Attendance Policy

2nd September 2024

This model policy was approved by the Trust Board on 4 July 2024 Next review date - summer term 2025

Co-op Academy Swinton

Sefton Road, Pendlebury, Swinton, M27 6JU

0161 794 6215

www.swinton.coopacademies.co.uk

Contents

1. Policy Statement and Purpose 2 2. The Importance of School Attendance 2 3. Legislation and Guidance 4 4. Roles and Responsibilities 4 5. Reporting Absence 7

Reporting and Requesting Planned Absences 8 6. Recording Absence 8 Lateness and punctuality 9 Persistent lateness 9 Recording Attendance at off site provision / dual registered pupils 10 7. Authorised and Unauthorised Absences 10 Fines and Sanctions 11 8. Promoting and Supporting Attendance 12 9. Attendance Monitoring 14 Analysing attendance 14 Using data to improve attendance 14 Identifying and supporting Persistent and Severely Absent Pupils 14 Reintegration after significant absences 15 Identifying and supporting Children Missing in Education 16 10. Links with other Policies 16 Appendix 1 - Coding 17 Appendix 2 - Removing Barriers Flowchart 21 Appendix 3 - Data monitoring and analysis 22 Appendix 4 - Thresholds and Interventions 23 Appendix 5 - Responsibilities 24 Appendix 6 - Legal Interventions 25 Appendix 7 - Templates Letters and Texts 26 Appendix 8 - Attendance Principles 29

1. Policy Statement and Purpose

Co-op Academy Swinton is committed to providing a full education to all pupils that embraces the concept of equal opportunities for all. We provide a welcoming and caring environment where every pupil feels safe and valued. Regular attendance and excellent punctuality are essential in ensuring pupils make sustained academic progress and social development.

The academy works in partnership with pupils and their parents or carers to promote the importance of regular and punctual attendance. Regular and punctual attendance is vital in ensuring that all children have full access to the curriculum, as valuable learning time is lost when pupils are absent or late.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure excellent attendance for all, that maximises pupil potential. As an academy, we recognise that regular attendance has a positive impact on the motivation and attainment of pupils. As such, this policy serves to give clear guidance to all stakeholders on their roles and responsibilities; provide advice and information on statutory duties of parents / carers and the Academy and demonstrate how the Academy will work in partnership with families, the local authority and other organisations to support the best possible attendance of all pupils.

Through this policy we will demonstrate our commitment to:

● Setting high expectations for the attendance and punctuality of all pupils

● Promoting good attendance and the benefits of good attendance

● Reducing absence, including persistent and severe absence

● Ensuring every pupil has access to the full-time education to which they are entitled ● Acting early to address patterns of absence

● Building strong relationships with families to ensure pupils have the right support to attend school

Co-op Academies Trust believes there are fundamental principles behind great school attendance. These have been laid out here in our Attendance Principles - and underpin the spirit and content of this policy. In our whole school approach to raising and maintaining excellent attendance, we aim to work with pupils and families to listen, understand, empathise and support families - whilst continuing to challenge poor attendance and maintain the highest of expectations of all of our pupils.

2. The Importance of School Attendance

Regular attendance at school is vital to support pupils to achieve and help them get the best possible start in life. Good attendance is central to pupils’ academic achievement and personal development. 

Research shows that going to school is directly linked to improved exam performance which should in turn lead to further learning opportunities and better job prospects.

As well as this, going to school helps to develop: 

● friendships 

● social skills 

● team values 

● life skills 

● cultural awareness 

● career pathways 

We know that 90% of persistent non-attenders do not achieve expected levels of development at KS1 and KS2 and do not gain five or more good GCSEs. Around one third achieve no GCSEs at all. At KS2, pupils not meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths had an overall absence rate of 4.7%, compared to 3.5% among those meeting the expected standard. At KS4, pupils not achieving grade 9 to 4 in English and maths had an overall absence rate of 8.8%, compared to 5.2% for those achieving grade 4. The overall absence rate of pupils not achieving grade 9 to 4 was twice as high as those achieving 9 to 5 (8.8% compared to 3.7%). 

Young people who regularly miss school without good reason are also more likely to become isolated from their friends, to underachieve in examinations and/or become involved in anti-social behaviour. In addition, Keeping Children Safe in Education, 2024 makes clear the fact that Children Missing Education are at significant risk of being victims of harm, exploitation or radicalisation, and becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training) later in life. For the most vulnerable pupils, research has shown associations between regular absence from school and crime (the proportion of children that had been cautioned or sentenced for any offence that had ever been persistently absent was 81% and for serious violence offence was 85%). Regular attendance is therefore one of the most important protective factors and the best opportunity for needs to be identified and support provided. 

