Statement of Intent

Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School is committed to the continuous raising of achievement of all our pupils. Regular attendance is critical if our pupils are to be successful and benefit from the opportunities presented to them. 

One of our basic principles is to celebrate success. Good, punctual attendance is fundamental to a successful and fulfilling school experience. We actively promote 100% attendance for all our pupils and we use a variety of termly and annual awards to promote good attendance and punctuality.

The Governors, Headteacher and Staff in partnership with parents have a duty to promote full attendance at Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School.

Parental Responsibility

Parents have a legal duty to ensure that their child(ren) attend school regularly and arrive on time. Full attendance is essential to the all-round development of the child and they should be allowed to take full advantage of educational opportunities available to them by law. Poor attendance undermines their education and can put pupils at risk of educational under-achievement.

The school day starts at 8:45am. The school gate opens at 8.35am. Children line up in their year groups on the playground ready to be taken into class by the teacher at 8.40am.  No responsibility will be accepted for incidents or accidents occurring before this time as safety cannot be assured.

Punctuality is of vital importance. With the pace of teaching and learning, missing the first ten or fifteen minutes may set a child back for the whole day. 

At Rawmarsh Ashwood, we operate a first day call system for all absent children – please contact 01709 710847 as soon as possible on the first day of absence and leave a message stating the reason for the absence.  We would also appreciate it if you could notify your child’s class teacher or the school office of any medical or dental appointments. This is a safeguarding issue so that all parties know that a child is safe.

The Role of the School Staff

School Leadership has overall responsibility for attendance. Class teachers complete a register at the beginning of each morning and afternoon session. Marking the attendance registers twice daily is a legal requirement. Teachers mark pupils present, absent or late. The class teacher notifies attendance Officers of children whose attendance is causing concern. They will ensure that:

• Attendance and lateness records are up to date.
• If no reason for absence has been provided, parents are contacted on the first day of absence
• The appropriate attendance code is entered into the register (National Attendance Codes).

Parents are informed termly of a child’s attendance figure. Appropriate strategies are put into place to support pupils and families whose attendance is causing concern.

Children Missing Education

No child may be removed from the school roll without consultation between the Headteacher and the Education Welfare Service. Where a child is missing from education, Local Authority guidance will be followed.

Holidays

In view of the requirements National Curriculum timetable and National Curriculum testing procedures and time-tables, parents are asked not to arrange holidays during term-time as this can affect a child’s progress significantly.

On 19th August 2024 the Government introduced a new National Framework for Penalty Notices. Under the National Framework all schools will be required to consider a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) when a child has missed 10 or more sessions for unauthorised reasons in 10 school weeks. Each school day has 2 sessions, AM and PM, meaning 10 sessions could be 5 full school days or 10 half days.

The National Framework for Penalty Notices sets out that a maximum of 2 FPN’s per parent, per child can be issued within a rolling 3-year period. If the national threshold is met for a third time (or  subsequent times) within 3 years, further enforcement action will be considered.

First FPN in a 3-year period: £160 per parent, per child to be paid within 28 days. Reduced to £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days

Second FPN in a 3-year period: £160 per parent, per child to be paid within 28 days

Third occasion in a 3-year period: A FPN will not be issued, and the Local Authority will consider alternative enforcement.