LORD BLYTON PRIMARY SCHOOL
ATTENDANCE POLICY
2024-2025

Written by: Joanne Atherton
Reviewed by: Joanne Atherton
Date of last review: 01/07/2024
Date of next review: 01/07/2025

Attendance Policy
INTRODUCTION
Lord Blyton Primary School is committed to providing outstanding educational opportunities for all our pupils. We recognise the importance of regular attendance in maximising the benefit of any educational opportunity. Encouraging and supporting excellent attendance is a crucial part of supporting our pupils and students to learn effectively.
This policy is written with reference to DfE Legislation Working Together to Improve Attendance for maintained schools, academies, independent schools and local authorities’, ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ and ‘Children Missing Education’.
INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to ensure that all Lord Blyton Primary School pupils and parents/carers understand the importance of regular attendance at school and their roles and responsibilities regarding attendance. Research has shown that there is a direct correlation between school absence and overall achievement. Poor attendance also affects young people’s ability to make and sustain friendships and can interrupt the routine of school life, making it hard to settle when they do attend.
Lord Blyton Primary School aims to raise the achievement of all its pupils and to ensure that it meets the following aims:
⦁ To encourage learners to adopt healthy lifestyles.
⦁ To ensure learners feel safe and adopt safe practices.
⦁ To ensure learners enjoy their education.
⦁ To encourage learners to make a positive contribution to the community.
⦁ To aid learners to prepare for their future economic wellbeing.
Lord Blyton Primary School recognises that attendance is a critical factor in pupil success. It therefore aims to achieve significantly improved attendance levels and to increase the number of students with greater than 95% attendance each year, whilst recognising that the attendance of SEND students is complex and multifaceted.
This policy takes into account the following Government documents:
Working together to improve school attendance, 19th August 2024
Working together to improve school attendance (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Summary table of responsibilities for school attendance, Sept 2022
Summary table of responsibilities for school attendance (publishing.service.gov.uk)

OBJECTIVES
⦁ To improve the overall attendance of students at Lord Blyton Primary School.
⦁ To create an environment in which pupils look forward to attending school and lessons.
⦁ To make attendance a priority for pupils, parents, staff and governors.
⦁ To create a framework which defines roles and responsibilities and promotes consistency in carrying out designated tasks.
⦁ To create a rigorous system for monitoring and analysing attendance across School/
Academy.
⦁ To provide support and advice to parents.
⦁ To recognise the needs of individual pupils when planning reintegration following significant periods of absence.
To ensure that attendance data is accurate and regularly generated so that:
⦁ Pupils can be praised/rewarded for their attendance.
⦁ Parents/carers can be quickly informed of any attendance and punctuality issues.
⦁ Individual pupils and groups can be monitored.
⦁ Targets for individual pupils, groups of students and Lord Blyton Primary School can be set and regularly reviewed.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Lord Blyton Primary School Attendance Officers are : Mrs Maughan and Mrs Bell
Lord Blyton Primary School Attendance Champions are: Mrs Atherton/Mrs Corby

The Governing Body will:
⦁ Meet regularly and review attendance figures and monitor progress against national
SEND targets.
⦁ Ensure implementation of this policy.

The Head Teacher/Principal takes overall responsibility for the implementation and monitoring of the Policy by:
Developing and monitoring policies that create an environment in which all pupils feel valued and safe and in which they are encouraged and able to achieve success.
Meeting with the governing body and reporting on attendance figures.
Giving attendance a high profile with pupils, staff and parents/carers.
Identifying clear roles and responsibilities and ensuring that staff have the time and resources to fulfil them.
Ensuring that there is sufficient funding to support reward systems.
Analyse the attendance data to ensure that students with low attendance are detected early and appropriate action is taken.
Ensure that tutors make contact with families and record and pass on information to relevant staff.
Direct tutors to make subsequent contact for students with repeated absences. • Be the very best of role models in terms of attendance

All Staff will :
⦁ Ensure that attendance has a high profile within their year groups.
⦁ Ensure that attendance and punctuality procedures are followed across their year groups.
⦁ Monitor for internal truancy. Look for patterns of absence and consider the impact of the curriculum upon attendance alongside other causes.
⦁ Ensure that pupils on long term absence/exclusion access the curriculum and are supported on their return.
⦁ Assist the attendance officer in meeting with parents and pupils within their year whose attendance is low and/or below 80%.
⦁ Ensure that attendance is regularly discussed in Year Group Assemblies and that pupils with high levels of and/or improved attendance are praised and rewarded regularly.
⦁ Be aware of Academy priorities with regard to attendance, persistent absence and punctuality, and plan interventions to secure improvements for targeted groups.