Attendance and Punctuality - Lost Learning Hours 

230 Hours

70% 46 Days Lost

Lost 30 minutes 21 Days Lost

3. Legislation and Guidance

This policy meets the requirements of the statutory guidance: Working Together to Improve School Attendance from the Department for Education (DfE), and refers to the DfE’s statutory guidance on School Attendance Parental Responsibility Measures. These documents are drawn from the following legislation setting out the legal powers and duties that govern school attendance:

- Part 6 of The Education Act 1996

- Part 3 of The Education Act 2002

- Part 7 of The Education and Inspections Act 2006

- The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 (2010, 2011, 2013, 2016 amendments) - The Education (Penalty Notices) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013

It also refers to:

School census guidance 

Keeping Children Safe in Education, 2024 

Mental health issues affecting a pupil's attendance: guidance for schools 

4. Roles and Responsibilities

Trust Board

The Trust Board is responsible for:

● Setting Trust-wide policy, ensuring that this meets statutory requirements and is adopted by all of the Trust’s academies

● Setting high expectations of trust leaders in relation to student attendance

● Regularly reviewing and challenging Trust-wide attendance data and holding Trust leaders to account around the application of the Trust policy

Trust Senior Leadership Team (SLT)

The Trust's central SLT is responsible for:

● Promoting the importance of student attendance across the Trust

● Making sure school leaders fulfil expectations and statutory duties

● Holding school leaders to account for the application of this policy and the impact of this on attendance data

● Reviewing and challenging attendance data on a regular basis

The Headteacher and Academy Senior Leadership Team

The Headteacher and SLT will offer a clear vision for attendance, underpinned by high expectations, the Co-op Ways of Being and our core values, which are communicated to and understood by staff, pupils and families. SLT will make sure staff, pupils and families understand that absence from school is a potential safeguarding risk and understand their role in keeping children safe in education. SLT will actively promote great attendance at all levels of the organisation to build up a culture of great attendance. 

To do this, the Headteacher and all of the senior leadership team will be responsible for: ● Implementation of this policy at the school

● Monitoring attendance figures for the whole school and reporting these to the Trust’s SLT ● Making sure staff receive adequate training on attendance so they understand: ○ The importance of good attendance

○ That absence is almost always a symptom of wider issues

○ The school’s legal requirements for keeping registers

○ The school’s strategies for tracking, following up on and improving attendance ● Making sure dedicated training is provided to staff with a specific attendance function in their role, including in interpreting and analysing attendance data

● Using detailed and granular data analysis to lead on all universal strategies and interventions ● Supporting staff with monitoring the attendance of individual pupils

● Monitoring the impact of any implemented attendance strategies

● Issuing fixed-penalty notices, where necessary

● Working with the parents of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) ● Communicating with Local Authority when a pupil with an (EHC) plan has falling attendance ● Communicating the school’s high expectations for attendance and punctuality regularly to pupils

Senior Attendance Champion - Mr Simon Rigby

simon.rigby@coopacademies.co.uk

The senior attendance champion is the strategic lead for attendance and is responsible for leading attendance across the school including:

● Leading, championing and improving attendance across the school

● Setting a clear vision for improving and maintaining good attendance

● Evaluating and monitoring expectations and processes

● Having a strong grasp of absence data and oversight of absence data analysis ● Regularly monitoring and evaluating progress in attendance

● Establishing and maintaining effective systems for tackling absence robustly QAing ● Liaising with pupils, parents/carers and external agencies, where needed

● Building productive relationships with parents to discuss and tackle attendance issues ● Creating intervention or reintegration plans in partnership with pupils and parents/carers ● Delivering targeted intervention and support to pupils and families

Pastoral Leaders - Year Managers

Year 7 - Miss Gemma Daley and Mr Oliver Culckin

Year 8 - Miss Georgia Fildes and TBC

Year 9 - Mrs Malika Fisher and Mis Adeena Kousar

Year 10 MIss Rachel Stevens and Miss Courtnie Rice

Year 11 Miss Selina Carrington and Miss Laura Cope

Attendance Officer Miss Heather Wood and Miss Amanda Colgan

The school attendance officer is responsible for:

● Ensuring absence procedures are followed in line with this policy and the Trust Principles ● Entering codes accurately and keeping the attendance register in line with legislation ● Keeping records of reasons for absence for detailed analysis

● Monitoring and analysing attendance data (see section 7)

● Benchmarking attendance data to identify areas of focus for improvement

● Providing regular attendance reports to school staff and reporting concerns about attendance SLT ● Working with education welfare officers / attendance support to tackle persistent absence ● Working as part of the safeguarding team to report and follow up concerns

● Advising the Headteacher when to issue fixed-penalty notices

Class Teachers / Form Tutors

[Class teachers/form tutors] are responsible for

● Recording attendance on a daily basis, using the correct codes

● Recording all attendance, accurately, on ARBOR (MIS)

● Recording registers in a timely manner

● Giving attendance a high profile and emphasising the importance of school attendance ● Making pupils feel welcome and supporting them after an absence or when late to school ● Helping pupils catch up on missed subject content after absences

School Office Staff

School office staff may be responsible for taking calls from parents/carers and pupils about absence on a day-to-day basis and recording it accurately. They will also transfer calls from parents/carers and pupils to the correct pastoral staff, attendance officers or SLT in order to provide them with more detailed support

on attendance. They will input codes accurately and ensure that late students and students leaving during the day are accounted for. Office staff work closely with the attendance and safeguarding team.

Parents/carers

Parents/carers are expected to:

● Make sure their child attends every [day/timetabled session] on time

● Call the school to report their child’s absence before 8.30am on the day of the absence and each subsequent day of absence, and advise when they are expected to return

● Provide the school with more than one emergency contact number for their child ● Ensure that, where possible, appointments for their child are made outside of the school day ● Keep to any attendance contracts that are made and accept support when it is offered ● Inform the right people, as early as possible, if there are any challenges around attendance.

