Attendance

At Acorns we have adopted the DFE document "Working together to improve Attendance" The government expects that in order to reach a child’s full potential, they must attend school regularly.

New government guidelines state that attendance figures of 90% or less is classed as ‘persistent absence’. At Acorns we will inform you each term of your child’s attendance rates. We will also be in contact ifyour child’s attendance iscausing usconcern.

  • The importance of school attendance. Improving attendance is everyone’s business.

  • The barriers to accessing education are wide and complex, both within and beyond the school gates, and are often specific to individual pupils and families.

  • Good attendance begins with school being somewhere pupils want to be and therefore the foundation of securing good attendance is that school is a calm, orderly, safe, and supportive environment where all pupils are keen and ready to learn.

  • Some pupils find it harder than others to attend school and therefore at all stages of improving attendance, schools and partners should work in partnership with pupils and parents collaboratively to remove any barriers to attendance by building strong and trusting relationships and working together to put the right support in place.

  • Securing good attendance cannot therefore be seen in isolation, and effective practices for improvement will involve close interaction with schools’ efforts on curriculum, behaviour, bullying, special educational needs support, pastoral and mental health and wellbeing, and effective use of resources, including pupil premium.

  • It cannot solely be the preserve of a single member of staff, or organisation, it must be a concerted effort across all teaching and non-teaching staff in school, the trust or governing body, the local authority, and other local partners. (DFE Working together to improve Attendance)

Expectation on Parents: Ensure their child attends every day the school is open except when a statutory reason applies. Notify the school as soon as possible when their child has to be unexpectedly absent (e.g. sickness). Book any medical appointments around the school day where possible. Only request leave of absence in exceptional circumstances and do so in advance.

Expectation on School: Have a clear school attendance policy on the school website which all staff, pupils and parents understand. Develop and maintain a whole-school culture that promotes the benefits of good attendance. Accurately complete admission and attendance registers. Have robust daily processes to follow up absence. Have a dedicated senior leader with overall responsibility for championing and improving attendance.

Expectation on Governors: Ensure school leaders fulfil expectations and statutory duties. Take an active role in attendance improvement, support their school(s) to prioritise attendance, and work together with leaders to set whole-school cultures. Ensure school staff receive training on attendance. Local Authorities Have a strategic approach to improving attendance for the whole area and make it a key focus of all frontline council services. Have a School Attendance Support Team that works with all schools in their area to remove area-wide barriers to attendance. Provide each school with a named point of contact in the School Attendance Support Team who can support with queries and advice. Offer opportunities for all schools in the area to share effective practice.

At all times we want to work with pupils and families to secure the very best outcomes for every pupil at Acorns. Please contact either your class teacher, Laura (DHT) Donna (Thrive and ELSA) Claire (Family Support) Louise (Admin team) or Paula (Senior Attendance Champion) if you need any support OR have any questions.