The Attendance Officers will:
⦁ Monitor registers daily.
⦁ Organise office staff to ensure 1st day contact with parent/carers of pupils with unexplained absence.
⦁ Mark the attendance register with the appropriate code and forward information as necessary.
⦁ Inform the DSL of any vulnerable student absence by 9.30am
⦁ Liaise with Attendance Champion on a fortnightly basis.
⦁ Send appropriate letters to parent/carers of students to update them on the child’s attendance.
⦁ Conduct home visits where appropriate.
⦁ Refer for Penalty Notices to the Local Authority’s Attendance Team as per their Code of Conduct.

⦁ Monitor the attendance register, alerting the relevant staff when concerns arise.
⦁ Provide fortnightly attendance data to Attendance Champion.
⦁ Provide data to the governing body and external agencies, as required for the census etc.
Class teachers will:
⦁ Support Lord Blyton Primary School in giving attendance a high profile.
⦁ Ensure that the register is taken daily at the correct time, using the correct codes.
⦁ Liaise closely with their Attendance Champions and the Attendance Officers with regards to attendance issues.
⦁ Ensure that pupils who have been absent from Lord Blyton Primary School are made to feel welcome on their return.
⦁ Ensure that students who have been absent for a length of time for whatever reason have support to catch up with missed work.
⦁ Use data provided to comment weekly on attendance levels both as a group and on an individual basis, ensuring that pupils with high levels of attendance and improved attendance are appropriately praised.
⦁ Contact parents with concerns regarding attendance and the impact on attainment, as directed by their Attendance Champion.
⦁ Ensure that issues of bullying, difficulties with work/peers/travel etc. are dealt with effectively and that relevant staff are informed.
⦁ Be the very best of role models in terms of attendance.

PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
Parents/carers have the primary responsibility for ensuring that children of compulsory school age (5- to 18-year-olds with an Education, Health and Care Plan) attend an establishment authorised by their Local Authority (LA). This includes a legal obligation to ensure children attend regularly and on time. Ensuring regular attendance is essential; permitting absence from school without good reason is an offence by law and may result in prosecution.
Lord Blyton Primary School will always seek to work collaboratively with families in order to support regular attendance.

AUTHORISED AND UNAUTHORISED ABSENCES
An absence is classed as authorised when a child is away from school for a legitimate reason and the school has received notification or a request from a parent/carer, e.g. if a child has been unwell. Evidence may be required in order to authorise an absence, e.g. hospital appointment letter. There may be other occasions where the school will authorise an absence e.g. bereavement; any requests of this type must be made in writing to the Head Teacher/Principal.
Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider essential and for which no authorisation has been given. This type of absence can lead to the Local Authority becoming involved. Support will be offered initially but if unauthorised absences continue, the LA has the right to apply a fine or legal proceedings.
Examples of unauthorised absence include:
⦁ Parents/carers keeping children off school to go shopping, to care for a sibling, for a family birthday.
⦁ Refusal by the student to attend an allocated session.
⦁ Absences that have never been explained.
⦁ Children who arrive too late to get a mark.
⦁ Illness without medical evidence.
⦁ Holidays in term-time.
⦁ Hairdressing appointments

If a child is reluctant to attend school, parents/carers must communicate this as soon as possible to school in order that support strategies can be put in place.
⦁ Parents/carers can support their child’s attendance by:
⦁ Ensuring regular and early bedtimes, appropriate to the age of the child.
⦁ Having uniform and equipment prepared the night before.
⦁ Reporting any academic or social concerns promptly.
⦁ Retaining open and honest communication with the school.
⦁ Having a positive attitude towards school attendance.