Pupils

Pupils are expected to:

● Attend school every day on time

● Attend every timetabled session on time

● Call the school to report their absence before (insert time) on the day of the absence ● Let school staff know if there are any difficulties at school or home to allow school to support

5. Reporting Absence

Parents/Carers will be expected to provide an acceptable reason for every absence and will be able to report an absence on the day by contacting:

Please contact us on our main academy line: 0161 794 6215 and select ‘Option 1’ for absence/attendance 

Parents/carers are requested to make contact on each day of absence even where pupils are absent for consecutive days, unless otherwise agreed with one of the Attendance Officers.

If absence reasons are medical, evidence will need to be provided such as a stamped medical card, appointment text message, hospital letter or prescription in order for the absence to be authorised. We will mark absence for physical or mental illness as authorised unless we have a concern about the authenticity of the illness. If the school is not satisfied about the authenticity of the illness, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised and parents will be notified of this in advance or at the time. For a full list of authorised and unauthorised reasons for absence please see section 7. 

Where communication is not made with the Academy about the reason for pupil absence this will be deemed as ‘unauthorised absence’. The parent/carer will receive contact from the Academy to ascertain reasons for absence. Calls will be made from the beginning of the school day and will be completed by 11 am on the same day. Follow up will be based on the following timescales:

➔ If a pupil is absent without communication, the attendance team will attempt to contact parents. If you do not report your child’s absence following this text, you will receive a phone call from a member of the attendance team. If the attendance team is unable to contact you, you will receive a home visit - even if it is the first day of absence.

➔ When a pupil is absent for two or more days without the school being provided with a reason, a member of the attendance team will conduct a home visit. Home visits from the attendance team are supportive and intended to establish if any actions need to be put in place in order to support a child’s return to school.

➔ If, after home visits and phone calls, the attendance team is still unable to get a reason for absence within 5 days, the attendance team will request the Police to carry out a ‘welfare check’ at home.

➔ For extended periods of absence without reason, we may also contact the Child

Missing Education Team at the Council and/or sibling primary schools to support with enquiries about the whereabouts of the child.

➔ If a child is absent from the Academy for 20 days (or 10 days after an authorised holiday) and their whereabouts are unknown or they are reported to have left Leeds, a referral to the Child Missing Education Team will be made and the child will be

removed from roll.

➔ Where pupils are identified as vulnerable, or we have a safeguarding concern, if communication is not made on day one of absence, procedures will be followed through more swiftly with welfare checks requested on day one if deemed necessary

Reporting and Requesting Planned Absences

Attending a medical or dental appointment will be counted as authorised as long as the pupil’s parent/carer notifies the school in advance of the appointment by email, text or visiting the front office. You will need to show your appointment text or letter to verify your appointment. However, we encourage parents/carers to make medical and dental appointments out of school hours where possible. Where this is not possible, the pupil should be out of school for the minimum amount of time necessary by returning promptly to school following their appointment and also attend prior to appointment if not first thing in the morning. The appointment should be made at the start/end of the academy day to minimise disruption to learning.

The pupil’s parent/carer must also apply for other types of term-time absence as far in advance as possible of the requested absence. Go to section 7 to find out which term-time absences are authorised.

6. Recording Absence

Attendance register

By law, all schools are required to keep an attendance register. The academy uses an electronic system (ARBOR) to accurately record attendance and punctuality to every lesson on a daily basis.

Students will be registered by their lesson 1 teacher each day. Any pupils arriving late (after 8.30am) will have a late mark recorded on Inventry and an ‘L’ code is added to Arbor. The class teacher will record them on the system when they arrive. Afternoon attendance is recorded during lesson 3.

The attendance register marks whether every pupils is:

● Present

● Attending an approved off-site educational activity

● Absent

● Unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances

By law, all schools are required to close their register 30 minutes after they open, and are required to record a U code for any pupils arriving after this point.

Each day, pupils can access the building from 7:30am. They must be in Lesson 1 by 8:30am where they receive their morning mark. Academy registration closes at 9:00am and any pupil arriving after this time will lose half a day of attendance and be marked with a U (see appendix 1 for attendance register codes).

Any amendment to the attendance register will include:

● The original entry

● The amended entry

● The reason for the amendment

● The date on which the amendment was made

● The name and position of the person who made the amendment

We will also record:

● Whether the absence is authorised or not

● The nature of the activity if a pupil is attending an approved educational activity ● The nature of circumstances where a pupil is unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances

Lateness and punctuality

The statutory register of the academy closes at 9:00 am daily. After this point, a pupil arriving late without prior notice or a reasonable explanation, will receive an unauthorised absence mark. A pupil who arrives late:

● Before the register has closed will be marked as late, using the appropriate code (L) ● After the register has closed will be marked as absent, using the appropriate code (U)

If a pupil arrives:

● Between 8:25 am and 9:00am, after the entrance gate has closed, they will enter school through standards gate where they will sign in and be issued with a 30-minute, on the day detention. ● After 9:00am, they will sign in at pupil reception and will be issued with an on the day detention.

If a pupil arrives at the academy late, after the register has closed, parents will be contacted by the academy to inform them and ascertain a reason for lateness.

Persistent lateness

It is not acceptable for pupils to persistently arrive late to school (whether before or after the register has closed) as this not only hinders their progress but also disrupts the learning of others. The pupil support and attendance team will monitor late arrivals and follow this up through: 

• Detentions issued

• Letters home

• Punctuality Panels

Pupils need to arrive at the academy on time in order to be ready for the day ahead. All lates and conversations with parents will be logged centrally by the academy on Arbor.

