Attendance and School Timings
School Day Timings and Registration:
- The school gates open at 8.30am
- The school doors open at 8.35am for morning learning activities.
- Registration is taken at 8.45am all children should be in class by this time
- The school gates close at 8.45am
- Children arriving after 8.45am should come through the main office and be signed in by their parent/carer as late
- The school gates open at the end of the day at 3.10pm
- The school day ends at 3.15pm
- After the official close of the morning register at 9.05am - a child will be registered as an unauthorised absence.
This equates to 32.5hrs per week from register time to the end of the day.
SUTTON GREEN'S ATTENDANCE INFORMATION
The Government set schools a target of 96% attendance and we must strive to meet their standards. We have a target of 97% this year! We can do it!
Research has proven that there is a high correlation between school attendance and academic performance and success. Absence from school is often the greatest single cause of poor performance and achievement.
Why is it so important to attend every day?
- Learning is a progressive activity; each day’s lessons build upon those of the previous day(s).
- Reading the material and completing work independently does not compensate for direct interaction with the teacher.
- Many classes use discussions, demonstrations, experiments and participation as part of the daily learning activities, and these cannot be made up by those who are absent.
Are there other benefits to my child?
- Pupils with good attendance records generally achieve higher grades and enjoy school more.
- Having a good education will help to give your child the best possible start in life.
- Regular school attendance patterns encourage the development of other responsible patterns of behaviour.
What are the risks of frequent absences?
- A child who does not attend school regularly will be unlikely to keep up with the work.
- The more pupils miss school, the lower their grades; the lower their grades, the less they want to stay in school.
What can parents do to help?
- Parents must model the value of education, including the importance of regular attendance.
- Make sure that your child goes to school regularly and arrives on time - you will establish a good habit that they will carry through life.
- If your child starts missing school, work with the school to put things right. Make sure your child understands that you do not approve of him/her missing school.
- If your child is ill or must miss school for some other reason, contact school immediately. If you ask for home learning, make sure your child completes it.
- Do not expect school to approve of shopping trips, birthday treats etc. during school hours. Arrange family holidays so that your child will not miss any learning.
- Take an interest in your child’s school work and be involved in the school as much as possible-your child will value school more if you do.
Leave of Absence in Term Time
A change to government legislation means that schools are no longer allowed to authorise requests for children to be taken out of school for a holiday during term time.
Requests for leave can only be granted by schools if there are “exceptional circumstances” and holidays are not considered exceptional. Requests for leave must be made to the head teacher in advance, as the Department for Education has told schools that they cannot authorise any absences after they have been taken.
A penalty notice is a fine to parents or carers if they fail to ensure that their child/ren attend school regularly. If a penalty notice is issued, it will be one fine to cover the whole period of the absence. So the fine would be the same amount for an absence of five days or 10 days. For example, a parent could be issued with £60.00 fine if their child misses one day of school each week over a five week period, whilst another parent might be issued the same fine for one two-week block of absence. Penalty fines are £60.00 per child per parent if paid within 21 days, and £120 if paid between 22 and 28 days. If the fine is not paid, parents will be reported for prosecution.
REMEMBER – Regular attendance is necessary for success in school. Help ensure that your child has the best opportunity for success by making sure he/she is in school every day.
What are we doing at Sutton Green to promote and support good attendance and punctuality?
- S4YC breakfast club starting at 7.45am
- School run breakfast club starting at 8am
- Relaxed start to the day - gates open at 8.40am and children can arrive from then
- Staff on the gate/door to support reluctant children when they arrive
- Special days, trips, exciting lessons, clubs, rewards, predictable routines etc.
Attendance Support:
- If you have not notified the office about your child’s absence by 9am each morning, we will try to call you. If we cannot get a response you will receive a text informing you that we are on our way to complete a welfare visit at your house, for safeguarding reasons
- Any pupils with attendance below 94% each half term will be monitored by the Key Stage Leaders, who will write to parents with set targets for improvement. If targets are not met, parents will attend a support meeting with Key Stage Leads and the Pastoral Team. If targets continue to be unmet, a formal Panel Meeting will be held with the headteacher
- Any pupils who are late (arrive after 9am) 4 times in a half term will be monitored by the Key Stage Leaders, who will write to parents with set targets for improvement. If targets are not met, parents will attend a support meeting with Key Stage Leads and the Pastoral Team. If targets continue to be unmet, a formal Panel Meeting will be held with the headteacher
- The Senior Leadership Team will be writing to all parents/carers each half term regarding attendance. A green letter will be sent if your child has 97+%, amber for 94-96% and red letter for below 94%, to help you monitor their attendance
Motivators for Pupils:
- Every Friday, the class from each Key Stage, with the best weekly attendance will receive a trophy (Attendance Award!)
- Every Friday, the class from each Key Stage, with the least number of minutes late, will receive a trophy (Punctuality Award!)
- Each class will have an attendance puzzle on display in the corridor. Every time they win the Attendance award they will receive a piece of their puzzle. The class who completes their puzzle first will receive a prize
- Every child with 100% attendance each week will receive a raffle ticket in their class pot. This will be drawn at the end of each half term and a prize will be awarded
- Look out for ‘In Time Week!’ Each half term, we will have a special week where children can receive a raffle ticket for their class pot, if they arrive before 9am. Some random days will be DOUBLE TICKET days!
- Pupils with 100% attendance at the end of the Autumn Term will receive a bronze certificate, 100% at the end of the Spring Term will be celebrated with a silver certificate and a gold certificate will be awarded to anyone with 100% attendance for the whole school year.
- Pupils who are attending 97% or above will also be rewarded.
- Pupils with absences due to unavoidable medical appointments or exceptional circumstances will still be included in reward systems.