Parents

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 96% 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 monitor students closely whose attendance is falling and will contact when their attendance falls and 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, having no lates to school and tutor group attendance rewards.  In addition we recognise and celebrate improving attendance weekly. 

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

  • Ensure your child attends every day, on time, equipped and ready to learn. Tutor  time begins at 8.25 am and all students therefore need to be onsite by 8.25 am. Students arriving after this time may be marked absent and will require an explanatory note, telephone call or an email 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. 

  • If you wish to check that your child has arrived at the Academy, contact the Academy’s Attendance Co-ordinator, the Attendance Team or your child’s Year Team Manager. They will inform you if your child has been registered. 

  • If no contact is received regarding the absence, it is recorded as an un-authorised absence. Ultimately the Academy is responsible for deciding if the absence is acceptable or not. Only genuine absence will be authorised. You may be asked to provide medical certificates if your child has a poor attendance record. 

  • Medical appointments - parents should try to make appointments outside school hours wherever possible. Where appointments during school time are unavoidable, the pupil should only be out of school for the minimum amount of time necessary for the appointment. It is not acceptable for a child to miss a whole day’s schooling for an appointment, unless necessary, in which case the school will need an explanation as to why this is. 

 

No pupil will be allowed to leave the school site to attend a medical appointment during the school day without parental confirmation.  

 

  • Avoid trivial absences such as, ‘buying new uniform/shoes’. This would not be accepted as a reasonable absence. 

  • Leave of absence requests - the law does not grant parents the automatic right to take their child out of school during term time.  

Only exceptional circumstances warrant an authorised leave of absence. Generally, a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation would not constitute an exceptional circumstance. The school will consider each application individually, considering the specific facts and circumstances and relevant background context behind the request.  

The request must be made by the parent with whom the child normally lives, and permission must be sought in advance. The school will not grant leave of absence unless there are exceptional circumstances. The school must be satisfied that there are exceptional circumstances, based on the individual facts and circumstances of the case; following consultation with other staff as required, including the Designated Safeguarding Lead. Where a leave of absence is granted, the school will determine the number of days the pupil can be away from school. A leave of absence is granted entirely at the school’s discretion.  

Parents should complete a Leave of Absence Request form which is available from the Academy, or it can be download from our  website.  The form should be returned to the Attendance Co-ordinator (printed copy) or emailed to attendance@rrca.org.uk or alternatively emailed to info@rrca.org.uk. 

 

  • Parents must respond to letters or telephone calls regarding attendance and punctuality. 

  • Contact your child’s Year Team Manager 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. 

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