ILLNESS AND MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS
When a pupil is unwell, parents/carers should contact the school before morning registration on the first day of absence. A call must be made for each day of absence. When a pupil is absent due to illness or a medical appointment, evidence may be requested e.g. appointment card, letter, prescription, prescribed medication packs or boxes with the pupil’s/student’s name printed on them.
Should school staff become concerned about the amount of school missed due to illness, information may be shared with external agencies such as Children’s Service’s (see ‘Safeguarding’ below).
Parents/carers should ensure that every effort is made to make or arrange medical appointments outside school hours.
Lord Blyton Primary School recognises that pupils’ additional needs may include significant health concerns and involve regular or unexpected medical support e.g. admission to hospital or attendance at specialist clinics. We will always seek to work with our pupils and their families to support good attendance and, where this is not possible, to support continued learning through initiatives such Medical Tuition.
HOLIDAYS
Absence during term time can seriously disrupt pupils’ continuity of learning.
Parents/carers should avoid booking family holidays in term time. Parents/carers do not have an automatic right to withdraw pupils from school for a holiday and must apply in writing for permission in advance. Holidays in term time will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances and this must be started with a completed Leave of Absence request. The rules for term-time holidays have changed. Penalty notices can now be issued for 10 sessions of unauthorised absence within a 10-week period, even if those sessions are not consecutive. So, 10 individual days of unauthorised absence within this timeframe, would meet the criteria for a penalty notice.

From 19.8.24:
The rules for term-time holidays have changed. Penalty notices can now be issued for 10 sessions of unauthorised absence within a 10-week period, even if those sessions are not consecutive. So, if you have 10 individual days of unauthorised absence within that timeframe, it would meet the criteria for a penalty notice. Remember to check your school’s attendance policy for specific details. (please refer to appendix – South Tyneside Council, Education Related Penalty Notices).

ABSENCE AND EXCEPTIONAL LEAVE POLICY
At School we believe that leave of absence during term time should be avoided as it can have a damaging effect on a pupils’ education and overall achievement. However, it is recognised that on occasions there may be extenuating or compassionate reasons that justify such leave. The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Amendment Regulations 2013 state that head teachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. The Head Teacher/Principal will determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if the leave is granted. With regard to the regulation outlined above the school policy is as follows:
Parents must request leave for exceptional circumstances as far in advance as possible.
The request should be made in writing using the leave of absence form. (Available from the school office/on our website) Requests cannot be made orally.
This must include the reason why parents/carers feel that it is necessary to take a leave of absence. This may include any extenuating or compassionate reasons, including evidence of circumstances such as medical certificate or letter from employers.
On receipt of an application for leave on the appropriate form together with any supporting documentation, consideration will be given to the circumstance. A letter outlining the decision of the school will be sent to the applying parent/carer within 7 days.

PUNCTUALITY
Lord Blyton Primary School expects all pupils and pupils to arrive on time for their scheduled provision. Late arrival is disruptive and can lead to pupils missing out on important work and information.
At Lord Blyton Primary School, the pupils’ day starts at 8:45am and students are expected to be in school in preparation for this start time. Afternoon register takes place during the afternoon session at 1.00pm. Before pupils leave at 3:15pm.
Persistent lateness after the register has closed (30 minutes after registration) may lead to a fixed penalty notice being issued by the Local Authority.
SAFEGUARDING
Lord Blyton Primary School has a duty to effectively safeguard all pupils and pupils attending Lord Blyton Primary School. Supporting regular attendance is part of this safeguarding duty. Poor attendance and unexplained absence can indicate a possible safeguarding concern including (but not limited to) physical, emotional or sexual abuse, neglect, female genital mutilation (FGM), child sexual exploitation, radicalisation, substance misuse or peer on peer abuse.
Lord Blyton Primary School staff will always seek to work with families to minimise absence and ensure clear communication regarding any absence that might occur. Where safeguarding concerns are raised, these will be managed in accordance with Lord Blyton Primary School Safeguarding Policy and Procedures.
CHILDREN MISSING EDUCATION
Safeguards in place to prevent children missing education at School/ Academy include:
⦁ Lord Blyton Primary School must hold a minimum of three emergency contact numbers for each pupil, unless there is a genuine reason why this is not possible e.g. parent fleeing domestic violence.

