Attendance

Attendance Information for Parents and Carers

We would like to extend a big thank you to all our City Academy parents and carers for supporting your children to attend school and engage so well with their learning during the last academic year. We know that this reflects the value our families place on children learning in school every day. We are looking forward to working with all our existing and new students and families in this new academic year, to support best attendance and learning.

At City Academy we want and expect our students to attend school every day, unless they are really not well enough to. We believe that children who attend school regularly are more likely to feel settled in school, maintain friendships, keep up with their learning and gain the greatest benefit from their education. Attending school on time every day also helps students form good habits which can stay with them throughout their educational journey and on into the workplace.

Return to school arrangements

The first day and week of term are very important in helping pupils to settle into school and the school routine. We know that children who attend every day during the first week of term are more likely to attend well over the year. They are also better settled into the changes that happen in new academic years, and therefore more readily able to access learning than those who miss out.

Support for your child in school

Please remember that we are here to help in any way we can. If you have any concerns about your child that you wish to discuss with us, please do get in touch. If we cannot help directly, we will work with you to help you find other support.

We can support your child best when they are in school and have outlined below some important information about attendance expectations at City Academy.

Arriving at school on time

Arriving at school on time is not only essential for the student’s own learning, it encourages habits of good timekeeping and lessens any possible classroom disruption. When a student arrives late, they miss important events like [assembly, teacher instructions and introductions]; this can seriously disadvantage them.

Students can arrive from 7:45am and access our free Breakfast Club.

• All students are expected to arrive at school in good time for the start of the school day at 8:40am.
• If a student arrives at school after 8:40am they will be marked on the register as late and given a late slip – they will be given a breaktime detention.
• If a student arrives very late after 9:30am, they will be marked with an unauthorised code for the morning session.

Staff may ask to meet with parents/carers of students who arrive late to school, to discuss reasons for lateness and solutions to support them to attend on time.

Illness

Students should attend school on every day the school is open, unless they are really not well enough to.

Minor ailments should not be a reason for staying at home. If your child attends school when feeling slightly under the weather, but feels worse during the school day, they can let a member of staff know and we will contact you to let you know if we think your child needs to go home. If you aren’t sure whether or not to send your child to school, please contact us on 0117 9542822 and we will be happy to support and advise where appropriate.

If your child is too ill to attend school, you must notify the academy before 8:40am on the first day of absence. If your child is ill for more than one day, you will need to notify the academy on each morning of the absence, unless otherwise agreed.

To report an absence, please contact the school by calling the absence line on 0117 9542822 or email  [email protected] and [email protected]

Please clearly explain the symptoms your child has, when the symptoms started, and when you expect your child to be well enough to return to school.

By law, schools must record all [pupil/student] absences and whether the absence is authorised or unauthorised.

Medical/Dental Appointments

Please try to avoid medical and dental appointments in school time. If this is unavoidable, arrange appointments so that the minimum school time is lost. Unless it is an emergency appointment, parents/carers are expected to let the academy know about the appointment in advance. You should also provide evidence of the appointment, such as an appointment letter or card. Your child should still attend school for as much of the school day as possible.

Unexplained Absences

The academy will follow up any student absences where the parent/carer has not contacted us to explain why, or where we are unclear about the actual reason for absence.

Following up unexplained absences can take up a lot of school time, so please do ensure you contact the academy to avoid us having to do this. If you fail to notify us of the reason for your child’s absence, it will be recorded as unauthorised.

Where the academy has cause for concern about the actual reason for a student’s absence, staff may seek additional information or evidence from parents/carers regarding the absence, and/or make a home visit to verify the reason. If the reason cannot be verified and the academy has cause to believe the reason given may not be genuine, parents/carers may be asked to provide proof of the reason. If satisfactory proof is not provided, the academy may record the absence as unauthorised.

Unauthorised absences may result in a Penalty Notice or Prosecution.

Important reminder about Term Time Leave

Attending school every day throughout a term helps children and young people maximise their learning in the classroom and enjoy the benefits of their educational experience. It really does make a difference.

We would therefore like to remind parents and carers that the academy will not authorise any leave of absence in term time, unless satisfied the reason for the absence is exceptional. The absence should be for the shortest time possible; if an absence is agreed, the Principal will decide how many days of absence will be authorised.

We ask parents and carers to request permission for leave of absence in advance, and to only request absence if time off school is absolutely necessary. Any requests should be put in writing and wherever possible at least four weeks’ notice should be provided. The parent or carer who the child normally lives with should make the application. Forms are available from the academy Reception. We may ask to meet with you to discuss your request.

We also ask parents and carers not to make plans without discussing with the academy first, so that we can make good decisions together.

Family emergencies also need careful consideration. It may not always be appropriate, or in the best interests of the child, to miss school for emergencies which are being dealt with by adult family members. Wherever possible, please try to make alternative arrangements for your child so they can still attend school.

Please do not take your child out of school without requesting leave or telling the academy why your child will be absent. When parents/carers notify us of a term time absence via the term time leave request form, it is for two purposes:

• To seek authorisation (only exceptional circumstances will be authorised)
• To tell us where your child is, if the planned absence goes ahead.

It is really important that we know where children are, as we have a duty to ensure they are safe. If we don’t know why a child is absent, we will follow our safeguarding procedures.

Parents/carers are reminded that unauthorised term time leave may result in a Penalty Notice or Prosecution.