If a pupil is persistently late to school and has two parent meetings across a half term, they are to be referred to an attendance mentor. A home/school agreement to be signed to inform us that parents will support punctuality and be at the forefront of any improvement. A staff mentor will work with pupils and families regarding punctuality and attendance.

To support all students to attend and be punctual, all Co-op Academies run a breakfast club (free to pupil premium students) before school, to ensure that pupils can start the day positively and be on time. If a pupil is persistently late, they may be referred to breakfast club to support punctuality.

If all the above are unsuccessful, the Academy will use legal channels in accordance with the local authority policy. This may mean that court action is taken.

Recording Attendance at off site provision / dual registered pupils

➔ Attendance at alternative provisions is monitored daily using Arbor. Provisions to make initial contact with parents where pupils are absent.) 

➔ pupils will be given a ‘B’ code on Arbor when they have attended external alternative provision. Any absences will be recorded using the appropriate absence code. 

➔ Some provisions, as well as managed moves, are used on a dual-registration basis - the attendance team will oversee this and will give the pupil the appropriate enrolment status. In these cases pupils will be given a ‘D’ code when they are on roll with the provision for all periods where the pupil is expected to attend the other provision/school. 

➔ pupils who are Guest Pupils at another school will remain as ‘single registration’ at Co-op Academy Swinton. Where the pupil has attended the other school, a ‘B’ mark will be recorded. All absences will be logged with the appropriate code. 

➔ Attendance Officers from the Academy will conduct home visits where appropriate. ➔ Attendance Coordinator provides daily/weekly attendance figures to key staff ➔ Once a placement is set up, pupils must attend. Failure to do so will carry the same consequences as non-attendance within the Academy. 

➔ Attendance Coordinator to request regular attendance certificates for pupils attending dual-registration provisions/schools. 

Reporting to parents/carers

Coop Academy Swinton has a number of ways to report attendance to families, which includes - e.g. text messages / letters / reports / school apps and software

7. Authorised and Unauthorised Absences Medical and Illness

Children should attend school on every possible day they can. Mild illnesses such as colds and coughs should not prevent a pupil from coming to school. Guidance for school leaders on authorising absence for mild illnesses, or mild anxiety, from the chief medical officer can be found here and details when parents or carers should make sure pupils attend.

Approval for term-time absence

The Government’s amendments of the Education Regulations 2006 removed the right of Headteachers to authorise family holidays and extended leave. The academy policy, therefore, reflects this legislation.

The headteacher will only grant a leave of absence to a pupil during term time if they consider there to be 'exceptional circumstances'. A leave of absence is granted at the headteacher’s discretion, including the length of time the pupil is authorised to be absent for.

The school considers each application for term-time absence individually, taking into account the specific facts, circumstances and relevant context behind the request. Any request should be submitted as soon as it is anticipated and, where possible, at least 4 weeks before the absence. Leave of absence forms can be found online or at the main school office. The headteacher may require evidence to support any request for leave of absence including plane tickets; medical evidence; letters from authorities.

Valid reasons for authorised absence include:

● Illness (including mental illness) and medical/dental appointments

● Religious observance – where the day is exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which the pupil’s parents/carers belong. If necessary, the school will seek advice from the religious body to confirm whether the day is set apart. The academy authorises up to two days for a religious absence per academic year and one day per religious event

● Traveller pupils travelling for occupational purposes – this covers Roma, English and Welsh Gypsies, Irish and Scottish travellers, showmen (fairground people) and circus people, bargees (occupational boat dwellers) and new travellers. Absence may be authorised only when a traveller family is known to be travelling for occupational purposes and has agreed this with the school, but it is not known whether the pupil is attending educational provision

Fines and Sanctions

The school or local authority can fine parents/carers for the unauthorised absence of their child from school, where the child is of compulsory school age. The school is obligated to pass information about unauthorised absence to the local authority. This can lead to a fixed penalty notice issued from the authority. If issued with a fine, or penalty notice, each parent/carer must pay £80, per pupil within 21 days or £160 within 28 days. The payment must be made directly to the local authority. Fines are issued per pupil and per parent so in a family of four, you could receive up to four fixed penalty notices.

Penalty notices can be issued by a headteacher, local authority officer or the police.

The decision on whether or not to issue a penalty notice may take into account: ● Whether the national threshold for considering a penalty notice has been met (10 sessions / 5 days of unauthorised absence in a rolling period of 10 school weeks)

● Whether a penalty notice is the best available tool to improve attendance for that pupil ● Whether support, a notice to improve or other legal intervention would be more appropriate ● Whether any obligations the school has under the Equality Act 2010 make issuing a penalty notice inappropriate

A penalty notice may also be issued where parents allow their child to be present in a public place during school hours without reasonable justification, during the first 5 days of a suspension or exclusion (where the school has notified the parents that the pupil must not be present in a public place). 

If the payment has not been made after 28 days, the local authority can decide whether to prosecute or withdraw the notice.

If a second penalty notice is issued to the same parent in respect of the same pupil, within a three year period, the parent must pay £160 if paid within 28 days. 

