At Coaley, we are passionate about supporting every child to achieve 100% attendance so that they receive a full, broad and balanced education to help them flourish in life.
We strongly believe that regular attendance is essential, not just for educational progress and outcomes, but for the overall wellbeing of every single pupil at Coaley. Research has shown that a child’s chance of a successful future can be impacted by poor attendance at school; this can lead to increased vulnerability and involvement in crime, likelihood of falling behind academically, having increased levels of anxiety and reduced self-esteem.
Illness
We understand that there are times when your child is unwell and you are unsure whether your child can attend school with the symptoms they have. Please contact the school office or visit the NHS website to check Is my child too ill for school? - NHS (www.nhs.uk). Since the Covid 19 pandemic, The Department for Education has recognised that attendance levels have decreased across the country. The NHS guidance makes it clear that children do not need to test for Covid anymore. The benchmark for assessing whether your child should attend school should take a common-sense approach with reference to the NHS guidance shared above.
Monitoring attendance at Coaley
It is important for us to work together to achieve our high attendance aspirations for your child(ren). As a result, we have attendance monitoring systems in place, which help us recognise when a child’s attendance might become a concern. We understand that every child is unique and there will be extenuating circumstances in some cases, which are unavoidable and will consequently impact on your child’s attendance; we are empathetic to these and fully understand that they are out of your control. We are certain that you will understand that we need to be consistent and treat all figures with the same approach; we will always do this with empathy and understanding. The Government classify any child whose attendance falls to 90% (or below) as persistently absent.
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100% attendance
Green letter
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You will receive a letter at the end of each term to commend your child for their fantastic attendance.
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95% attendance
Orange letter
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If your child’s attendance falls to 95%, you will receive an amber letter to make you aware and share that their attendance is close to being a concern.
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92% attendance
Red letter
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If your child’s attendance falls to 92%, you will receive a red letter to make you aware and share guidance on how this can be improved. *GCC attendance guidance included with letter*
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Below 90% attendance
Dark red letter
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If your child’s attendance falls below 90%, your child will be considered persistently absent. You will receive a letter to inform you of this and you will be contacted to attend a meeting with Miss Thomas to draw up a plan so we can work together to improve this. *GCC Non-attendance guidance included with letter*. If your child’s attendance continues to decline after a plan has been put in place, we will meet again and work together, sometimes with the support from the Local Authority Education Inclusion Service, to help your child flourish.
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