Attendance

Attendance Information for Parents and Carers

Manor Green Primary Academy – September  2024

 

At, Manor Green Primary Academy we want and expect our pupils to attend school every day, unless they are really not well enough to.

We believe children who attend regularly are more likely to feel settled in school, maintain friendships, keep up with their learning and gain the greatest benefit from their education.

Attending on time every day also helps pupils form good habits which can stay with them throughout their education and on into the workplace. 

Please remember we are here to help in any way we can. If you have any concerns about your child that you wish to discuss with us, please do get in touch.

 

You can contact us by … 0161 336 5864 or manorgreen@focus-trust.co.uk  

 

Good Attendance

Regular attendance at school ensures that children get the best possible start in life. Good attendance supports learning, the development of social skills and friendships, as well as building good habits that are essential for adult life. School education lays the vital foundations of a child’s life. Research clearly demonstrates the link between regular attendance and educational progress and attainment. Parents/carers and the school team should work in partnership in making education a success and in ensuring that all children have full and equal access to all that the school has to offer.

Children with good attendance generally achieve more and are happier at school. Good attendance increases a child's academic success and improves their chances in life opportunities.

How can you support good attendance in school?

• Take trips during school holidays rather than term time
• Don’t allow your child to stay off school for a minor ailment
• Arrive at school on time so your child doesn’t get a Late mark
• Ensure your child has a good understanding of why attendance is important
• Figure out the reasons for absence as this can help you understand where your
• child needs support in overcoming barriers to attending school
• Try to establish a good routine early so that when your child does start school, they have developed good habits such as getting plenty of sleep
• If appointments are needed for health reasons, try to make them during after school hours or out of term time where possible
• Offer support with homework and take an interest in their learning
• Attend parents’ evenings to discuss your child’s progress.

Consequences of poor attendance

Frequent absenteeism can lead to feelings of isolation and disconnection from school and peers. Moreover, children may experience anxiety about falling behind or struggling to fit in when they return to school. This anxiety can be a significant barrier to their engagement and overall well-being.

What if I am absent from school?

The Government expect that pupils attend school for at least 96% of the school year. We strive to achieve at least 96% attendance across all our classes at Manor Green Primary Academy. If your child’s level of absence concerns us or attendance falls below 95%, you may be contacted by the Attendance Team to look at what support can be offered to improve your child’s attendance. We want to work with you to ensure we give your child the best opportunities to grow and succeed.

If we have not been informed as to the reason for a child’s absence, then we will contact the person allocated as priority 1 on the child’s emergency details. We aim to do this by 9:30am each day. Parents will be asked to supply details of at least three people who can be contacted in an emergency. If the school is unable to contact any of the emergency numbers provided, and is concerned for the welfare of the pupil, we may complete a home visit or request a Welfare Check from the police.

What if I am late for school?

Our pupils must arrive by 8:50am on each school day. Our morning register is taken at 9.00am and will be kept open until 9:10am Our afternoon register is taken at 1:00pm and will be kept open until 1:10pm A pupil who arrives late but before the register has closed will be marked as late (L) – which counts as present. A pupil who arrives late after the registers close will be marked as absent. If the pupil is late arriving due to a valid reason such as an unavoidable medical appointment, the absence will be authorised. If the pupil is late for no good reason, they will be marked with the unauthorised absence code ‘Late after registers close’ (U).

 How we promote and celebrate good attendance and punctuality at Manor Green Primary Academy

Good attendance is promoted through PSHE lessons and assemblies. Attendance figures and the importance of good attendance and punctuality is shared with parents through our school newsletter and at parent evenings. At Manor Green Primary Academy, we reward 100% attendance through termly certificates and badges.

How we can support you with attendance and punctuality

School led support

If a pattern of poor attendance or punctuality is spotted then all parties will work closely together to improve them.

You may be asked to attend a meeting at school with the Attendance Lead to look at any barriers and support will be offered.

Hopefully this will have a positive outcome and improved attendance/punctuality for your child.

Who else can support you and school to improve attendance and punctuality?

If School led support is not working or parents/carers do not engage then school will ask the EWO (Education Welfare Officer) for advice and support. A more formal plan will be put into place and regular meetings will be held to make sure that improvements are made. This could lead to fines and prosecutions

Extended Absences

Parents/Carers are asked to make an appointment to see Mrs Saville for any extended absence taken during term time, you can also ask the office staff for a request form.

If you child takes 5 days or more for an extended absence then the Local Authority may issue you a penalty notice.

Your local authority can give each parent a fine of £80, rising to £160 if you do not pay within 21 days.

From the 2024 to 2025 school year, each parent will only get up to 2 fines for the same child in a 3-year period.

If you get a second fine in 3 years it will be £160. If you do not pay the fine in 28 days you may be taken to court for keeping your child out of school.