A third penalty notice cannot be issued to the same parent in respect of the same child within 3 years of the date of the issue of the first penalty notice. In a case where the national threshold is met for a third time within those 3 years, schools will have to consider prosecution in a magistrates court and a potential fine.

Notices to improve

If the national threshold has been met and support is appropriate, but parents do not engage with offers of support,Coop academy Swinton may offer a notice to improve to give parents a final chance to engage.

Notices to improve are issued in line with processes set out in the Salford local authority guidance. They will include:

● Details of the pupil’s attendance record and of the offences

● The benefits of attendance and duty of parents under section 7 of Education Act 1996 ● Details of the support provided so far

● Opportunities for further support, or previously provided support not engaged with ● A clear warning that a penalty notice may be issued if attendance doesn’t improve within the improvement period, along with details of what sufficient improvement looks like, which will be decided on a case-by-case basis

● A clear timeframe of between 3 and 6 weeks for the improvement period

● The grounds on which a penalty notice may be issued before the end of the improvement period

8. Promoting and Supporting Attendance

The Academy recognises that poor attendance can be an indication of difficulties in a child’s life. This may be related to problems at home and/or in school. Parents should make school aware of any difficulties or changes in circumstances that may affect their child’s attendance and or behaviour in school, for example, bereavement, divorce/separation, incidents of domestic abuse. This will help the school identify any additional support that may be required. 

Co-op Academy Swinton also recognises that some pupils are more likely to require additional support to achieve excellent attendance, for example, those pupils with special educational needs, those with physical or mental health needs, and looked after children.

Part of promoting and supporting great attendance at Co-op Academy Swinton is to ensure that the pupils receive the best possible experience on a day to day basis - to ensure that they are excited to attend, feel a sense of belonging and are supported to experience success in their learning. As a school, therefore, we put on a range of extracurricular activities on each day of the week. We also ensure that each and every day, pupil’s feel warmly welcomed into the academy - and that they are offered a broad and exciting curriculum. Part of our universal offer is also to provide a breakfast club each morning; access to a trusted adult during the day; high quality teaching; a fair and proportionate policy for positive behaviour and regular communication with parents. In addition, to support and encourage pupils who might find attendance at school more difficult, we also implement a range of strategies: 

● Regular communication with home

● Offering incentives and rewards

● Mentoring

● Daily check ins with students who need it to support their attendance

● Family Help Practitioner Support

● Support from external organisations

● Support plans

● Rewards systems

● Fast Track Initiative

● Referral to the Educational Welfare Officer

Where parents fail or refuse to engage with the support offered and further unauthorised absence occurs, Co-op Academy Swinton will consider the use of legal sanctions.

As a very last resort - and only in exceptional circumstances, the Academy may implement a part time timetable to support regular attendance. This would only be a very last resort.

Rewarding Attendance

Recognising strong attendance is key and celebrating improvements in attendance is important. Positive points on Arbor, will be given to all pupils to acknowledge good attendance, and will be awarded at regular intervals for those who have achieved good attendance or have improved their attendance. Within the academy rewards policy, pupils will receive additional Praise Points on a half termly basis for achieving 95%+ attendance. Parents can track these Praise Points via the Arbor app.

10 students per year group

recognised

based upon Class Charts analysis

5 students

nominated per year group

Rewards =

Platinum ticket

2 students

nominated per subject, per year group

Reward =

Students with 100% attendance over a half term

Students with the most improved attendance over a half term

Year groups with most attendance over a half

Based upon Class Charts analysis and attendance

(≥95% attendance, No FTEs and 75% green on Class Charts)

9. Attendance Monitoring

The Academy will monitor attendance and absence data weekly, half-termly, termly and yearly across the school and at an individual pupil level. Through this analysis we will Identify whether or not there are particular groups of children whose absences may be a cause for concern

Pupil-level absence data will be collected each term and published at national and local authority level through the DfE's school absence national statistics releases. The underlying school-level absence data is published alongside the national statistics. The school will compare attendance data to the national average, and share this with the academy governing council and Regional Director..

Analysing attendance

The school will analyse attendance and absence data regularly to identify pupils or cohorts that need additional support with their attendance, and use this analysis to provide targeted support to these pupils and their families. We will look at historic and emerging patterns of attendance and absence, and then develop strategies to address these patterns.

Using data to improve attendance

The school will provide regular attendance reports to form tutors and class teachers and to school leaders, to facilitate discussions with pupils and families and use data to monitor and evaluate the impact of any interventions put in place in order to modify them and inform future strategies.

Identifying and supporting Persistent and Severely Absent Pupils

Persistent absence is where a pupil misses 10% or more of school, and severe absence is where a pupil misses 50% or more of school. Research shows that missing 10% or more of school dramatically reduces a pupil’s ability to go on to get great qualifications and to be a healthy and happy individual. The academy will work with parents/carers, staff, agencies and pupils to prevent children from falling into either of these categories.

The school will use attendance data to find patterns and trends of persistent and severe absence. We will hold regular meetings with the parents/carers of pupils and all adults who are listed as holding parental responsibility, who the school (and/or local authority) considers to be vulnerable, or are persistently or severely absent, to discuss attendance and engagement at school. We will provide access to wider support services to remove the barriers to attendance.

Pupils with attendance of less than 90% will be identified by the attendance team and referred to the Academy Attendance Improvement Officers (AIO) for more intensive casework. Preventative intervention work will be done to avoid pupils reaching PA status.

