Why attendance is important:

At The Priory Belvoir Academy, we believe attending school regularly is important to your child’s achievement, wellbeing, and wider development. Evidence shows that the students with the highest attendance throughout their time in school gain the best GCSE results.

The link between attendance and attainment is clear:

In 2022-23, just 36% of children who were persistently absent from school (below 90% attendance – 20 plus days absent) in KS4 got 9 to 4 in their English and maths GCSEs, also compared with 84% of regular attenders.

The graph above shows national research, on the importance of attendance on GCSE outcomes. Whilst an attendance of 90% may not seem that low, this research showed that it can reduce your child’s chances of achieving 5+ GCSEs at grade 5-9 including English and Maths from around 82% to 57%. 

 

Attendance Expectations:

Regular school attendance is an important part of giving children the best possible start in life. The aim should be to attend 100% of the time. Students who miss school frequently can fall behind with their work and do less well in exams. Good attendance also shows potential employers that a young person is reliable. Research suggests that students who attend school regularly could also be at less risk of becoming involved in antisocial behaviour or crime.

Attendance Percentage Boundaries:

• 95 to 100% As expected
• 91 to 94% At risk of persistent absence
• 80 to 90% Persistent absence
• 51 to 79% At risk of severe absence
• Less than or equal to 50% Severe absence

 

 

Punctuality:

Sanctions for lateness will be imposed on a daily basis. After each late arrival a detention will be given. Further late arrivals will result in a meeting with the Attendance Officer. Late arrivals after the register has closed will be recorded as an unauthorised absence. Parents will be notified of any late arrivals by a text message. If a child arrives late to school every day, their learning begins to suffer. Below are some statistics showing how being late to school every day over a school year adds up to lost learning time over one academic year.

Attendance Policy:

After 6 unauthorised absence sessions (a day is made up of 2 sessions AM/PM) within a 10 week period a penalty notice warning letter will be sent to parents/carers. 6 unauthorised absence sessions could be comprised of 3 full days or 6 half days, including lateness after the register has closed. If there are 2 further unauthorised absences within a 10 week period a penalty notice application will be made. 

Parents of students with poor attendance can expect to be asked to attend a meeting in school to discuss the reasons and agree a strategy to make improvements. Home visits may also be conducted and referrals made to external agencies.

Unauthorised absences may result in a penalty notice of £80 per parent, per child. 

Sickness:

• Always ask your parents/carers to phone the Academy on 01949 844920 to let us know if you are absent by 8.30am each day of absence for safeguarding reasons. Please state your child’s name and reason for absence.
• Many students feel unwell but are able to make it into the academy if they take medication such as painkillers before coming in.  If you need support with knowing if your child is too ill for school then use the guidance leaflet below (download)

Term Time Holiday and Requesting a Leave of Absence:

As a result of new legislation since September 2013, the Academy is not permitted to grant leave of absence for holidays during term time, any unauthorised time off for a holiday will result in a penalty notice. Term-time holiday will not be authorised and could result in a fixed penalty fine. Only exceptional circumstances warrant a leave of absence. By exceptional we mean rare, significant, unavoidable and short. By unavoidable, we mean an event that could not reasonably be arranged at another time. 

We will consider each application individually, taking into account the specific facts and circumstances and relevant background context behind the request.

Please see link below to download a Leave of Absence Request Form. 

What can parents/carers do to support their child?

• Support their learning
• Talk positively about school and let your child know you're there to support their learning at home
• Support them during exam time
• Attend Parents' Evenings
• Go along to other school events
• Book routine, non-urgent, medical appointments outside of school time
• Do not book family holidays during school time  (13 week holidays)
• Develop their resilience – is your child really too ill to attend school?

 

If you have concerns or need support with your child’s attendance please contact the academy as soon as you can to ensure early support is available.

Absence Telephone Line – 01949 844920

Attendance & Welfare Manager – Mrs J Friel jfriel@prioryacademies.co.uk

Emotional Based School Avoidance – Ms C Maloney cmaloney@prioryacademies.co.uk

Head of Year 7 – Miss Steer asteer@prioryacademies.co.uk

Head of Year 8 – Mr Williams hwilliams@prioryacademies.co.uk

Head of Year 9 – Miss Clegg jclegg@prioryacademies.co.uk

Head of Year 10 – Miss Jones cjones@prioryacademies.co.uk

Head of Year 11 – Miss Molloy cmolloy@prioryacademies.co.uk

Deputy Headteacher – Personal Development, Behaviour and Welfare -

Mr J Miller jmiller@prioryacademies.co.uk