Attendance

Attendance

Being in school is crucial to your child’s achievement, wellbeing, and wider development. Evidence shows that pupils with the highest attendance throughout their time in school go on to gain the best academic results. At St Jerome's, the development of the child as a whole is our priority. We believe that being around teachers and friends in our school environment is the best way for our pupils to learn and reach their potential. Time in school also keeps children safe and provides access to extra-curricular opportunities and pastoral care. 

Parents receive regular updates on attendance from school. The Headteacher and all the staff monitor attendance daily, weekly, half termly and termly.

100%-97%

Pupils in this category have excellent attendance

Above 97% Less than 6 days absence a year, Excellent Attendance! These pupils will almost certainly get the best grades they can, leading to better prospects for the future.  Pupils will also get into a habit of attending school which will help in the future.

97%-95%

Pupils in this category have good attendance

96% 10 days absence in a year.  These pupils are likely to achieve good grades and form a habit of attending school regularly.

94%-90%

Pupils in this category have a school attendance that needs to improve

90% and below

Pupils in this category have poor attendance

90% 19 days absence a year. The Government classes young people in this group as ‘Persistent Absentees’ and it will be almost impossible to keep up with work with this level of absence.

Families of pupils in this category will be:

• Initially monitored with support from school, who may conduct home visits. Our Team Around the School will be consulted to support the family.

• Invited to attendance panel

• Asked to provide medical evidence for any absence

Punctuality

Schools are legally required to take a register of pupils first thing in the morning and at some point in the afternoon.

If a pupil is late but the register is still open they are marked as late. If the register has already closed when a pupil arrives late and without a satisfactory explanation, it will be classed as late after the register has closed which will count as an absence. Our registers close at 9:15am.

Continual punctuality is important because if, for example, a child arrives 15 minutes late at school each day, they lose almost 2 weeks of education a year!

Holidays during term time

No term time leave for holidays is routinely authorised at St Jerome's. This is following statutory government guidelines and is endorsed by Sefton local authority.

Parents who choose to take their child out of school without written permission from the school may be issued with a fixed penalty fine. Please find attached below information regarding this.

Only in exceptional circumstances may a head teacher grant permission for leave.

How can I help my child attend school regularly?

• Talk to your child about school

• Take a positive interest in your child’s work, including homework. Follow what your child’s class learns on Google Classroom, Instagram and Facebook.

What do I do if my child is absent from school?

• Contact school on the first day of absence if your child is unable to attend for whatever reason. You can phone, absence reporting link on SchoolSpider or email school.

• If you do not contact school, the office staff will contact you to find out why your child is off.  It is very important that you make this contact with school.

What should I do if I’m worried about my child’s school attendance?

The first thing to do is to contact the school to discuss your concerns.

What are my responsibilities regarding my child’s school attendance?

As a parent/carer it is your responsibility to ensure that any child of compulsory school age attends school both regularly and on time. The local authority has a duty to make sure that all parents/carers fulfil this responsibility.

What will happen if my child does not attend school regularly?

School will contact you in the first instance to raise concerns about your child’s attendance, usually with a letter to inform you what your child’s current attendance is.

If they see no improvement, or there are particular difficulties involved, there will be a period of monitoring.

If there is still no improvement a referral will be made to the Education Welfare Service (EWO). This may then lead to an Attendance panel meeting in school with the EWO and the Headteacher.

What if my child’s school attendance does not improve?

Parents whose children are on a school register and fail to ensure the regular and punctual attendance of their child(ren), may be guilty of an offence under Section 444 or 444(1A) of the Education Act 1996 and the Local Authority may issue a Penalty Notice or take enforcement action through the Courts to secure regular attendance.

How will regular school attendance help my child?

School gives your child a wide range of opportunities and experiences in the form of academic lessons, educational trips and school clubs allowing them to develop their interests and achieve their full potential. Regular school attendance means that your child can make the most of their education.