In order to prevent pupils from falling into Persistent Absence category, the following strategy will ensue:

● Use attendance data to find patterns and trends of persistent and severe absence ● Consider potential safeguarding issues and, where suspected or present, address them in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education 

● Hold regular meetings with the parents of pupils who the school (and/or local authority) considers to be vulnerable or at risk of persistent or severe absence, or who are persistently or severely absent, to: 

o Discuss attendance and engagement at school 

o Listen, and understand barriers to attendance 

o Explain the help that is available 

o Explain the potential consequences of, and sanctions for, persistent and severe absence o Review any existing actions or interventions 

● Provide access to wider support services to remove the barriers to attendance, in conjunction with the local authority, where relevant 

● Consider alternative support that could be put in place to remove any barriers to attendance and re-engage these pupils. In doing so, the school will sensitively consider some of the reasons for absence 

If, after all the above processes are unsuccessful and pupil attendance drops below 70%,

We always aim to work with families to improve attendance and through all of the interventions in place. Where families are not engaging with the support we will have to take more punitive actions including: 

● Fast Track Initiative

● Formal Casework

● Referral to educational welfare officers

● Referral to Salford City Council for legal work

Reintegration after significant absences

Every effort will be made to re-integrate pupils successfully back into the Academy following long periods of absence. This might include:

● Phased returns and reduced timetables, in exceptional circumstances

● Morning check-ins and welcomes and end of day check-ins

● Mentoring from the pastoral team

● An attendance support plan agreed with pupils and Parents

● Identified safe space and trusted adult

● Weekly reviews on progress

Identifying and supporting Children Missing in Education

We recognise that a child going missing from education is a potential indicator of abuse or neglect. A pupil is considered to be ‘Missing in Education’ if they have been absent for 20 consecutive days from the academy (with no reason for absence given) or if they have not returned for 10 consecutive school

days after returning from an authorised absence. Where a child is identified as missing education we will comply with our statutory duty to inform the local authority of any pupil who falls within the reporting notification requirements outlined in Children Missing Education – Statutory guidance for local authorities (DfE September 2016) and follow the protocols for Salford practitioners.

School and college staff members must follow the Salford Children’s Services LA protocols. Contact: cme@salford.gov.uk

Children who are absent, abscond or go missing during the school day are vulnerable and at potential risk of abuse, neglect, CSE or CCE including involvement in county lines. Academy staff members must follow the academy’s procedures for dealing with pupils who are absent/go missing (flow chart of actions can be seen in the appendices), particularly on repeat occasions, to help identify the risk of abuse and neglect including sexual abuse or exploitation and to help prevent the risks of going missing in future.

10.Links with other Policies

This policy links to the following policies:

● Academy Safeguarding Policy

● Behaviour policy

● Exclusions Policy

● Co-op Academies Trust Attendance Principles

Appendix 1 - Coding

The following codes are taken from the DfE’s guidance on school attendance. Code Definition Scenario

/ Present (am) Pupil is present at morning registration \ Present (pm) Pupil is present at afternoon registration L Late arrival Pupil arrives late before register has closed Attending a place other than the school

K Attending education provision arranged by the local authority

V Attending an educational visit or trip

P Participating in a sporting activity

Pupil is attending a place other than a school at which they are registered, for educational provision arranged by the local authority

Pupil is on an educational visit/trip organised or approved by the school

Pupil is participating in a supervised sporting activity approved by the school

W Attending work experience Pupil is on an approved work experience placement

B Attending any other approved educational activity

Pupil is attending a place for an approved educational activity that is not a sporting activity or work experience

D Dual registered Pupil is attending a session at another setting where they are also registered

Absent – leave of absence

C1 Participating in a regulated performance or undertaking

regulated employment abroad

Pupil is undertaking employment (paid or unpaid) during school hours, approved by the school

M Medical/dental appointment Pupil is at a medical or dental appointment

J1 Interview Pupil has an interview with a prospective employer/educational establishment

S Study leave Pupil has been granted leave of absence to study for a public examination

X Not required to be in school Pupil of non-compulsory school age is not required to attend

C2 Part-time timetable Pupil is not in school due to having a part-time timetable

C Exceptional circumstances Pupil has been granted a leave of absence due to exceptional circumstances

Absent – other authorised reasons

T Parent travelling for occupational purposes

Pupil is a ‘mobile child’ who is travelling with their parent(s) who are travelling for occupational purposes

R Religious observance Pupil is taking part in a day of religious observance

I Illness (not medical or dental appointment)

Pupil is unable to attend due to illness (either related to physical or mental health)

E Suspended or excluded Pupil has been suspended or excluded from school and no alternative provision

has been made

Absent – unable to attend school because of unavoidable cause

Q Lack of access arrangements Pupil is unable to attend school because the

local authority has failed to make access

arrangements to enable attendance at

school

Y1 Transport not available Pupil is unable to attend because school is not within walking distance of their home

and the transport normally provided is not

available

Y2 Widespread disruption to travel

Pupil is unable to attend because of widespread disruption to travel caused by a local, national or international

emergency

Y3 Part of school premises closed Pupil is unable to attend because they cannot practicably be accommodated in

the part of the premises that remains open

Y4 Whole school site unexpectedly closed

Every pupil absent as the school is closed unexpectedly (e.g. due to adverse weather)

