As attendance is statutory, we all have a duty to ensure that children are in school every day (unless of course they are very ill). Andreas and Jeanette hope to work with parents and pupils in making this possible. We hope that by supporting families to ensure that children are attending school regularly, there will be fewer referrals to the Education Welfare.
 Attendance Officer |  Attendance Assistant |
If you have any concerns about your child’s attendance you can come and ask to speak to Andreas or Jeanette, if they are available an appointment will be arranged for you. Otherwise you can contact them on 0115 9155810
How Your Child’s Attendance is Monitored
We look at the percentage of your child’s attendance, which will fall into the following zones:
- Green Zone – between 96% – 100% attendance – no action required.
Andreas will contact parents whose child’s attendance is 95% or under to find out if we can support in improving the attendance.
- Amber Zone – 91% – 95% attendance – you will receive a letter to inform you that your child’s attendance has fallen into the amber zone. Absences will not be authorised below 90% without medical evidence.
- Red Zone – below 90% attendance, this will automatically trigger a meeting or a visit from our Attendance Officer. Absences will not be authorised for pupils whose attendance falls into the red zone without some medical evidence. The government, as a persistent absentee, classes a child whose attendance is below 90%.
Ongoing irregular attendance is a factor often linked to low levels of academic success; each half term and term, parents will receive a letter to advise them of their child’s attendance if is it in either the red or amber zone.
Text Messaging Service
We use a text messaging service to contact you when your child is not at school. If your child is absent and we have not been informed why, we will send you a text message. You will be able to reply to the text message to advise why your child is away from school. If you do not have a mobile telephone, we will continue to contact you by telephone or letter if necessary. It is very important to keep the school informed of any changes in your contact details as soon as possible.
Please remember that unless your child is ill, they should be in school every day. Please let the school know as soon as possible if your child is unable to come into school.
Unauthorised Absences
Some reasons for absence cannot be authorised (according to government guidelines). Examples of these are:
The parent/carer is ill, or has a hospital appointment and there is no one to bring the child to school.
The parent/carer does not think the school is open.
If your child continues to be absent due to illness, we will advise that you seek medical advice as to why. We will also request that you provide medical evidence so that the absence can be authorised.
Andreas will be monitoring your child’s attendance and making regular contact in order to support you to make improvements with your child’s attendance. If no improvements are made, then unfortunately the school has no option but to refer you to the Education Welfare Service to take further action, which may include a penalty notice or prosecution.
Penalty notices are fines between £60 and £120 imposed on each parent of the individual child. Penalty notices may be used where a pupil’s absence has not been authorised by the school. It is therefore very important that you keep us informed of the reason if your child is absent and that no periods of unauthorised leave are taken.
Late Marks
At Radford Academy the school day starts at 8.50am, children should be ready to be greeted by the class teacher for this time. Children who do not make this time will be marked as late on the register. If your child if late after registration (9.00am) this will be marked on the register as an unauthorised absence.
It is important that your child gets to school on time so they are ready to start the day with their peers. Lateness can disrupt the learning of others and can result in a pupil feeling greater stress and achieving poorer outcomes.
Holidays
Following government guidelines, Head teachers cannot grant any leave of absence unless in exceptional circumstances (refer to attendance policy). Therefore, holidays can no longer be authorised.
If a leave of absence for the purpose of a holiday is taken, it will be unauthorised.
The regulations do not allow schools to give approval after the leave of absence has been taken. Therefore, any leave of absence that has not been applied for in advance will be unauthorised.
All unauthorised holidays will be referred to Education Welfare Service, which could result in the issuing of a Penalty Notice or prosecution.
Penalty Notices are set at £60 per parent if paid by 21 days and £120 per parent if paid between 22 and 28 days. Any legal proceedings would relate to section 444(1) or 444(1A) of the Education Act 1996.
Rewards For Good Attendance
Individual certificates are given to children for a full half term’s 100% attendance.
Class teachers devise rewards for punctuality and attendance in consultation with their classes.
Every class has a display focused on attendance where class certificates and the class percentage are displayed.
Special rewards such as cinema visits are arranged for those who manage the full year 100% attendance. Finally, please help us to help your child by sending him/her to school every day. Every lesson counts. Even a short amount of time away from school will cause your child to fall behind in their work and it will make it difficult for them to catch up.
Remember, as a parent or legal guardian you are legally responsible for making sure your child attends school every day.
Please ask at the school office if you would like a paper copy of our Attendance Policy.
Why Attendance Matters
Why does attendance matter?
If your child attends school for less than 95% of the time it has been proven their education will be significantly affected. Attending school on a regular basis is the key to your child doing well at school and will set them up with good habits for later in life and the working world.
Radford Academy is a fantastic school offering your child many exciting opportunities and experiences to enhance their learning –It will also give your child the opportunity to: Make many friends, feel included Learn new things, and develop many skills Increase self-confidence and self-esteem Improve social skills achieve their potential and fulfil their aspirations.