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Attendance

Attendance

Attendance matters!

We can only teach your child when they are in school. There is a direct link between achievement and attendance.

It is vital we work to teach our students the value of attending the Academy at 8.15am each day. We do understand that on some occasions children may be ill and unable to attend the Academy. 

There is a clear link between academic outcomes and school attendance. We want all students to achieve excellent outcomes to give themselves the very best chance in life.

There are 175 non-school days per year for holidays, shopping and appointments. There is no need, except in extreme circumstances to miss a day’s education. If you miss one session in a week (remember, there are two sessions per day) your attendance is 90%. This means you miss 19 days of education in a year and risk dropping one grade in your GCSEs. 

We take absence very seriously. We target intervention with students whose attendance falls below 95%. This has a positive effect on attendance at the school.

We therefore:

  • Regularly monitor attendance and punctuality and contact you about concerns
  • Support children who are having difficulties which impact on their attendance by looking for the best person/organisation to support your child
  • Reward good attendance through our rewards system
  • Will not authorise requests for holidays unless there are exceptional circumstances.
  • A member of the attendance team may visit your home to discuss your childs attendance 

Any exceptional circumstances must be put in writing to the Principal.

We ask that parents/carers:

  • Inform us promptly of any absences and return children to school as soon as they can
  • Try to make medical appointments out of school time
  • Avoid holidays in term time
  • Do not take time off for shopping trips, family events such as birthdays and outings
  • Parents/Carers have a legal responsibility to ensure regular and punctual attendance
  • All parents/carers should encourage their children to attend everyday..

Should you wish to discuss any issue with attendance please email our Attendance Team at attendance@barnsley-academy.org or 01226 574117

The Role of Parents

It is a legal obligation of all parents/carers to ensure their child attends school regularly. Parents are responsible for ensuring children attend school regularly in a condition to learn.

Barnsley Academy recognises that this can only be achieved through a close partnership with parents.

Questions to consider:

  • Do you know what your child’s current attendance and/or punctuality figure is?
  • Do you know what the figures mean?
  • Do you speak to your child about their attendance?
  • Do you communicate with Barnsley Academy when your child is not in school?
What to do if your child is absent

Children should be at school by 8.15am each morning. Parents should contact the school as soon as possible if a child is going to be absent or late for any reason e.g. doctor, dentist and provide an appointment card. The school has a dedicated phone line for reporting absence. 

The absence line is: 01226 574117 / 01226 284606

Parents may be required to provide medical evidence to substantiate that their child’s illness required them to be absent from school, i.e. some form of medical verification

Medical Appointments

Medical appointments should be made outside of normal school hours. The Academy must be notified of any medical appointments taking place during school hours. Proof of the appointment must be shown to attendance prior to the appointment, this can be in the form of a medical appointment card, appointment letter or text from the medical surgery at which the appointment will take place.

Persistent Absenteeism

Attendance below 90% is considered to be poor and your child will be classified as being persistently absent. 

90% attendance = ½ day missed every week. Over one school year this is 4 weeks of learning lost. 

What impact might this have on your child’s future …?

Punctuality

Arriving to school on time matters too. Being frequently late for school adds up to lost learning:

  • Arriving 5 minutes late every day adds up to over 3 days lost each year.
  • Arriving 15 minutes late every day is the same as being absent for 2 weeks a year.
  • Arriving 30 minutes late every day is the same as being absent for 19 days a year.
Some Strategies to Improve Punctuality
  • Bedtime routines – packing school bag ready for the next day, getting to bed earlier, setting a time for a television and other devices to be turned off.
  • Morning routines – setting the alarm earlier, no screen time until ready for school (and maybe not even then), having breakfast before leaving home, meeting a reliable friend to walk to school with.
  • Coming to school for breakfast in the canteen from 8am.
Holidays in Term Time

There are 13 weeks of holiday during the school year which is why holidays in term time are never permitted at Barnsley Academy

Parents & Students