Y5 Criminal justice detention Pupil is unable to attend as they are: · In police detention

· Remanded to youth

detention, awaiting trial or

sentencing, or

· Detained under a sentence of

detention

Y6 Public health guidance or law Pupil’s travel to or attendance at the school would be prohibited under public

health guidance or law

Y7 Any other unavoidable cause To be used where an unavoidable cause is not covered by the other codes

Absent – unauthorised absence

G Holiday not granted by the school

N Reason for absence not yet established

O Absent in other or unknown circumstances

U Arrived in school after registration closed

Pupil is absent for the purpose of a holiday, not approved by the school

Reason for absence has not been established before the register closes

No reason for absence has been established, or the school isn’t satisfied that the reason given would be recorded using one of the codes for authorised absence

Pupil has arrived late, after the register has closed but before the end of session

Administrative codes

Z Prospective pupil not on admission register

Pupil has not joined school yet but has been registered

# Planned whole-school closure Whole-school closures that are known and planned in advance, including school

holidays

Appendix 2 - Removing Barriers Flowchart (from Working Together to Improve School Attendance) 

Successfully treating the root causes of absence and removing barriers to attendance, at home, in school or more broadly requires schools and local partners to work collaboratively in partnership with, not against families. All partners should work together to:

Expect

Aspire to high standards of attendance from all pupils and parents and build a culture where all can, and want to, be in school and ready to learn by prioritising attendance improvement across the school.

Monitor

Rigorously use attendance data to identify patterns of poor attendance (at individual and cohort level) as soon as possible so all parties can work together to resolve them before they become entrenched.

Listen and understand

When a pattern is spotted, discuss with pupils and parents to listen to and understand barriers to attendance and agree how all partners can work together to resolve them.

Facilitate support

Remove barriers in school and help pupils and parents to access the support they need to overcome the barriers outside of school. This might include an early help or whole family plan where absence is a symptom of wider issues.

Formalise support

Where absence persists and voluntary support is not working or not being engaged with, partners should work together to explain the consequences clearly and ensure support is also in place to enable families to respond. Depending on the circumstances this may include formalising support through an attendance contract or education supervision order.

Enforce

Where all other avenues have been exhausted and support is not working or not being engaged with, enforce attendance through statutory intervention: a penalty notice in line with the National Framework or prosecution to protect the pupil’s right to an education.

Appendix 3 - Data monitoring and analysis As a minimum, the following data will be analysed and collected on a daily, weekly and half termly basis

Appendix 4 - Thresholds and Interventions Attendance Strategy Doc

Appendix 5 - Responsibilities

Appendix 6 - Legal Interventions

Education supervision order:

Either local authority can apply for an education supervision order, but it will usually be the Home LA that acts as the ‘designated LA’ and therefore both local authorities should discuss and agree before proceeding.

Penalty notice:

A penalty notice must be issued in line with the National Framework and local code of conduct for the area in which the child goes to school, and if issued by a local authority, it must be the School LA. The National Threshold for issuing penalty notices is 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a rolling period of 10 school weeks. A school week means any week in which there is at least one school session. This can be met with any combination of unauthorised absence (e.g. 4 sessions of holiday taken in term time plus 6 sessions of arriving late after the register closes all within 10 school weeks). These sessions can be consecutive (e.g. 10 sessions of holiday in one week) or not (e.g. 6 sessions of unauthorised absence taken in 1 week and 1 per week for the next 4 weeks). The period of 10 school weeks can also span different terms or school years (e.g. 2 sessions of unauthorised absence in the Summer Term and a further 8 within the Autumn Term) and different schools.

Prosecution:

Either local authority has the power to prosecute, but in general it should be the School LA that takes forward prosecutions under section 444(1) and (1A) of the Education Act 1996. It is, however, good practice for the School LA to inform the Home LA that legal action is being taken.

Parenting orders:

Where a prosecution leads to a Parenting Order, the Court will specify a responsible officer in line with section 372(5) of the Sentencing Act 2020. Both local authorities should discuss and agree who is most appropriate to act as responsible officer in advance of seeking the Order, within the statutory requirements. The most appropriate officer will often depend on the reason for absence.

School Attendance Orders (SAOs):

Where it appears a child of compulsory school age in their area is not receiving suitable education, either at school or otherwise than at a school (such as unsuitable home education), that local authority (the Home LA) is responsible for serving a notice and if necessary a SAO in line with sections 437 to 442 of the Education Act 1996. Likewise, if prosecution for breaching the SAO is deemed necessary, it should be taken forward by the Home LA.

Appendix 7 - Templates Letters and Texts Example Nudge Letter

Attendance matters – and you can help! 

Dear {Parent/CarerName}

I am writing to you because {Student Name} has missed more school than other students this year.

{Student Name} has been absent for {#.#} days so far this year which is a percentage of {##.##%} The average attendance of the students at Co-op Academy xxxx in {Y#} is {##.##%} which means your child has missed more school than most other students.

When students miss school they fall behind. Just missing five days a year of school could decrease your child’s chances of achieving well, whether the absence is authorised or unauthorised.

Our purpose is to support every child in achieving the best outcome. We know that students who are in school, every day, have a better chance at making progress and reaching their full potential.

You could have a big impact on {Student’s Name} attendance and we appreciate your support and help.

