Attendance at St Anthony's

Why it is important, how it effects your child's learning and how we monitor and reward it.

Why is it important to attend school?

Our mission is to provide every pupil with a diverse and stimulating education, in a supportive and safe environment that promotes self-discipline, motivation and excellence in life. School is a place for them to grow as individuals and to understand how they fit into their local community.

How can you help?

Reporting Absences: If your child is unable to attend school, it is vital that you inform the school office by 09:15am each day that they are absent and provide a reason for their absence. This can be done by phone; our school office is open from 08:30am each morning. Illness: It is inevitable that your child will become ill; however, for illnesses such as the common cold your child should continue to attend school. If you are not sure whether your child is well enough to attend school, bring them in anyway. It is likely they will brighten up once they are in school, but if they do not we will be in contact. In the event of sickness and diarrhea, your child will need to remain home for 24 hours after their last sickness episode and 48 hours after their last diarrhea episode.

Medical Appointments: We appreciate that obtaining a medical appointment is difficult at the best of times. However, we do ask, where possible, for these to be made outside of school hours. When this is not possible, proof of the appointment will need to be shown to the school office by the next school day, in order for your child's absence to be authorised. Your child will also be required to attend school outside of the appointment time. We also ask that you inform the school office in advance of any appointments.

Holidays: We recognise that holidays, especially those abroad are a luxury and can become very expensive, especially during the summer. However, we do ask that these are taken outside of the school term dates. Although the headteacher may acknowledge holidays or special events during term time these will be unauthorised absences. This means that on the dates you have set out in writing we will not call you regarding your child's absence.

What is a valid reason for my child to be absent?

We understand that there are some circumstances, which means your child cannot attend school. Your child can be off school if:

• They are ill - this is when they are too ill to attend school and you have proof of a GP appointment to enable us to authorise the absence. Illnesses such as colds do not prevent your child from attending school.
• Medical Appointment - but they should still attend school outside of the appointment.
• They are going to a pre-arranged meeting - If they are involved in an activity and the school agrees in advance.
• Someone close to your child has died.
• There is a crisis at home.
• They are going to a religious ceremony.

If you need help with your child's attendance, it is important that we work together and there are ways that we can support you. Senior Leaders and Attendance Officers meet regularly with the Local Authority School Liaison Officer to discuss lateness and absences.

What if my child is anxious or worried about going to school?

It is your child's right to an education and to feel safe and happy at school. There are many things which can cause children to worry, such as friendships or their learning and sometimes parents let their child stay off school because of this. Unfortunately, this will not help your child find a solution to what is causing their anxiety. We advise you to communicate these concerns with the school in order to try to resolve and overcome these obstacles.

How can St Anthony's help?

There are lots of ways that we can help your child and yourself to feel safe and settled in school, and we are always ready to listen. We suggest contacting your child's class or subject teacher in the first instance. However, if you feel that the issue hasn't been resolved or if the issue is bigger than the classroom there are other members of staff who you may find helpful such as our SENCO, or DSL.

St Anthony's Attendance Reward Scheme

As a school we aim for each child to have an attendance of at least 95%. To recognise the student's attendance, this year we have implemented the St Anthony's Attendance Reward Programme! We have weekly rewards for children who achieve 90% attendance or higher (see below). We also have termly and yearly rewards which looks at the bigger attendance picture. More information on the termly and yearly rewards will be made available both in school and online shortly!