Attendance
Our aims:
- Students should enjoy learning, experience success and realise their full potential
- Students will have access to the full-time education there are entitled to
- CRA will act early to support students and their families and address patterns of absence.
To report a child’s absence:
If you child is absent from school, you must ensure you call us on 01476 550333, option 1 for the attendance team on the first day of absence before 8:30am. Please state the child’s name, tutor group and reason for the absence.
An MCAS message can also be sent to report the absence.
For support with attendance, please speak to your child’s tutor and/or Head of House in the first instance. For more serious concerns about attendance, please contact CRA’s Attendance Welfare Coordinator, Mrs Carlick on 01476 550333 and option 1 or email cra-attendance@charlesreadacademy.co.uk.
What happens if your child is absent and you do not contact us?
Your child will receive an absence mark.
After we have taken all the absence MCAS and phone messages and made a visual check that your child is not in lessons, you will receive a message to say that your child is absent from school, this automated message is sent approx. every 20 minutes so you are informed that your child is missing from school, until either:
- You contact school (as above) explaining their absence (if you have already contacted us to report the absence, please be patient as these take time to input into the information system, you do not need to contact us further)
- You can contact school by phone on the main school phone line to 01476 550333 and ask to speak to attendance/safeguarding team regarding a missing child.
Please note that if your child has not arrived for a lesson during the day then this may also trigger an automatic message to you which states they are absent. If they have been present in school previously during the day, then please do not worry as they will still be on the secure campus. However, it may indicate that your child has not attended that lesson; please ask your child about this. We will contact you via an MCAS message if they have been truanting.
What happens if your child is late during or after Tutor Time (any time after 8.45am)?
Your child will receive a late mark (you may receive a late to school notification) and a C2 sanction, a breaktime detention.
If there is an exceptional circumstance reason for your child being late which is beyond their control, then please leave:
- MCAS message with the explanation
- Phone message on the absence line only (01476 550333 option 1) to explain and we will remove the sanction.
If the reason is related to an appointment, please ensure you send us evidence, i.e., photo of the letter/appointment card via an email to enquires ‘For the attention of Attendance.’ Your child will not receive a sanction.
If the reason for being late is the responsibility of your child or you have not contacted us, then your child will receive a C2 sanction.
Unauthorised Absence:
Whilst parents/carers/guardians can provide explanations for absences, it is at the Academy's discretion as to whether this will be authorised or unauthorised.
We work in partnership with Lincolnshire Education Team of whom monitors students' unauthorised absences.
The Lincolnshire Education Team have issued and are able to issue fixed penalty notices under Section 444 of the 1996 Education Act in the following circumstances:
- A student has 10 consecutive days of unauthorised absence.
- A student's attendance is below 90% in one academic year
- A parent has withdrawn their child for a holiday/leave during term time.
Punctuality:
Good punctuality is an excellent life-skill, and we expect all our students to arrive in school before 8:45 am.
Attendance matters
Does my attendance really matter?
There is a strong link between attendance and academic achievements. If a student does not attend, they cannot get the best from their time at our academy.
Central to raising standards in education and ensuring all pupils can fulfil their potential is an assumption so widely understood that it is insufficiently stated – pupils need to attend school regularly to benefit from their education. Missing out on lessons leaves children vulnerable to falling behind. Children with poor attendance tend to achieve less in both primary and secondary school.
90% attendance = 1⁄2 day missed every week over a school year this is 4 weeks –100 lessons lost. Over 5 years at 90% this is half a year of education. 17 missed school days means that you could drop a whole GCSE grade in all subjects.
If your attendance is above 96% then you have the best chance of success in your exams.
If your attendance falls below 96% then you have less chance of success and are likely to average a 1 grade loss in exam performance.
If your attendance falls below 90% then you have limited chance of success and are likely to fall short of your target grades.
The greater the attendance the greater the achievement.
It is therefore an expectation of Charles Read Academy that students arrive punctually every day and are properly equipped to carry out their studies. All students are required to be on site by 8.45am at the latest.
Attendance forms an integral part of our pastoral structure. Daily tutor time with personal tutors enables the students to start the day in a structured way and feeling a sense of belonging. Students will feel supported from the start of their school day and any issues will be dealt with so the student can feel success for the rest of the day.
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As a parent, I can help by: |
As a school, we will help by: |
As a student, I can help by: |
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Contacting the school when your child will be absent. |
Following up on every absence ensuring that no absence goes un-noted. |
Attending school every day, on time, to give you the very best chance of success. |
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Booking doctors and dentist appointments outside of school hours. |
Acknowledging and reward good attendance and punctuality. |
Participate in the inter-house competitions for attendance and punctuality. |
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Supporting your child to attend as often as possible by reminding them on the importance of school attendance |
Reminding parents and students about the importance of attendance and how it is measured against attainment. |
Inform an adult in school if there is a problem which is impacting your attendance. |
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Ensuring your child arrives at school by 8:45am each morning. |
Letting parents know if we have concerns regarding their child’s attendance and punctuality. Form positive relationships with pupils and parents Contribute to a whole school approach which reinforces good school attendance; with good teaching and learning experiences that encourage all pupils to attend and to achieve Comply with the Registration Regulations, England, 2006 and other attendance related legislation Implement systems to report, record and monitor the attendance of all pupils, including those who are educated off-site Analyse attendance data to identify causes and patterns of absence Contribute to the evaluation of school strategies and interventions Work with other agencies to improve attendance and support pupils and their families Document interventions used to a standard required by the Local Authority should legal proceedings be instigated |
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Encourage their child to look to the future and have aspirations |
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Ask the school for help if their child is experiencing difficulties |
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Inform the school of any change in circumstances that may impact on their child’s attendance Support the school; take every opportunity to get involved in their child’s education, form a positive relationship with school and acknowledge the importance of children receiving the same messages from both school and home Encourage routine at home, for example, bed times, homework, preparing school bag and uniform the evening before Not keep their child away from school to go shopping, to help at home or to look after other members of the family Avoid taking their child on holiday during term-time. Where this is unavoidable, send a written leave request to the Principal in advance of booking the holiday.