Yours sincerely

Example Text Messages

1. falling below 95% / below average / declining

Dear xxxx. We are just letting you know that xxxx has missed x days of learning this year. This is more than the average for the school which is x. Please contact x if you would like to discuss your child's attendance. We know this could have a big impact.

2. Ascending attendance

Dear xxxx . xxxxx’s attendance has improved! This will have a big impact on their learning. Thank you for ensuring x is in school as much as possible. We appreciate your support.

Example Absence Letter

Dear Parent/Carer

RE: Your Child’s Attendance Matters to Us

This year, xxxxx has missed over 11 days of learning. Our aim is for all students to have 100% attendance. This would mean missing no days of school. Our minimum expectation of 96% means that we would expect children to miss no more than two days per term (or 6 in a year).

We know that when students miss school they fall behind. Just missing five days a year of school could decrease your child’s chances of achieving well by 10% – whether the absence is authorised or unauthorised. Pupils who attend school regularly on average also feel better connected, develop superior social skills and have higher self-esteem and confidence. Not being in school means your child is missing out on the essentials they need to be successful.

Our purpose is to support every child to achieve their very best. In order to do this, we would like you to ensure xxxxx attends school on every day possible so that they can achieve better attendance this year and therefore maximise their chances of success. An extra 6 days of school could make all the difference.

If you need any support regarding your child’s attendance please contact the school to speak to a member of the pastoral team. We are here to help and want to see xxxxx in school, every day.

Thank you for supporting xxxx’s progress by ensuring they are in school, every day and on time. You could have a big impact on their attendance.

Yours sincerely

Principal

Example Invitation to Panel Letter

Dear Parent/carer of ______________________________________________________________ RE: Attendance Panel Meeting

I am writing because the academy has ongoing concerns about ____________________________ attendance and punctuality. The average number of missed days of school for a student at Co-op Academy xxx is xxx. Your child has missed more days than most students.

I would like to invite you to an Attendance Panel Hearing to discuss this matter in full. The meeting will be held at Co-op Academy xxxx on ___________________________________, at _____________. A Parenting Contract may be offered at the meeting; this is a plan that is agreed between you and Co-op Academy xxxx and includes actions and targets to improve ____________________________ attendance. If you wish, you may bring a friend or other representative along to the meeting.

Staff are working at Co-op Academyxxxx to support you to improve______________________’s attendance, but it is important that you understand that we are required to consider legal proceedings where a parent/carer fails to ensure the regular school attendance of their child/children. However, this is only considered when all plans to improve matters have failed. My initial role will be to try and support you in ensuring ____________________________ attendance and punctuality improves.

We need to remind you of your legal responsibility to ensure your child attends school regularly, under Section 444 of the 1996 Education Act. Failure to ensure regular school attendance can result in a fine of up to £2,500 and/or 3 months in prison.

Please don’t ignore this letter. If for any reason this appointment is not convenient, please contact the academy on 01274 573298

Yours Sincerely

Appendix 8 - Attendance Principles

The attendance principles, found in full here, are principles that all academies should adhere to in their approach to attendance. Each academy should be able to evidence clearly, how they believe each principle is demonstrated in their setting; implemented with rigour; and have an accurate understanding of how successfully they feel each is embedded.

Great school attendance relies on rigour, tenacity and repeated and clear routines, systematically applied. It also relies on a brilliant knowledge of the context and situation of the community being served, great relationships and a culture of truly high expectations for all. Importantly, the fundamental of great attendance is having a school where children feel welcomed, supported, included and want to attend. We want to support, empathise and understand the challenges our pupils face - but we want to challenge poor attendance and ensure we are not tolerating anything but the highest possible.

The 23 Attendance Principles are:

1. All hands on deck - Everyone has a responsibility for attendance

2. Senior attendance champion - A dedicated senior leader who champions and promotes attendance 3. Data driven - Granular data collection and analysis to get to the root cause of attendance issues 4. Calendars, Timetables and Extra Curricular - Thought given to ‘selling the day’ to our pupils 5. Pastoral AND attendance - All teams should work together in a coordinated approach 6. People talk to people - Interactions are our interventions. Limit answerphones for absence reports 7. Daily, weekly, termly routines - Organisation and consistency around routines 8. Root cause of absence - We need to know the specific reasons for absence in our schools 9. Numbers not percentages - Report on lessons missed, subjects missed and number of days 10. Close registers - Arriving more than half an hour after the start of the day results in a U code 11. Explicit on what is not authorised - Clear verbal and written communication for unauthorised 12. Intervene early - Trends not just thresholds - Don’t wait for a student to become PA - act early 13. Safeguarding - Attendance and safeguarding are inextricably linked - robust processes 14. Clear communication (empathise but don’t tolerate) - High expectations, high support, low threat 15. Welcome strategy - From the day of admissions to returning from absence - staff welcome pupils 16. EBSA - At least one member of staff needs to be trained in emotional school avoidance 17. Scripts and scaffolds - Don’t leave language and interaction to chance

18. Regular whole staff training - Role of attendance team; addressing root cause of absence 19. Building Belonging - Training, thought and strategy for how to help our students feel the belong 20. Filling gaps in learning - Staff need to be clear on how to fill gaps for students with absence 21. Pupil and parent panels - For key groups to understand issues, challenges and assets 22. Reintegration plan - For all pupils who experience an absence of 5 days or more 23. PD package - Excellent personal development curriculum is key to support strong attendance