You are here Parents Attendance Policy

This policy document was composed following a whole-school planning day, which took place on October 17th '06. This was part of the review towards the compilation of a Strategic Three Year Plan under the school's inclusion in the DEIS programme. The policy was considered necessary at the school's staff meeting on Friday 10th November. It was composed by the principal for consideration by the teachers during the week 13th - 17th November 2006. It was then submitted to the general body of Parents for consideration before submission to the Board of Management for ratification at its meeting in December '06. It was revised on 24th March 2011.

Rationale

Our school decided to review its attendance because:

•  It is a priority area identified by the staff

•  It is a requirement under Education Welfare Act 2000

•  School needs to encourage pupils to be in attendance

•  The school has a high number of pupils reported to the NEWB in recent years

Relationship to characteristic spirit of the school

We aim to provide a well-ordered, caring, happy and secure atmosphere where the intellectual, spiritual, physical, moral and cultural needs of the pupils are identified and addressed. The school adopts a holistic approach to the education and development of each child and to the enhancement of teaching and learning processes. We believe that an effective Attendance Policy will help to foster an appreciation of learning and to raise the importance of regular attendance.

Aims

•  To foster an appreciation of learning

•  To raise awareness of importance of school attendance

•  To identify pupils at risk of school leaving early

•  To enhance the learning environment where children can make progress in all aspects of their development

•  To promote positive attitudes to learning

•  To ensure that the system of rules, rewards, and sanctions are implemented in a fair and consistent manner that encourage pupils to attend school

•  To comply with requirements under Education Welfare Act 2000/Guidelines from NEWB

Guidelines

•  Our school defines non-attendance as not being present in school at roll call at 10.20am (Exceptions being made for absences authorised by the BOM e.g. school tours, religious services arranged through the school, participation in sports arranged by the school etc.)

•  Non-attendance is recorded as per Department of Education and Science guidelines on the school's online roll book facilitated through Edvance -http://bunclody.edvance.ie. The class teacher also records the reason for absence in the "Reasons for Absence" section of Edvance under the criteria as outlined by the NEWB reporting guidelines as soon as the information is given by the parents. At the end of each reporting period the principal transfers the appropriate recorded data to the NEWB. Storage of this information is as outlined in the school's record keeping and data protection policy.

•  The school writes to all families at the end of June and in September each school year to inform parents/guardians of the effects of non-attendance has on pupil learning

•  If a child is withdrawn from school during the school day the parent/guardian must sign out the pupil and indicate the reason for the withdrawal and the school secretary will record the absence using the 'Edit' facility on Edvance.

Whole school strategies to promote attendance:

•  Environment : The Board of Management strives to create a safe and welcoming environment for our pupils and their parents. Children who are late are welcomed by teachers and if any child is persistently late the issue is raised with the relevant parents. The child is not made to feel unwelcome if he/she arrives late for school. Parents are expected to have a note of explanation if a child is late.

•  Early intervention : Junior Infant teachers will speak to the new mothers/fathers to inform them of procedures in relation to attendance and the importance of attendance.

•  Uniform: Children who arrive to school without a uniform/complete uniform will still be welcomed and the issue of uniform will not be addressed upon arrival in the classroom.

•  Lunches : If a child arrives to school without a lunch, the class teacher will arrange for the school secretary to contact the parents so that the lunch can be brought to school.

•  Assessment: If pupils miss school on a day when they know there is a test the test is given when the pupil returns to school.

•  Equality of Participation : Teachers will ensure that children are given adequate time to source materials required for class (wool, needles, research, swimming togs, hurleys etc.)

•  Reports: The school reports the total amount of days absent in a year to parents in the end of year reports/parent teacher meetings.

•  Parents: The school communicates the requirements of schools and of parents under the Education Welfare Act to parents both in September and June each year. The leaflet " Don't Let Your Child Miss Out" is posted to parents.

•  Learning Needs: The school provides a comprehensive support service to try to cater for children experiencing learning difficulties.

•  SPHE policies : The school has a full range of policies under the umbrella of SHPE to raise the self-esteem of pupils including the Walk Tall Programme, Circle Time and Stay Safe Programme.

•  Bullying Awareness Policy: The school has a written bullying awareness policy and procedures in place to investigate all incidences of bullying. Families new to the school are given copies of the booklet "Stop It! Steps to Address Bullying".

