Attendance

“Attendance and punctuality are fundamental to a young person’s ability to benefit fully from the opportunities provided in our school.”

Our Policy

Attendance and punctuality are fundamental to a young person’s ability to benefit fully from the opportunities provided in our school. There is a clear link between good attendance and academic achievement as well as enabling the development of social, emotional and personal skills. Our school employs an “Attend to Achieve – 96%” strategy to ensure pupils’ attendance at Astrea Dearne is at least in line with national figures

Having excellent attendance is crucial for a pupil to make progress and achieve. There is a positive correlation between high attendance and high attainment. At Astrea Dearne we actively encourage attendance to be excellent. A pupil must have 96% attendance or above to receive any rewards or access a trip or excursion. If a pupil is to achieve their potential, they must attend school every day. We have a very clear policy around what is expected in terms of attendance and the school has seen a significant improvement in its whole school attendance and our 96% ‘Attend to Achieve’ strategy has been shared with different schools from Barnsley and Rotherham as a model of good practice.

For pupils and families who don’t meet our high standards of attendance we regularly track and monitor their attendance.

School panels, Local Authority panels, fines and referrals to the Education Welfare Service are all interventions we use to ensure pupils have attendance that meets our requirements.

At Astrea Dearne we expect every pupil to be here every day to maximise their chances of success and to ensure they have a very good chance of having a bright and successful future.

Information for parents and carers

The school expects children to have an attendance figure of at least 96%
If a child is not well enough to attend school, parents/carers MUST contact the school EACH DAY of their absence
Medical evidence is required after a child’s THIRD DAY of absence
If your child has a medical appointment, an appointment card or letter must be given to school to authorise the absence
IF A CHILD IS ABSENT FROM SCHOOL DUE TO A TERM TIME HOLIDAY THEY WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO GO ON ANY TRIP/RESIDENTIAL OR TAKE PART IN ANY REWARD FOR A CALENDAR YEAR
If a child’s absence falls below 96% they may not be allowed to take part in any educational visits or trips that take place during the school day
If your child has vomited it DOES NOT mean that they should have two days off school. Indeed, we would encourage them to come to school despite vomiting
Medical evidence is required for any absences if your child’s attendance drops below 90%
We will request you to attend meetings at school to discuss your child’s attendance if it falls below 90%. There is an EXPECTATION that parents will attend.

Downloadable PDF’s:

Astrea Attendance Policy 2020-2021