⦁ Any child going missing from education will always get immediate attention from the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). Staff are trained to be alert to signs to look out for and the individual triggers to be aware of when considering the risks of potential safeguarding concerns such as travelling to conflict zones, FGM and forced marriage.

⦁ When a pupil is absent without notification, the attendance officer will record the absence in the register and the school will endeavour to contact the parents/carers and other emergency contacts in order to determine the reason for the absence. This will happen for every day of non-attendance where no call has been received informing the school of absence and reasons why.

⦁ Any unexplained absence of a pupil with a Child Protection Plan will be reported to the pupils’ social worker within one day.
⦁ Where a pupil does not present for school as expected, the school will endeavour to ascertain that pupil’ whereabouts and wellbeing without delay, using all available parent/carer and secondary/emergency contact details. Where no contact can be made with either the pupil or any named emergency contacts, a member of school staff should generally attend the pupils’ home. If the pupil or a named contact still cannot be contacted, the school must report this to relevant personnel in the Local Authority and, where deemed necessary, the police. However, it is acknowledged that in some exceptional, local circumstances, such action may be counter-productive and it is for the school to risk assess such a scenario on the first day. Regardless of this, if a pupil is absent for a second consecutive day without notification from a named contact, the school must report this to relevant personnel in the Local Authority and, where necessary, the police.

⦁ Staff at school will attempt to get eyes on any pupil missing for over 10 school days where no professionals have had contact and parents have not supplied medical evidence for their absence but have been in contact with school

⦁ Staff will always report to the Local Authority the name of any child who has been newly registered to attend the school but does not arrive on the expected day.

⦁ Staff will always report to the Local Authority Attendance Monitoring Team the continued absence of a child known or thought to have been taken overseas if the child does not return to school on the expected return date.

⦁ Lord Blyton Primary School maintains accurate attendance and admissions registers (all pupils are on both), in line with statutory requirements. This includes paying careful attention to off-rolling pupils in association with the Local Authority and knowing, and recording, pupil destinations consistently on the admissions register. Where a pupil destination is unknown, and unable to be established after significant follow-up, the Local Authority Attendance Monitoring Team and/or Social Care Services will be informed.

⦁ Pupils will not be deleted from the admissions register. Staff will alert the child’s Local Authority immediately if:

⦁ the pupil has been taken out of school by their parents/carers and is being educated outside the school system e.g. elective home education.
⦁ the pupil has ceased to attend school.
⦁ the pupil has been certified as medically unfit to attend school or is in custody.

Keeping Local Authorities up to date is crucial so that they can check if children of compulsory school age are missing education and might therefore be in danger of not receiving an education and be at risk of abuse or neglect.
When pupils are designated as Children Missing Education and have exceeded 10 days with no contact, Lord Blyton Primary School follows South Tyneside LA’s Good Practice Guidance for Identifying and Safeguarding Children Missing from Education (CME). In line with these processes and following the statutory guidance set out in DFE 2016 we are in regular contact with the LA and provide them with information on changes to the roll as required.

No child is removed from the school roll without first notifying the local authority and receiving their approval. Information on transferring files is contained within the Safeguarding and CP policy. In line with practices agreed with the LA and the guidance first set out in DFE-00261-2016 ‘Children Missing Education’ (September 2016), the Attendance Officer will inform the LA’s Attendance Monitoring Team of any pupil who has been absent from school for 10 consecutive days to report the student as missing from education. In addition, the attendance officer will inform the Lord Blyton Primary School’s Designated Safeguard Lead. The DSL will then make an assessment of the child’s vulnerability and, where appropriate, a CFCS referral to social care for that child. A Team Around the Child (TAC) meeting will be arranged by the DSL, if appropriate, in case of continued non-attendance. Appropriate staff will be informed of the outcome of the meeting by email from the Attendance Officer.

