Attendance

Is Your Child Missing Out?

Focus on Attendance and Punctuality

Research has shown that regular attendance and good punctuality are crucial factors in students achieving their full potential in education. At Central Academy we wish to work in partnership with parents and carers and so are seeking your full support in ensuring that your child attends the Academy every day and on time. We are always pleased to work together with parents/carers in resolving any difficulties, but we are also committed to improving attendance levels at the Academy.

The target attendance figure for all students is a minimum of 97% attendance. Based on current attendance figures your child will be placed in one of the following groups below:

Attendance

Group 1: No Concern Green Group	The child attends for 97% - 100% of the time.
Group 2: Concern Yellow Group	The child attends for 95% - 96.9% of the time.
Group 3: Risk of Underachievement Amber Group	The child attends for 93% - 94.9% of the time.
Group 4: Severe Risk of Underachievement Pink Group	The child attends for 90% - 92.9% of the time.
Group 5: Extreme Risk of Underachievement Red Group	The child attends for 0% - 89.9% of the time.

How it works

Your child will be informed of their Attendance Group by their form tutor.

Central Academy are monitoring students closely whose attendance is falling and will contact you if your child’s attendance does not improve. As a parent/carer you are committing an offence if you fail to ensure that your child attends the Academy regularly and punctually, even if they are missing school without your knowledge. It is important that parents/carers monitor single day absences, as these days soon add up to weeks.

At Central Academy we reward students who attend the Academy each day and whose attendance is improving. Students are also rewarded for good punctuality. Academy rewards include termly prize draws for 100% attendance, Perfect Awards, tutor group attendance rewards.

If you are concerned about this new ‘Focus on Attendance’, there are important steps that you can take:

• Ensure your child attends every day, on time, equipped and ready to learn. Lesson time begins at 8.35 am and all students need to be onsite by 8.30 am. Students arriving after 8.33 am may be marked absent and will require an explanatory note or telephone call to the Attendance Team, otherwise the absence will remain un-authorised.
• Ensure the Academy has up-to-date addresses and telephone numbers. We will contact you if your child is absent and you have not contacted the Academy. This ensures that the absence is quickly identified.
• If your child is ill, contact the Academy on the first day and every following day of absence when your child is ill, the Attendance telephone number is 01228.822070 and provide an explanatory note on their return to the Academy.
• If you wish to check that your child has arrived at the Academy contact the Academy’s Attendance Officer, Miss Little. She will inform you if your child has been registered.
• If no contact is received regarding the absence, it is recorded as un-authorised. Ultimately the Academy is responsible for deciding if the absence is acceptable or not. Only genuine absence will be authorised. You will be asked to provide medical certificates if your child has a poor attendance record.
• Ensure that medical appointments are made outside of Academy time.
• Avoid trivial absences such as, ‘buying new shoes’. This would not be accepted as a reasonable absence.
• Holidays should not be taken in Academy time. Any Leave of Absence can only be agreed by the Principal and only agreed where there are exceptional circumstances.
• Respond to letters or telephone calls regarding attendance and punctuality.
• Contact your child’s form tutor if you are experiencing difficulty in getting your child into the Academy.

Thank you for working in partnership with us to achieve the highest possible levels of attendance and punctuality at Central Academy.