Strategies in event of non-attendance

•  Parents are made aware of the school's duties outlined in the Education Welfare Act in relation to reporting the non-attendance of a child to the Education Welfare Officer, of the serving of a "school attendance notice" by the Education Welfare Officer (following all reasonable efforts by the National Education Welfare Board to consult with the child's parents and the principal of the school) on any parent who they conclude is failing or neglecting to cause the child to attend the school and of the possible consequence of a successful case being taken against the parent.

•  When a child is absent from school parents are expected to contact the school as soon as possible to inform the school as to the reason for the child's absence. The reason for absence will be recorded by the class teacher. A written note is the best way to communicate this information but the school will accept the information by telephone. The secretary will relate information taken over the phone to the relevant class teacher for recording purposes. If the parent refuses to explain the reason for the absence this is noted as ' unexplained' .

•  Class teachers will notify the HSCL when a child has missed 10 unexplained school days. The HSCL will then visit the parents in question to discuss the matter. The principal will inform the National Education Welfare Board (NEWB) in writing where:

( a) a student is suspended from our school for a period of not less than 6 days,

( b) the aggregate number of school days on which a student is absent from our school during a school year is not less than 20,

( c) a student's name is, for whatever reason, removed from the register, or

( d) a student is, in the opinion of the principal, not attending school regularly

•  Every effort will be made to work with the families in question and to put in place any supports the school can to help the families. Some of these support measures will be new under the school Support Programme (SSP) now that the school is included in the DEIS Programme.

•  Teachers will be sensitive to any child who has missed school and will endeavour to "catch up" on work missed without putting undue pressure on the child in question.

The principal will only remove a pupil's name from the school register where the school has been informed in writing that the child has been enrolled in another school or when the Welfare Board notifies the school in writing that the child has been registered by it as in receipt of out-of-school education.

•  In the following cases the Education Welfare Officer will be informed in writing by the principal:

•  notification from another school that the child has been enrolled in that school,

•  notification that the child has enrolled in a special school.

•  When a child is transferred to another school the principal will give the parents of that child and the new school a certificate stating child's record of attendance and absences in the school, the last class the child attended, and any other relevant information pertaining to the education of the child.

When a child is transferred from another school the principal will inform that school and the NEWB in writing that the child has enrolled in our school. The principal will also ask the parents in question to sign a permission letter giving authorisation to the previous school for the transfer of all files relating to the education of the child.

Annual Report

•  The principal will inform the Board of Management of the level of attendance at the school for each school year at the first meeting of the board each school year. The principal will report the level of attendance to the NEWB. The level of attendance will be brought to the attention of the Parents Council when the principal meets the Council after the Council's AGM each year.

Success Criteria

•  Fewer children are reported to the NEWB

•  Specific families have shown improved attendance

•  Clear understanding of roles and responsibilities

•  Clearly defined procedures for recording absences and reasons for such absences

•  Positive feedback from teachers, parents and pupils

Roles and Responsibility

•  Principal - overall responsibility, responsibility for reporting to BOM and Parents Council and EWB.

•  HSCL - specific responsibility for contacting parents when a pupil is absent for 10 unexplained days or more.

•  Class teacher - responsibility for creating a welcoming atmosphere in the classroom and for marking the Edvance roll book daily.

•  Support Team - meeting the identified educational needs of the child

•  Parents - responsibility for insuring child attends regularly and punctually, for informing the school the reasons for any absences and for informing the pupil of the adverse effects of missing school

•  Education Welfare Officer - responsible for following up and supporting all pupils reported to it by the principal

•  Board of Management - overall responsibility, responsible for funding the awarding of certificates and for the costs involved in translating of any documents

Implementation Date

Implementation of policy will take place as and from Friday 25th March 2011.

Timetable for Review

New procedures will be reviewed and, if necessary, amended at the end of each school year and upon receipt of revised guidelines from National Education Welfare Board/DES/other agencies. This policy was last reviewed in March 2011

Ratification & Communication

Original policy was ratified at the Board's meeting 5th December 2006. The changes made on 24 th March were considered small operational changes which did not warrant ratification by the Board but would be noted at the next Board's meeting on 11 th April 2011. The statement will be given to all new applicants on enrolment.

A condensed version of this policy will be translated into other languages to cater for the growing number of children from Non-English speaking countries attending our school.