On the rare occasions that Lord Blyton Primary School pupil are excluded for a fixed term, the school will confirm this in writing to both the family (and the placing Local Authority where this exclusion exceeds five days). While the school will provide the pupil with work to complete during their external exclusion (and mark it),

Lord Blyton Primary School is not responsible for the pupils’ safety and welfare during their time at home.
PENALTY NOTICES
Continuous absences will affect a student’s overall attendance. When attendance falls below 85% (with 50% or more of the absences being recorded as unauthorised for any 6-week period, our procedures for persistent absence (see below) will be followed. This could result in parent(s)/carer(s) being issued with a Penalty Notice and further legal action.
UNEXPLAINED CONTINUOUS ABSENCE 1st Day of Absence
All pupils not seen at registration should be marked as an unexplained (N) absence, unless tutors have prior knowledge and proof of the reason for the absence – which should be advised to the Attendance Officer immediately.
The administration team guided by the Attendance Officer will phone home on the first day of absence if no explanation has been received.
An absence letter will be sent/and Parentmail text on each day of absence if reason for absence is not provided and there is no contact from the family.
3rd Day of Continuous Absence
The attendance officer will phone home to follow up on the absence and a communication will be sent, requesting explanation for the absence. If no contact with family is made to obtain a reason for absence on the third day of absence, the school will call all contacts listed on child’s profile to raise concern and obtain information of student whereabouts. The Attendance Officer and a nominated member of staff will make a home visit.
A re-integration plan will be made. The parent/carer will be offered additional support as appropriate and/or requested. The seriousness of the situation will be stressed including notification of the possibility of a penalty notice. Should there be no-one at home or no response, a letter will be hand delivered noting the visit outlining the possible next steps as above and requesting urgent contact with Lord Blyton Primary School.
5th Day of Continuous Absence
If no contact with the family has been made for 5 consecutive days and no information was obtained following home visit(s) the school will refer to the student to LA Attendance Monitoring Team.
10th Day of Continuous Absence
If the student has been absent for 10 consecutive days and no update provided to school in all the steps above the child will be referred to ‘Children Missing in Education’ to South Tyneside Local Authority. No child is removed from the school roll without first notifying the local authority and receiving their approval. For children where there are concerns regarding wellbeing or welfare, or for children who are subject to any safeguarding plan, we may conduct a home visit at any time to ensure that the child remains safe.
INTERMITTENT ABSENCE
It is also recognised by Lord Blyton Primary School that pupil will on occasions be ill but expects pupils to achieve 95% attendance for the year. We understand some of our pupils may be undergoing periods of medical ill health due to aspects of their SEND. When there are periods of sustained illness it is expected that these will be supported through submission of medical evidence. For example, hospital admission letters.
For this reason, a number of measures are taken to minimise intermittent, short-term absences.
⦁ Phone calls are made daily to inform parents of their child’s absence and request information to support it.
⦁ The DFE attendance portal will show current levels of attendance of their child at all times.
⦁ End of term reports to contain attendance percentage to update parents and carers on their child’s attendance record.
⦁ Rewards for pupils with 100% attendance and tutor groups with the best attendance.
⦁ Bespoke programmes led by the Attendance Champion, Attendance Officer to tackle persistent issues with individuals and groups.
Letters will be sent out to the parents of all pupils where attendance has been identified as below Lord Blyton Primary School’s target. In occasional circumstances it may deemed appropriate to not send out the letters outlined above although we expect the instances in which this to be the case to be minimal. Throughout this process it is possible that a pupil may be identified as being persistently absent in which case the process below will be followed.
PERSISTENT ABSENCE
‘If any child of compulsory school age who is a registered pupil at a school fails to attend regularly at the school, his/her parent is guilty of an offence.’ (Education Act 1996). From September 2015, Persistent absence has been defined by the Department for Education as all attendance falling below 90%.
Where a student has intermittent attendance and the Attendance Champion deems it necessary, the Continuous Absence process will be followed for each day the student is absent.
The parent/carer will be sent a Warning Letter stating the reason for the warning being issued. The student’s attendance will be monitored for a ten-week period (minimum of 100 school sessions)
If no sustained improvement has been made the details will be forwarded to the
Attendance Monitoring Team at South Tyneside Local Authority (LA) who will make arrangements for a Penalty Notice to be issued. If there has been an improvement, the parent/carer will be informed. Penalty Notices issued by South Tyneside LA will be sent to each parent/carer of pupil/s at Lord Blyton Primary School where pupils’ attendance meets the criteria for the issuing of a Penalty Notice warning.
The parent/carer will be sent a Warning Letter stating the reason for the warning being issued. The pupil’s attendance and punctuality will be monitored for a period of between three and six weeks. If insufficient improvement has been made the details will be forwarded to the Attendance Monitoring Team LA) who will make arrangements for the Penalty Notice to be issued.
If there has been sufficient improvement, the parent/carer will be informed. All Lord Blyton Primary School staff must enter each contact made with the parent/carer of the student as a record on DFE Portal communications log. This record will then be used as part of the evidence provided to South Tyneside LA in the event of a Penalty Notice being issued. Staff must continue to follow the Continuous Absence and Requests for Leave of Absence procedures in the event of a Warning Letter being sent to a parent/carer.
SEVERE ABSENCE
Severe absence is classified as those pupils missing 50% or more of school (Working together to improve attendance, 2024). A concerted effort will be made by all partners to prioritise support for these pupils in order to improve their attendance. If all avenues of support have been facilitated by schools, local authorities and other appropriate education support has been provided but severe absence for unauthorised reason continues, it is likely to constitute neglect and be referred to South Tyneside Local Authority.

