Attendance

St Bede's Catholic Primary School aims for an attendance of

at least 97%

Regular and punctual school attendance is important. Pupils need to attend school regularly if they are to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available to them by law. St Bede’s Catholic Primary School fully recognises its responsibilities to ensure pupils are in school and on time, therefore having access to learning for the maximum number of days and hours. 

Children who are persistently late or absent soon fall behind with their learning.  Children who are absent from school frequently develop large gaps in their learning which will impact on their progress and their ability to meet age-related learning expectations. A child whose attendance drops to 90% each year will, over their time at primary school, have missed two whole terms of learning. 

The school is responsible for: 

• Overall monitoring of school attendance 

• Keeping an overview of class and individual attendance looking particularly for either poor overall attendance, anomalies in patterns of attendance and/ or unusual explanations for attendance offered by children and their parents/ carers

• Identifying trends in authorised and unauthorised absence 

• Contacting families where concerns are raised about absence including arranging meetings to discuss attendance issues 

• Monitoring individual attendance where concerns have been raised 

• Making referrals to the Attendance Service 

• Providing reports and background information to inform discussion with the school’s LA Attendance Officer 

• Liaising with other professionals to determine potential sources of difficulties and reasons for absence. 

Parents/Carers are responsible for: 

• Ensuring that their child attends school regularly and punctually unless prevented from doing so by illness or attendance at a medical appointment. 

• Contacting the school office on the first morning of absence. 

• Informing the school in advance of any medical appointments in school time. For the absence to be recorded as a medical absence we do require evidence from the doctor or dentist. (Appointment card/letter) 

• Making requests for authorised absence in term time, only if absolutely necessary as these are not automatically authorised. 

• Talking to the school as soon as possible about any child’s reluctance to come to school so that problems can be quickly identified and dealt with. 

At St Bede’s Catholic Primary School we follow a traffic light system, the purpose of colour coding helps staff, parents and pupils have a clear understanding of our expectations.

• Red Zone: Under 90% 

  Students in the red zone are more likely to underachieve, find making friendships difficult and misbehave.  Legal action may also be taken against Parents/Carers of Red Zone pupils.  

• Amber Zone: 90% - 97% 

  Students in this zone are still at risk of underachieving due to the absence level.  Students who miss school regularly are more likely to suffer from school-related stress.  If your child is in the Amber Zone we will contact you to complete a Parent Contract to help avoid attendance falling into the Red Zone.  

• Green Zone: 97% - 100% 

  We expect students to have Green attendance throughout their education.  Those in the Green are more likely to do well in examinations, have better job opportunities and can develop strong friendships within school. 

• Rewards & Recognition  

•  Although good attendance is an expectation, the school seeks to improve whole school attendance by offering incentives, this may include: 

  • 100% Certificates  

  • Prizes  

  • Positive Postcards 

  • Letters 

  • School / Class Events  

  • Trips  

  • Additional play times