Attendance

As with all aspects of a child’s life, it is the parents/carers who play a key role in ensuring their child’s best interests are taken into consideration at all times. The law in relation to the regular attendance of a child at school is strict in relation to this responsibility. At South Bank Primary we support and work in partnership with our parents/carers in carrying out this responsibility and when needed will challenge if a child's attendance falls below expected levels.

We work closely with the Local Authority's Attendance and Welfare service carrying out half termly attendance meetings where pupil's attendance is monitored to ensure the early identification of any attendance concerns.  The school has a graduated response to address attendance concerns including:

• 1st and 3rd day contact

• Welfare visits if no contact made with parent/carer

• Attendance under 96% pupil is put on a 12 week monitoring period

• Referral to Attendance and Welfare service - this could result in legal proceedings for children of school age

This policy is relevant to every child on the roll of South Bank Primary, including those children who attend our Nursery.

We recognise that a child’s learning journey starts at the very beginning of their Early Years education, this being a very important time for parents/carers to embed good habits of attendance with their child, which will follow them through their school life. We encourage parents/carers to establish good routines that will help their child be ready to learn each day.  

Working in partnership with parents/carers we are able to support families when difficulties occur that may impact on a child's attendance.  When this occurs we actively encourage parents/carers to speak to either Miss Cooper or Mrs Clarke, who in confidence, will listen and offer a range of support to ensure the child’s education is not interrupted and they can continue to attend school regularly.

Context of the school attendance measures

A parent/carer is responsible for ensuring their child being of compulsory school age receives a suitable full-time education and attends school regularly. This is a legal requirement. A child reaches compulsory school age on or after their fifth birthday. If they turn five between 1 January and 31 March, they are of compulsory school age on 31 March; if they turn five between 1 April and 31 August they are of compulsory school age on 31 August. If they turn five between 1 September and 31 December, they are of compulsory school age on 31st December. A child continues to be of compulsory school age until the last Friday of June in the school year that they reach sixteen.

Attendance

Meet the team

Miss Cooper

Responsible for:

• Developing and implementing the attendance strategy
• Contact Social Worker for any non-attendance of CIN/CP/CIOC pupils
• Meeting parent/carer to support and provide advice and guidance 
• Attending planning meetings with Attendance Officer and parent/carer
• Attending Attendance Case Conferences 
• Attending court
• Monitoring school-level absence data and reporting it to governors

Mrs Clarke

Responsible for:

• Monitoring and delivering attendance processes
• Contact Social Worker for any non-attendance of CIN/CP/CIOC pupils
• Meeting parent/carer to support and provide advice and guidance
• Attending planning meetings with Attendance Officer and parent/carer
• Attending Attendance Case Conferences in absence of Head Teacher
• Attending court in absence of Head Teacher
• Monitoring school-level absence data and reporting it to governors
• Home visits

Miss Boocock

Responsible for:

• Daily monitoring
• Phone calls home for non attendance
• Inform Head Teacher and Senior Lead of any non-attendance of CIN/CP/CIOC pupils
• Issuing attendance correspondence to the Local Authority, pupils and parent/carers in a timely manner

Mr Jefferson

Responsible for:

• Monitors attendance data across the school and at an individual pupil level
• Works with the school to tackle persistent absence
• Arranges meetings with parents to discuss attendance issues
• Home visits - unannounced and planned
• Attending court
• Advises the headteacher when to issue fixed-penalty notices