RESPONSE TO ATTENDANCE CONCERN
Attendance falls below 90% = First letter of concern is sent, unless extenuating circumstances

WORKING TOGETHER TO IMPROVE ATTENDANCE
In order to improve attendance, we aim to work with external partners and families in order to treat the root cause of poor attendance. We will analyse attendance data and implement the following:

RELATED POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Anti-Radicalisation Policy
Child Protection Adult Protection & Safeguarding Policy and Procedures
Exclusions Policy
Positive Behaviour Policy (Academies)
Remote Education Policy
Supporting Pupils in School with Medical Conditions Policy

The following codes are taken from the DfE’s guidance on school attendance.

Code Definition Scenario
/
Present (am) Pupil is present at morning registration
\ Present (pm) Pupil is present at afternoon registration
L Late arrival Pupil arrives late before register has closed
B Off-site educational activity Pupil is at a supervised off-site educational activity approved by the school
D Dual registered Pupil is attending a session at another setting where they are also registered
J Interview Pupil has an interview with a prospective employer/educational establishment
P Sporting activity Pupil is participating in a supervised sporting activity approved by the school
V Educational trip or visit Pupil is on an educational visit/trip organised, or approved, by the school
W Work experience Pupil is on a work experience placement

Code Definition Scenario
Authorised absence
C Authorised leave of absence Pupil has been granted a leave of absence due to exceptional circumstances
E Excluded Pupil has been excluded but no alternative provision has been made
H Authorised holiday Pupil has been allowed to go on holiday due to exceptional circumstances
I Illness School has been notified that a pupil will be absent due to illness
M Medical/dental appointment Pupil is at a medical or dental appointment
R Religious observance Pupil is taking part in a day of religious observance
S Study leave Year 11 pupil is on study leave during their public examinations
T Gypsy, Roma and traveller absence Pupil from a traveller community is travelling, as agreed with the school
Unauthorised absence
G Unauthorised holiday Pupil is on a holiday that was not approved by the school
N Reason not provided Pupil is absent for an unknown reason (this code should be amended when the reason emerges, or replaced with code O if no reason for absence has been provided after a reasonable amount of time)
O Unauthorised absence School is not satisfied with reason for pupil’s absence
U Arrival after registration Pupil arrived at school after the register closed

Code Definition Scenario
X
Not required to be in school Pupil of non-compulsory school age is not required to attend
Y Unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances School site is closed, there is disruption to travel as a result of a local/national emergency, or pupil is in custody
Z Pupil not on admission register Register set up but pupil has not yet joined the school

Planned school closure Whole or partial school closure due to half-term/bank holiday/INSET day