Absence from School

The Richard Barnes Academy is committed to providing an education of the highest quality for all its pupils and recognises that this can only be achieved by supporting and promoting excellent school attendance for all.  This is based on the belief that only by attending school regularly and punctually will children and young people be able to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available to them.  High attainment depends on good attendance.

The whole school community – pupils, parents and carers, teaching and support staff and school governors – have a responsibility for ensuring good school attendance and have important roles to play. 

Any absence affects the pattern of a child’s schooling and regular absence will seriously affect their learning. Any pupil’s absence disrupts teaching routines so may also affect the learning of others in the same class.

Ensuring your child’s regular attendance at school is your legal responsibility and permitting absence from school without a good reason is an offence in law and may result in prosecution.

Absence Procedures:

If your child is absent you must:

• Contact us as soon as possible on the first day of absence; *Contact Us*
• Send a note in on the first day they return with an explanation of the absence – you must do this even if you have already telephoned us;
• Or, you can call into school and report to reception, who will arrange for a member of staff to speak with you.

If your child is absent we will:

• Telephone text or email you on the first day of absence if we have not heard from you;
• Invite you in to discuss the situation with us if there is a pattern of absences.
• Take legal action if there are persistent absences, which may be in the form of Penalty Notices issued to each parent/carer for each child.

*Failing to attend school on a regular basis will be considered

to be a safeguarding matter*

 

To help us all to focus on this we will:

• Give you details on attendance in our regular reports to you;
• Report to you regularly on how your child is performing in school, what their attendance and punctuality rate is and how this relates to their attainment and rate of progress;
• Celebrate and reward good attendance

Please find below the complete School Attendance Policy