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Celebrating Good Attendance
Attendance figures being communicated through weekly whole school assemblies.
Competitions between tutor groups and between houses to have the best attendance through our Houseopoly game
Tutor attendance weekly competition in which groups are awarded cards to place on their challenge board. Each completed board results in a prize.
By awarding certificates to individual children who have 100% for each term.
Individual attendance challenge cards which result in rewards when targets have been met.
A Year 11 Buddy system which rewards students who reach their targets with their buddy.
By awarding academy certificates to individual children who get 100% attendance for the whole academic year (September to July).
Celebrating and rewarding the success of those who have gained the most improved attendance throughout the academic year.
Regular communication through MCAS congratulating parents and students on their individual and/or form group attendance success.
Frequent Questions and Misconceptions
It is OK if I am off school because I can still follow a remote curriculum.
Nothing is more effective than when you are in school working with teachers. The remote curriculum is only there as a “second best” option for students who are forced by government regulation to isolate and to miss school. It is only second best and you will fall behind if you are not attending school.
Why is attendance important now? No one cared about attendance when the government closed schools.
The closure of schools has had a significant impact on the learning and progress of all students across the country. Schools closed because of a global health emergency. Although we all tried to continue to teach and support you whilst you were at home this was not as good as when you are able to attend school. It was “second best”. It is more important than ever that you now attend for more than 96% of the school year
Sometimes I need to be off school because important things are happening at home.
If you are well enough then you need to be in school. School is only open for 190 days which means that there are 175 days each year to spend on family time, visits, shopping, holidays, household jobs and other appointments. Remember school finishes at 3:00 pm every day which also leaves time for families and friends.
What will happen if my attendance falls below 96%?
If your attendance does fall below 96% then it is important that you improve it quickly. We will work with you to understand why you are not attending school regularly and to support you back in improve attendance.
If your attendance falls below 90%...
You do not need to worry if there is a legitimate reason for your absence. The most important thing is that your attendance now starts to improve.
I think 90% attendance is good. If I got 90% in a test you would be pleased.
90% attendance is not good. Whilst it may be good in a test, in attendance terms it means you are missing the equivalent of 4 weeks of school each year.
My parents aren’t worried if I don’t attend school – so why are you?
Your parents have a responsibility to ensure that you attend school. Parents do not have the right to keep you at home for no good reason. If they do, then this may lead to them being issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice or even prosecuted.
My parents are letting me stay at home because my brother/sister/friend/cousin is ill.
This is not a legitimate reason to miss school. We do monitor this and if it happens then the absence will not be authorised. Unauthorised absences may lead to your parents being issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice or even prosecuted.
Sometimes I am late in the morning, and I am too embarrassed to come into school when everyone is already here.
We understand that you might feel embarrassed, but it is much better to miss a few minutes of school than it is to miss a whole day.
Who do I speak to in school if I need help improving my attendance?
You could speak to your tutor in the first instance. However, if you do not feel comfortable doing so then you could speak to Mrs J Carlick / Mrs T Sandison/ Miss K Morrisroe our Attendance co-ordinators.
Reasons for when absences will be unauthorised:
| What will be counted as an unauthorised absence? | What can be done to help in this situation? |
| Colds, coughs, headaches, nausea, hay fever, sore throats, migraines, period pains, cold sores or conjunctivitis, feeling sick or unwell. |
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| No communication at all from a parent or carer |
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Unevidenced medical appointments (doctors, dentists etc) |
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| Holidays |
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| Feeling tired after a weekend sport fixture or other extracurricular event/school trip |
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| Physical injuries that could be catered for in school |
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| Your child refuses to attend school |
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| Head lice and nits |
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| Sunburn |
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| Unevidenced and unagreed sporting/musical activities |
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| More than one day for religious observance |
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| Uniform |
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| Arriving to school after the register has closed (U code) |
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Leave of absence request
Leave of Absence Request
The Principal can only authorise a leave of absence in exceptional circumstances. We will consider the Government guidance when considering what the exceptional circumstances are- all applications are considered on a case-by-case basis. You may be able to take your child out of school in exceptional circumstances, providing an application is made in advance by the parent/carer, this request complies with Government guidance, and the leave is deemed to be ‘exceptional’ by the Principal.
If you take a leave of absence without our permission or if your child fails to return by the agreed date if permission was granted, then this will be recorded as an unauthorised absence and noted in your child’s record. You might also be issued with a fixed penalty notice for this absence. If your child has not returned within 10 days of the expected date of return then, after consultation with the Local Authority, we may take your child off our school roll.
As examples, the following reasons are not considered to be exceptional circumstances:
- availability of cheap holidays
- periods overlapping with beginning or end of term
- visits to family
- renewing passports
Requests for leave of absence will only be considered if made in writing. Please ensure you use the leave of absence request form to do this.
