Attendance

Attendance (Our attendance policy can be downloaded from this page: Policies )

Good attendance is important because:

Statistics show a direct link between under-achievement and absence below 95%
Regular attenders make better progress, both socially and academically
Regular attenders find school routines, school work and friendships easier to cope with
Regular attenders find learning more satisfying
Regular attenders are more successful in transferring between primary school, secondary school, and higher education, employment or training

The first few weeks of the school year are very important for learning routines, establishing relationships and expectations and building friendships.

The last few weeks are equally important for a successful transition, meeting their new teacher and adults within the team, knowing where they will be going on their first day back and having time with the other children to start building new friendships.

You must let us know if your child is going to be absent on each day of their absence. You can report an absence by calling the school office (voicemail available out of hours) on 023 8039 3313. You can also email absence notifications to info@banisterschool.co.uk. Please note that we may need to make a follow up call to you, depending on the nature of the absence. You must state the reason for the absence and your child's name and class.

Should my child go to school today? Use this link for advice and guidance provided by the NHS

Recording Attendance

The school day begins between 8.15 and 8.30 am and all pupils are expected to be in school by 8.30am.
Pupils are marked ‘L’ after 8.30am showing they are late for school.
All lateness is recorded daily. This information will be required by the courts, should a prosecution for non-attendance or lateness be necessary
Arrival after the close of registration (morning registration is at 8:30 am and it closes at 8.45 am) will be marked as unauthorised absence code ‘U’ in line with Department for Education (DfE) guidance. This mark shows them to be on site, but is legally recorded as a half-day absence.
If a pupil is late due to a medical appointment, they will receive an authorised absence coded ‘M’. Please be advised that where possible doctors’ and dentists’ appointments are to be made outside of school hours or during school holidays.

Lateness

If in a school year, a child is late every day by:	They would have lost approximately:	Or they would have missed approximately:
5 minutes	3.5 days from school	20 lessons
10 minutes	7 days from school	41 lessons
15 minutes	10 days (2 weeks) from school	55 lessons
20 minutes	14.5 days from school	82 lessons
30 minutes	22 days (1 month) from school	123 lessons

On-going and repeated lateness is considered as unauthorised absence and will be subject to legal action (see section 6 for further detail).

Parents or carers of pupils who have patterns of lateness will be contacted to discuss the importance of good time keeping and how this might be achieved.

If lateness persists, parents, guardians or carers will be invited to attend the school and discuss the problem and support offered. An attendance contract will be issued at this time.

If support is not appropriate/effective or is declined and a child has 10 or more sessions of unauthorised absence due to lateness recorded in the last 10-week period, the school will make a referral to the EWO which will then be followed by issuing a parent with a penalty notice.

Responsibility

Every child has a right to access the education they are entitled to. Parents and teachers share the responsibility for supporting and promoting excellent school attendance and punctuality for all. For our children to take full advantage of the educational opportunities offered, it is vital your child is at school, on time, every day the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable. As a parent/carer, you have a legal duty to make sure your child receives a full-time education and comes to school regularly. If you are finding it difficult to get your child to school, you must speak to the class teacher and/or find a member of the office or Senior Leadership Team. We will be able to help you. If your child is genuinely too ill to attend school, you must ring the school office before school starts and leave a message on the answerphone or with the admin team. If you're not sure if your child should be home or in school, have a chat with the office and they will advise.

If your child has a long-term medical condition, please speak to us about how we can support them.

Extended leave of absence during term time

Children have 13 weeks annual holiday from school and school holiday dates are published well in advance online. As such, all parents/carers are expected wherever possible to plan and take their family holidays at this time so as not to disrupt their children’s education. Education law states that parents do not have a right to take their child out of school for a holiday during term time. Only in exceptional circumstances may a headteacher grant permission for leave; and it is the headteacher's decision on whether the absence is exceptional and how many days to approve.

Parents/carers who take their child out of school without their absence being agreed and authorised by written permission from the school can be issued with a penalty fine.

Extended leave - request & background information online form