Attendance and Punctuality

 Why is it important for children to attend school?

Pupils at Gleadless who have good attendance at school:

• have more opportunities to make friends and enjoy their social times
• are able to make the most of wider experiences that develop their skills and talents
• make more progress in their learning
• are more likely reach age-related expectations
• are more likely to be ready for their secondary school experience
• are more likely to have developed a habit of good attendance for their adult and working lives

This is our whole staff team's vision for our school and our pupils:

Gleadless is a caring school where we love learning and always aim high. 

We develop respectful, safe and inclusive relationships with each other and our community. 

Our school prepares children for success, enabling them to make aspirational choices for themselves and positive contributions to the wider world.

When children are at school every day, this vision can become a reality for them. It is much harder for children to feel happy at school and develop a sense of belonging if they do not attend well. We believe that every child has the right to attend school every day. 

An Inclusive Approach to Attendance

Attendance is not just about percentages. Attendance is about making our school a place where children want to come to school and families want to send their children every day. 

At Gleadless, we are an 'Inclusive Attendance' School. We have a clearly-defined strategy to continue to improve the attendance of our pupils. This includes:

• Putting relationships between staff and children at the heart of all that we do
• Following a trauma-informed approach in every action and interaction
• Ensuring that the needs of our most vulnerable learners are met so that all children can succeed and achieve
• Ensuring that children behave well so that children feel safe and can learn
• Delivering a high-quality curriculum which is engaging and sufficiently challenging
• Building strong relationships with our families to enable open and supportive conversations about pupil attendance
• Taking a deliberate and robust approach to reducing persistent absence 
• Taking a whole-school approach to promoting and securing good attendance for all children in every class

We work closely with 'Inclusive Attendance' to ensure that this approach meets the needs of our school and community. More information can be found here. 

Our School Attendance Policy

We have a school attendance policy which outlines all aspects of our approach to supporting good attendance at Gleadless. You can find the latest version of our Attendance Policy in the 'Statutory Information' section of our school website. 

Absence Procedure

How do I let school know my child is absent?

Parents must ring school before 9am if their child is unable to attend school.  If the line is busy, parents should leave a message saying the name of their child and why they are absent. This phone call is required on every day of a child's absence, unless the duration of the absence is known and has already been discussed/agreed. The Attendance Officer will then enter the appropriate register code onto the child's registration certificate. 

Authorised absences may include:

• Illness or medical appointments
• Days of religious observance
• Exceptional family circumstances

Unauthorised absence 

An 'unauthorised absence' mark means that the reason for absence has not been authorised by the school. 

If a child does not attend school and we do not receive a phone call to explain this, a member of staff will contact the family to discuss their child's absence. If we are not able to get hold of the family, a member of staff will usually visit the family home, to check on their welfare. Equally, absences without valid reason will be unauthorised.

Morning Registration Procedure

• Our school gates open at 8:30am. They are closed at 8:40am. 
• Morning registration is at 8.45am.
• A child will receive a late mark if they arrive after 8:45am.
• Any child arriving after the gates close at 8:40am should report to the school office, where the child’s name, time of arrival and reason for lateness will be noted.
• If a child arrives after 9.15am, the child receives a U mark on the register, unless there is an acceptable reason for their absence i.e. medical appointment with evidence of the appointment. 

How we work with families to improve attendance 

• Sharing term and holiday dates with families in a timely manner so that holidays can be taken outside of term time
• Celebrating classes, year groups and individual children whose attendance has improved
• Providing regular updates and reminders about whole-school attendance in the Gleadless Gazette
• Discussing the Attendance Policy with new families and making this available on our school website
• Discussing attendance with parents and carers at Parents’ Evenings 
• Making attendance data for each child accessible to families on their Arbor account
• Meeting regularly with families to offer support around attendance

We are Here to Help...

We know that securing good attendance for your child can come with challenges. We have a dedicated team of staff in school to support you, no matter what the barrier to attendance might be:

Useful Links and Documents

 We know that attendance guidance can sometimes be confusing. Below you will find some links to useful guidance documents for your information and reference:

https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/campaigns/school-attendance

https://inclusive-attendance.co.uk/about-us/

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance