Attendance
Our aim is to bring the best out of every pupil that attends Ermine Street Church Academy
THE SCHOOL DAY
8.35am School day begins
8.40am Early learning and registration
9am Collective Worship
9.20am Learning session 1
10.20am Nurture break – Nurture is based on two elements - talking and eating. This short break is a chance for the children to do exactly that. They will stay as a class, sitting together, either inside or outside. If your child is in Key Stage 2, please provide them with fruit or vegetables as a snack.
10.30am Learning session 2
11.30am Outside break
11.45am Learning session 3
12.45pm Lunch
1.40pm Learning session 4
3.15pm School day ends for Reception
3.20pm School day ends for all other children (Year 1 – Year 6)
At the beginning of the school day please bring your children through the gates at the far end of the building and on to the playground. The gates are opened at 8.30am, classroom doors open at 8:35am, ready for learning to begin promptly at 8.40am.
At the end of the school day please collect your child from the playground outside their classroom door. The gates will be open from 3.05pm.
Bicycle racks can be found to the north of the building.
If you have to travel to school by car please think carefully about where you park and use the Park & Stride area if at all possible. The school car park cannot be used for this purpose.
WALKING TO SCHOOL
We ask that parents/carers walk to and from school with their children until they are in at least Year 5. When parents do wish for their children to walk alone they should confirm this in writing to the school (an e-mail will suffice).
Our Attendance Target
Over the course of this year so far the children have averaged an attendance figure of 96.7%.
This is pleasing and means that some children's attendance is well above this, whilst others are below.
There will occasionally be times when children need to be at home because they really are unwell and we fully appreciate that.
We aim for attendance at school to be 100%, unless there are exceptional or unavoidable reasons for absence.
List of services
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Attendance figures explainedList Item 1
Attendance is based on a child being at school in time for the morning register as well as the afternoon register so being marked present for 2 sessions a day.
Both these sessions count towards their overall attendance figure which is simply a percentage of how many sessions your child has been present throughout the current academic year.
The only reasons a child will be marked as present when they are not in school are if they are being educated at a different location, or at a school event such as residential or sporting.
There are a variety of different reasons that a child may be absent from school and the school will assign an appropriate code on the register to make staff aware of the reason.
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Authorised AbsenceList Item 2
Absence from school can be authorised for the following reasons:
Medical appointments
Illness where the school has been notified by phone or in writing
If your child has unfortunately suffered from vomiting or diarrhea they should not attend school for 48 hours after the last episode.
Religious observance
NOTE: An authorised absence is still recorded as the child not being in school and will have a negative effect on their attendance figure.
Absence from school will be unauthorised in all other circumstances unless deemed to be ‘exceptional’ by the Headteacher. This does not apply to term-time holidays, which will always be unauthorised.
Please see the information below, from the Local Authority, regarding unauthorised term time leave.
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UNAUTHORISED TERM TIME LEAVE (includes Holiday):List Item 3
Children of school age who are registered at a school must, by law, attend school regularly. Regular attendance is the best way of ensuring that a child makes the most of the educational opportunities which are available to him or her. In fact, our target for a child’s attendance is 97%.
Prior to June 2013, the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 allowed for headteachers to grant leave of absence for a term time family holiday in 'special circumstances' and for extended leave in exceptional circumstances. Amendments to these regulations remove references to family holidays and extended leave. The amendments make it clear that headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.
If parents take their child on holiday in term time this will be counted as unauthorised absence.
If you would like to request leave of absence for your child please complete the absence request form, found under 'Forms' and bring it to the school office at least 2 weeks before the date being requested.
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Why we feel a child’s attendance is so importantList Item 4
Children’s learning in school is based on a build up of skills and knowledge.
This build up is continually planned by teachers on a day to day basis. Children that miss one session could miss out on a potentially important session and although every effort is made to catch children up when they return, this is usually not as effective and takes time away from the rest of the class.
If children miss out on a number of sessions this can significantly affect their overall progress.
Children that are away from school on a regular basis can miss out on opportunities to build strong friendships and can sometimes find it harder to build strong friendships within school