Attendance and behaviour
Newby and Scalby Primary School is committed to providing a quality education for all our pupils. We believe that pupils can only benefit from the education in our school through regular school attendance. We will, therefore, strive to achieve the maximum possible attendance for all pupils and we will make sure that any problems are identified and resolved quickly.
Please click here to view our Behaviour Policy
Please click here to view our Pupil Attendance and Punctuality Policy
It is the policy of our school to celebrate achievement. Attendance is a critical factor to a productive and successful school career. Our school will actively promote and encourage 100% attendance for all pupils giving a high priority to conveying to parents and pupils the importance of regular and punctual attendance. We recognise that parents have a vital role to play and that there is a need to establish strong home-school links and communication systems that can be utilised whenever there is concern about attendance.
How we celebrate excellent attendance
We actively promote and encourage 100% attendance for all pupils and celebrate good attendance both in class and during a weekly assembly.
Individual Rewards
Each week pupils who have achieved 100% attendance will be entered into a prize draw to win a book from the Headteacher’s Bookshelf. The book will be theirs to keep. Winners will be communicated to parents/carers via the Newsletter.
Yearly recognition for pupils who have achieved over 97% attendance will be made with special recognition for those pupils who have achieved 100%.
Class Rewards
Classes also have the opportunity to win prizes for their classroom by consistently achieving 100% attendance. Everyday each class with 100% attendance will receive a letter for their tracker. Once a class has spelt out Newby & Scalby they will receive a class reward.
Each week the class with the highest attendance will receive a £5 Class Credit voucher, to spend as they wish and will be asked to take care of the Attendance Owl, Toffee. Winners will be announced in assembly each Friday and communicated to parents/carers via the Newsletter.
Absence
The school office must be notified of your child’s absence before 9:00am every day of your child’s illness. It is a parent’s responsibility to notify school.
The school office will contact parents/carers of any children who do not have a reason for absence.
For safeguarding reasons, if the school cannot establish the reason for absence or the whereabouts of the child, home visits will be made. Similarly, home visits may be conducted if there are any safeguarding concerns, queries about a persistently absent child, to check that a child is too unwell to attend or if a child is absent for 3 consecutive days. Regular and appropriate contact and updates with the families of children who are absent for longer periods of time will be requested by the attendance officer.
School will usually authorise absences for pupil illness. However, Pupils who are classed as persistently absent (below 90%) will not have illnesses authorised without medical evidence.
The school has the right to mark an absence as unauthorised if the reason given is not deemed to be valid.
Lates
Arriving to school on time is an important life skill. It is also polite. Being late means pupils are missing out on their own learning and disrupting other pupils. Lateness is considered an equally serious absence.
Pupils who are late or developing patterns of lateness will be monitored weekly.
Dentist and Medical Appointments
Parents are asked not to take their children out of school for dental or medical appointments with the exception of an emergency appointment or an appointment with a consultant. Evidence of such an appointment, such as a letter, must be presented to the school office.
Our Process for Monitoring Attendance
Each pupil’s attendance and punctuality is tracked and logged daily and monitored by the Attendance Officer and the Head Teacher.
Where attendance or punctuality data causes a concern, parents will be informed by letter. Formal processes around attendance begin when your child falls below 95%.
Procedures for Poor Attendance
Attendance and lateness will be continually monitored by school staff. Where a pupil’s absence is persistent and/or patterns of attendance cause concern, parents will be contacted, and support will be put in place. This may take the form of written communication, meetings with the attendance team/SLT, the formulation of action plans to improve attendance, and if necessary, referral to other bodies, i.e. Social Care/ Extended Services, if appropriate.
Absence During Term Time
It is the policy of Newby and Scalby Primary School not to authorise any absence other than proven illness or exceptional circumstances. Unauthorised absences may result in prosecution proceedings including a Fixed Penalty Notice.
If a child has a planned absence, parents/carers must complete a Request for Absence Form. and submit this to the school, allowing for sufficient time to enable the school to consider the request and inform the parent of the decision. Please note that supporting documents to aid decision making must be submitted at the time of your request for absence.