If your child is off school 3 or more times within the 3 years you will not be fined but may be taken to court.

 

Parent /Carer Information

 What are my responsibilities for my child’s attendance?

As a parent, you are legally responsible for making sure your child gets a suitable full-time education. This will mean making sure your child is in school every day except when:

 ❖ Your child is too ill to go to school.

 ❖ You have permission for a leave of absence from your child’s school for them not to attend.

 ❖ Your religious body has a day especially for religious observance.

If my child needs to be absent from school, what should I do

You must contact school as early as possible on the first day of absence on 0161 336 5864 or email manorgreen@focus-trust.co.uk, and inform school of the reason why, we may still telephone you even though you have left a message.

If you do not, school will contact you via Parenthub or by telephone and if we still do not make contact, we may carry out a home visit. If you are not at home, we will leave a slip to tell you we have called, asking you to contact school.

Medical/dental appointments

Please try to avoid medical and dental appointments in school time. If this is unavoidable, arrange appointments so the minimum school time is lost. Unless it is an emergency appointment, parents/carers are expected to let the academy know about the appointment in advance, with evidence of the appointment.  

 Illnesses

My child has an illness – do they have to go to school?

 If your child is ill, read the information on the NHS website https://www.nhs.uk/ to help you decide if they can go to school. If they are not, let the school know as soon as possible so that we can record this on the register. If the absence due to illness is ongoing or frequent, please speak to Miss Tootill (School Attendance Officer) to see what support can be put in place. Children pick up viruses and illness easily but often recover quickly. The following is a list of common illnesses and further advice.

❖ If your child has a temperature but feels otherwise well, bring them to school and we can administer the medicine you bring from home to help with this if you sign a permission form at the school office (for example, paracetamol products like Calpol)

❖ If your child has been prescribed antibiotics but is otherwise well, bring them to school and we can administer the medicine, you will just need to sign a permission form at the school office, as long as they have been recently prescribed and have a valid date and the name of your child on them.

❖ In cases of vomiting and diarrhoea – children will need to remain at home for 22-48 hours from the last bout of sickness or diarrhoea.

❖ If your child has chicken pox, they must stay at home until the spots scab over and then they can return.

❖ For cases of conjunctivitis, you must seek treatment immediately from the doctor or pharmacy but children can return to school.

❖ For cases of impetigo, which is highly contagious, children can remain in school as long as the affected area can be fully covered. If your child has an illness not mentioned in this list and you are unsure if they should attend school, please contact the school office on 0161 336 5864 and we will support you with this.

There are government guidelines for schools and nurseries about managing specific infectious diseases at GOV.UK. These say when children should be kept off school and when they shouldn't

Accessing support to help my child attend school

My child is struggling to attend because of an issue in school. Who can help us?

The first step is to talk to us about why your child is missing school, and what help the school can give.

You should still do everything you can to help your child attend as much as possible whilst waiting for help and support to be put into place. Your point of contact in school is your child’s classteacher. If your child is struggling to attend because of something that is happening at school, we will work with you to overcome the issues. We will agree and commit to a set of joint actions that we have all developed together to support your child.

My child is struggling to attend because of a home issue or getting to school. Who can help us?

Speaking to your child’s classteacher or a member of the pastoral team should be your first step. We want to do as much as possible to help. At school we work closely with the Attendance Team at Oldham Council who work with school and provide access to the support you need if the issues you or your child are facing are beyond the remit of the school.

If there are lots of reasons for your child’s absence, local services will work together to help and support you.

Support for my child with long term illness or special educational needs and disabilities

My child has a long-term illness, special educational needs or a disability that is impacting their attendance. What help is available?

If your child is regularly absent from school because of long term illness (regardless of whether it is mental or physical), special educational needs or a disability, they have the same right to a suitable full-time education as any other child. You should work with school to discuss the reasons and make sure the right support is in place. To make this work, it is important that you are open and work with school by sharing written information. This will ensure you get the right support and take an active part in agreeing and putting in place the solution. Please speak to our school SENCO’s Miss Read and Mrs Pearce.

Where can I get help if my child is too anxious to go to school?

Attending school usually helps to protect your child’s mental health by giving them a chance to be with friends and to benefit from learning. However, some children can be anxious or worried about going to school, for a range of reasons. This is a normal emotion, and not necessarily indicative of an underlying mental health condition. If their anxiety continues and becomes an attendance issue, you should speak to Miss Read and Mrs Pearce, together with your child, about why they are anxious and what can be done.

 

 

If you are unsure if you child is well enough to attend school and would like any support or assistance, please ring school on 0161 336 5864 and ask to speak to a member of staff from the Pastoral Team.

We are here to help!

 

 

Click here to see the attached letter from Focus Trust for more information related to attendance, including the Focus Trust attendance policy .