Attendance and Punctuality
At The Kingsway School outstanding attendance and punctuality is our aim for every student. Full attendance maximises learning opportunities and parents/carers have a vital role in promoting good attitudes towards attendance. We ask for support from parents/carers to ensure that their children are present at every opportunity, to arrive on time and to avoid allowing children to stay at home unnecessarily, or taking them out of school without authorisation. Evidence shows that students who attend school regularly make better progress both academically and socially.
Research shows there is a link between the amount of time a student takes off school, and how well they do in their exams. This is why we have a minimum attendance target of 95%+ for each student. Every lesson counts and it is this commitment to learning that will have a positive effect on student’s examinations and their futures.
Calls to parents/carers
We take our safeguarding responsibility seriously and calls are made daily to the contact numbers of parents/carers if a student is absent, where the Attendance Officer has received no reason for absence. Calls are made on a daily basis, even where your child has been absent due to illness on previous days. We cannot assume that your child is still ill unless you have notified us. We would not wish to put your child at risk by failing to contact you.
We monitor students’ attendance and punctuality very closely. We follow up unexplained absence with parents/carers by by text, telephone calls, by letter and sometimes by visits home. Where a student’s attendance record falls below 94% we consider this to be a concerning level, we will contact parents/carers to discuss ways in which we work together can support you and your child.
NOTE: Please ensure your child realises the importance of attending school on time and getting their present mark. Parents/carers can also help by ensuring that we hold up to date contact numbers.
Persistent absence
As explained the school works with students and their parents/carers when we have a concern over attendance. Persistent absence is when:
- a student has below 92% attendance
- a student has 3 days absence or 6 sessions (half days) in a 30 day period
Where we have concerns about your child’s attendance, you will be asked to attend a meeting to discuss how we can work together to improve your child’s attendance .
Penalty Notice Warnings may be issued to parents/carers where their child's attendance exceeds 5 days (10 sessions ) of unauthorised absence.
Punctuality
All students are expected to arrive on time at school, ready for lessons. Students will be welcomed into each campus from 8:15am where staff will check that they have everything they need to be ready for the school day. Students should arrive to registration for 8.30am and are expected to be at their first lesson by 8.55am ready to start learning.
The school gates will close at 8.30am. After that, access to school is via Main Reception at the Foxland Campus and at the Student Entrance on the Broadway Campus. All students who arrive after registration must sign in when they enter the school building.
Students who arrive at school after 8:30am, will receive a same day reflection at break 1 unless they have a genuine reason for being late. Reasons such as missing the bus, stuck in traffic, oversleeping or poor weather are not considered to be acceptable reasons for lateness. Any student arriving after 9.30 am without genuine reason will be marked as unauthorised late; this counts as an absence for the morning session. We would be grateful for your support in ensuring that your child arrives on time.
Reporting Absence
What to do if your child is ill
If your child is too ill to attend school parents/carers should contact the School's Attendance Officer before 8.15 am on 0161 428 7706 then press 1.
Please give your child’s name, Year Group and the reason for the absence. We also ask that you contact us each day that your child is absent.
What to do if your child has an appointment
NOTE: Medical appointments are still absences.
Medical appointments will affect your child’s attendance percentage if taken during school hours.
Every effort should be made to arrange appointments outside of school hours. We do appreciate that on occasion this will be unavoidable. Where an urgent appointment is required or for hospital clinic appointments that operate during the day only, we require sight of an appointment card or letter in order to authorise any absence from school. In these instances please try to arrange appointments so that children do not miss a full day of learning.Most appointments do not justify a full day’s absence from school.
Leave of Absence (including term-time holidays)
Amendments came into force in September 2013 and the Education (Pupil Registration)(England) Regulations 2006 now state that schools may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Holiday leave in term time
The school closes for 70 days of holidays each academic year and we expect all parents/carers to take their family holidays whilst the school is closed. Any parent wanting to take their child on a leave of absence from the academy should inform the Headteacher in writing, giving at least 15 days notice. The application will be looked at on an individual basis and you will be informed by letter of the outcome. However, it is highly unusual to grant a leave of absence during term time. Any holiday or leave taken without permission from the Headteacher will be unauthorised and legal action will be sought from the Local Authority.
Requests for absence for reasons such as compassionate leave, special family events, sporting or musical competitions, etc., should be made in the same way.
Absence Requests Useful Documents
Work for students on short term absences (Or exclusions of up to 5 days)
When a student has a short absence from school, work is available using the guidance below. Most families now have access to the internet. If you do not have access to the internet, we advise you to contact your Pastoral Head of Year for support.
Students should keep copies of all work done during the absence. Excluded students should bring these to the formal meeting to discuss the return to school. Students absent for other reasons should give the work to the subject teacher in the lesson on the first week back.
How to access work via the internet
- Login to Kingsway Online and access the Google Classroom.
- Sparx Maths, and BBC Bitesize are excellent resources.
- See our Blended Learning page.
How to access work from other sources:
- Use the information in the student planner.
- If the absence is known well in advance, tell subjects teachers and Pastoral Head of year, in order that we can provide specific tasks beyond those above if appropriate.
- GCSE students always have work set which can be done at home from textbooks and/or worksheets.
If the absence is for longer, you should seek the advice of your Pastoral Head of Year in the first instance.
Celebrating Good Attendance
Good attendance is celebrated each term when students are invited to participate in rewards events.
Form tutors share individual attendance with students on a regular basis, rewards are given to students through termly assemblies and there is also an Annual Rewards recognition for students who achieve outstanding attendance .
Attendance Percentage and Hours of Learning Lost
Total numbers of hours in school calculated at 975
Days off soon add up – as does the impact of ‘lost learning’, particularly when considered over five school years (from Years 7-11):
Whilst 95% attendance over five school years may seem like a positive achievement, it still equates to over nine weeks of lost learning – around one quarter of a school year!