Attendance

Guide to Chantlers School Attendance

Chantlers is committed to working with parents to maximise the achievement of all our pupils. Research shows there is a clear link between good attendance and educational achievement. At our school, we support parents in their responsibility under The Education Act 1996 to ensure regular attendance and good punctuality.

Our full Attendance Policy can be found as a download on this page.

We aim to:

• Safeguard children by making every effort to ascertain their whereabouts if they are absent from school and by making appropriate referrals where necessary.
• Closely monitor and track children’s attendance and punctuality.
• Work with parents to prevent children from becoming classed as Persistently Absent from school with attendance at 90% or below.
• Support families by liaising with outside agencies as required.
• Encourage children to recognise the importance of developing habits of punctuality and good attendance.

What can you expect of us?

• The active promotion of good attendance and punctuality.
• Regular, efficient and accurate recording and monitoring of attendance and punctuality.
• First-day contact with parents/carers if a child is absent without notification. If we are unable to make contact a home visit may be felt to be necessary.
• In circumstances where the school has concern for a child’s whereabouts or wellbeing, contact will be made with Children’s Social Care and/or The Police.
• Close liaison with other schools and our Local Authority School Attendance Teams.
• Support with issues which may affect attendance /punctuality including signposting to support services.
• Provision of before-school Chilling Club.

What do you need to do?

• Encourage your child to attend school and proactively work with the school to remove any barriers to attendance.
• Contact school on the 1st day of absence, before registration at 8.45 am. For safeguarding reasons we cannot accept notification from a third party, the contact must be from a parent /carer directly.
• Keep the school informed daily, throughout any period of absence.
• Ensure your child arrives on time for registration at 8.45am when the school gates will be closed. Children arriving after this time should buzz into the office to be admitted to the school grounds, parents are required to wait with them to ensure they do so safely. Late arrivals will be marked as ‘L’ in the register or a ‘U’ for attendance after registers close.
• Inform the school promptly of any problems which may affect attendance.
• Whenever possible, make appointments outside of school time.
• Inform the school, provide evidence and seek authorisation for any appointments which are essential during school time. If your child is in school for registration their attendance will not be adversely affected.
• If you are too unwell to accompany your child to school make an alternative arrangement.
• Head Teachers are not allowed to authorise leave in term time except in exceptional circumstances. Requests for any leave should be made to Mr Barlow in writing using the Chantlers online request form. You should be aware that requests may require a meeting with the Head Teacher. Unauthorised / non-requested leave will be likely to result in a Penalty Notice from the Local Authority under Section 23 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 or may mean that parents/guardians may face legal action under Section 444 (1) of the Education Act 1996.

Weekly Attendance Figures