local authority.
Third offence and any further offences (within 3 years)	The third time a penalty notice is issued for term time leave or irregular attendance, a penalty notice will not be issued. Instead the case will be presented at the Magistrate’s court. A Magistrates fine can be up to £2500 per parent per child.   Cases found to be guilty in Magistrates court can show on a future DBS certificate due to failure to safeguard a child’s education.

 

 

Types of Absence

Unauthorised absence is when children miss school without permission. For example, a birthday treat, a day trip, over sleeping, taking a long weekend or shopping.

Authorised absence is when the Principal gives permission for a scholar to be absent. Parents must complete a Term Time Leave Request in advance explaining the reason and providing supporting evidence for any exceptional circumstances. We define exceptional to mean very rare, unusual or unforeseeable circumstances. A form can be found by clicking the link below. However, please be advised that holidays in term time will not be authorised by the Academy and will result in a penalty notice being issued by the local authority.

If you wish to request term time leave, then you should collect a Leave of Absence form from the school and return this.

Term Time Leave Request Form

Persistent Lateness & U Coding

Punctuality is key to success and we want every scholar to succeed! We have several scholars who are continually late and are working hard to try and reduce this figure…every minute counts! Scholars are U coded after 09:05 unless they have an authorised reason as agreed with the attendance team. Medical evidence must be provided if lateness is due to an appointment.

Scholars with persistent U codes are at risk of penalty fines as per the ’10 in 10’ absence guidance above. Please ensure that Scholars are on time and arrive at the Academy before the gates close at 08:25

Illness

If your child is genuinely too ill to attend school then you need to contact school every day of absence to give reason for the absence. If your child has a long-term sickness, please contact us to discuss additional support we may be able to provide.

Medical evidence may be required and the Principal will have final decision as to whether the absence is authorised or unauthorised.

REMEMBER: regardless of whether absence is authorised or not, absence is absence and your child’s attendance will be affected. We can only give a present mark when scholars are in the Academy.

Ways to report absence from the Academy:

We recommend that all parents use the MCAS App. This is a convenient way to get in contact with the Academy and means you will avoid telephone queues.

MCAS App

You can access the web version using this link. You can also download this from the App store on your phone:  https://www.mychildatschool.com/MCAS/MCSParentLogin

Support to log onto our MCAS App can be found here: https://www.astreawoodfields.org/mcas/

Telephone call: 01302 312410

Email: office@astreawoodfields.org

How can you support outstanding attendance?

• Make any appointments outside school hours or during school holidays wherever possible.
• If this cannot be done please book these at the start or end of the Academy day to minimise the impact of lost learning. Evidence such as appointment confirmation texts or appointment cards / letters must be provided to the Academy.
• Attending appointments does not mean your child should have a full day off. Ensure your child attends the Academy before or after appointments.
• The NHS pharmacies first scheme can also support and are accessible outside of Academy hours https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/pharmacies/how-pharmacies-can-help/
• Figure out the reasons for absence as this can help you understand where your child needs support in overcoming barriers to attending school
• Establish a good routine so that your child gets into good habits e.g. getting plenty of sleep, setting the alarm to allow plenty of time to get ready, prepare uniform and school bag the night before.
• Offer support with homework and take an interest in their learning
• Attend scholar review evening to discuss your child’s progress
• Take trips during school holidays not in term time
• Do not allow days off for minor illness or ailments use the NHS website for additional guidance Is my child too ill for School? https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
• Ensure your child has a good understanding of why attendance is important
• Keep in regular contact with the Academy and discuss any issues as soon as possible

Attendance at Astrea Academy Woodfields – Key Staff

Mr A Clifford – Assistant Principal – Attendance Strategic Lead

Mrs B Fraser – Attendance Manager

Mrs D Taylor – Attendance Officer

Ms L Richmond – Attendance Officer

Ms Z Todd – Attendance Officer

Mrs S Jowett – Designated Safeguarding Lead

Mr M Allison – SENDCO

School Calendar 2023 24 – FINAL Doncaster