Attendance
What are our aims?
At UAH we strongly believe that all students benefit from regular school attendance both in terms of their academic and social growth. Attending every day is the best way to achieve, succeed and get the most out of all the Academy has to offer.
Working with parents and carers, our aim is to minimise the amount of time lost due to absence in order to maximise the educational potential of every pupil.
As an Academy, we have set the threshold of 97% or above as an indicator of excellent attendance.
What do I do if I know my child is going to be absent?
Each day, if we have not heard from a parent/carer, then we have to believe that they have been sent to school. Therefore, if you know that your child is absent we ask you to contact the school before 8.40am either by phone on 01406 423042 or by emailing the Academy at Attendance@uah.org.uk
It’s best if dental or non-urgent medical appointments are made outside of Academy hours. We understand that sometimes this is difficult but minimising time absent from lessons is crucial. Any pupil who attends an appointment during Academy hours will be expected to be brought back to the Academy to avoid missing lessons.
We then ask parents/carers to follow this up with a note, which can be done by completing the ‘Absence Note’ pages (15-18) in their planner.
If contact is not made regarding an absence, an automated system called TruancyCall is used to contact parents in order to notify them that their child has not been in school and for them to advise us of the reason for their absence. TruancyCall will continue to try and contact parents / carers until there has been a response to explain the absence.
What is an unauthorised absence?
If you don’t get permission from our Principal, the absence is classed as ‘unauthorised’ and this includes lateness. As an Academy we must follow national legal guidelines which means that holiday requests during term-time cannot be authorised.
Because of this, absences or persistent lateness which are not agreed with by the Principal may be unauthorised. Persistent unauthorised absence may result in a penalty notice.
How is excellent attendance rewarded?
There is a whole school reward system in place for attendance. These are designed to recognise and reward students for excellent attendance or for significant improvement in their attendance:
- Reward postcards are sent out to homes each half term for 100% attendance
- Congratulation letters are sent to those pupils who have made significant improvements to their attendance
- There is a weekly trophy for the tutor group with the highest attendance in their year group
- All pupils with 100% at the end of each term have their names placed into a hat for a prize at the end of term assemblies
- 97% attendance is one of the criteria to qualify pupils for the end of year reward trips
Some interesting information regarding attendance:
|
Attendance during one school year |
Equals days absent |
Which is approximately weeks absent |
Which means the number of lessons missed |
Approximate absence over five years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
95% |
9 days |
2 weeks |
50 lessons |
¼ year |
|
90% |
19 days |
5 weeks |
100 lessons |
½ year |
|
80% |
38 days |
8 weeks |
200 lessons |
1 year |
|
70% |
57 days |
11½ weeks |
288 lessons |
1¼ years |
|
60% |
80 days |
16 weeks |
400 lessons |
2 years |
|
50% |
100 days |
20 weeks |
500 lessons |
2½ years |
What should I do if I have any concerns about my child’s attendance?
If you have any concerns about your child’s attendance, or want to speak to anyone, then please contact your child’s form tutor, their Learning Co-ordinator, Mr Vayro (Attendance Officer / EWO) or Mr Read (Senior Leader).
Please read the Attendance Policy on this website for further information regarding the Academy’s approach to attendance.