Attendance

At King's Ford Academy we recognise that behaviour and good attendance are central to raising standards and pupil attainment. We acknowledge that parents/carers, pupils and teachers all have their part to play in ensuring this happens.

We are committed in providing a full and effective educational experience for all pupils. For pupils to fully benefit from their education, excellent attendance and consistent punctuality is crucial. As a school we do all that we can to ensure maximum attendance for all pupils. Any problems that prevent full attendance are identified and addressed as quickly as possible. We recognise that parent/carers have a vital role to play and that there is a need to establish strong home-school links and communication systems that can be utilized whenever there is concern about attendance.  

If there are problems which affect a pupil’s attendance the school will investigate, identify and strive in partnership with parent/carers and pupils to resolve any problems as quickly as possible. King's Ford Academy will adopt a clearly focused approach aimed at returning the pupil to full attendance at all times. Children are expected to attend school for the full 190 days of the academic year, unless there is a good reason for absence.  We do understand that illness is unavoidable at times and take this into consideration.

Absences:

There are two types of absence:       

• Authorised: the school approves pupil absence.

• Unauthorised: the school will not approve absence.

If a child is absent, parents/carers should contact the school before 08:30am, stating the reason, in full, on the day of absence. Stating that a child is 'unwell' or 'ill' is not acceptable. An explanation of 'unwell' is required. 

Absences must be explained fully either by a telephone message, a message on Parent Mail or phone call to the office.     

If no contact is received explaining why your child is absent, the Family Liaison Officer will contact the home by telephone on the initial day. Following this, a home visit is conducted after two days of unexplained absence and no contact made. Parent/carers may also be asked to provide medical evidence regarding any absences. If there are any medical appointments during school hours, parent/carers will need to provide the school with the appointment letter/card prior to the appointment. To assist with your child's attendance please try to make appointments outside school time.

Parent/Carers should be mindful of the Home School Agreement signed when joining Kings Ford Academy.

If you are worried about your child’s attendance, you should talk to your child to find out why they are avoiding school, ask to speak to the Family Liaison Officer, a member of our Attendance team or arrange to speak to your child's teacher.

Cause for concern:

If your child's attendance is below 95% this is a cause for concern. This equals 9.5 school days lost and 47.5 hours of missed education from September to July. If your child's attendance is a cause for concern you will be invited into school for an attendance meeting. At this meeting you will be asked why your child's attendance is low and a discussion will be held on how the school can support you, or if there are any concerns in school or at home. If you fail to attend the meeting and your child's attendance continues to be a concern, the case may be referred to the Local Authorities Attendance Compliance Service and you could be issued with a fine. If attendance continues to fall, you may be referred to the Local Authorities Attendance Specialist Team where further legal action may be taken.

Registers:

Registers provide a daily record of the attendance of all pupils. They are documents that may be required in a court of law, for example as evidence in prosecutions for non-attendance at school. They also contribute to pupil’s end of term reports and to records of achievement.     

Lateness:

If your child is late for school on a regular basis, you will be invited to attend a meeting with our Family Liaison Officer to explain the reasons why. If your child arrives at school between 08:40 and 09:00 they will be marked as late in the registers. If your child arrives at school after 09:00 they will be marked as an unauthorised absence and this will be recorded as such in the register. Lateness can be disruptive to the class as well as your child’s learning.

Leave of absence:

Taking your child out of school during term time could be detrimental to your child’s educational progress.

Parents should not take their children on holiday in term time. There is no legal right to do so. Schools may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. (The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006)

If the absence is not authorised and the holiday is taken, the case will be referred to the Missing Education and Child Employment Service who may issue a Penalty Notice for £160 (or £80 if paid within 21 days) to each parent for each child taken out of school.

An application form for a leave of absence during term time can be requested from the School office.

If you have a concern regarding attendance, please feel free to make an appointment to speak to our Family Liaison Officer or Senior Administrator

Family Liaison Officer – Mrs C Jackson

Senior Administrator - Mrs Simpson