Attendance Policy

School Attendance

Policy

Introduction

This policy is informed by the school’s mission statement which aims to provide opportunities for all students to benefit from teaching and learning and to attain their potential in the broad and holistic atmosphere of St John the Baptist Girls School. It was formulated by the ISM team based on existing practice and in consultation with staff, Board of Management, parents (represented by the Parent Association) and pupils (represented by the Student Council).

Rationale

The policy was drafted

To comply with relevant legislation

The Education Act 1998

The Education Welfare Act 2000

To promote and encourage regular attendance as an essential factor in pupils learning
To ensure all parents are aware of their obligations in respect of their children’s regular and punctual school attendance

Aims

Encourage pupils to attend school regularly and punctually.
Ensure pupils are registered accurately and efficiently
Ensure pupils attendance is recorded daily
Promote good attendance
Share the promotion of school attendance amongst all in the school

community.

Inform the school community of its role and responsibility as outlined in the Education Welfare Act 2000.
Promote a positive learning environment and learning opportunities.
Identify pupils who may be at risk of developing school attendance problems.
Develop, subject to available resources, links between the school and the families of children who may be at risk of developing attendance problems.
Identify and remove, insofar as is practical, obstacles to school

attendance.

Relationship to Ethos of School

This policy complements the school ethos of nurturing all pupil’s potential in a caring environment.

TUSLA

Tusla is the national agency established to ensure that every child attends school regularly, or otherwise receives an appropriate minimum education. The Principal reports attendance figures to the board five times per year. A pupil is reported when they have reached a 20 day absence. The Board monitors school attendance and takes a range of measures where children do not attend school. The board is also informed if a pupil is suspended or expelled. The board is furnished with the total attendances in the school year through the Annual Report completed on line.

Punctuality

The school building is open from 9.00 a.m. and children are required to be in attendance no later than 9.20 a.m. All pupils and teachers are expected to be on time. Late comers and/or parents must sign in at reception if arriving after the main door has locked down at 9.30am.The school will contact parents/guardians in the event of pupils being consistently late. The Principal is obliged under the Education Welfare Act to report children who are persistently late to Tusla

Guidance for Parents

Section [(21) (9)] of the Education Welfare Act states that: “a pupil’s absence can only be authorised by the Principal when the child is involved in activities organised by the school or in which the school is involved”. The school Principal cannot authorise a child’s absence for holidays during school time. However, it is essential that parents inform the school of such arrangements”

Reasons for pupils’ absences must be communicated in writing by

parents/guardians to the school.

If a child is absent, when she returns to school she should give a written note to the class teacher containing the child’s name, the dates of absence and the reason for the absence. These notes will form a record which may be inspected by the Education Welfare Officer on a visit to the school. The school will contact parents when it does not receive a written explanation for the child’s absence.

Parents are provided with details of their child’s attendance in the end of year written reports. Attendance patterns are also discussed if necessary at the annual parent/teacher meetings. Parents may request an update of a child’s attendance at any time throughout the year.

School Procedures

On enrolment each individual pupil is registered by the Principal in the School Register and assigned a roll number. Information including date of birth, parent’s names and address is also recorded.
The school attendance of individual pupils is recorded daily by the class teacher in the roll book of each class.
Class attendance is recorded daily by the Deputy Principal in the Attendance Book.
The annual attendance of each individual pupil is recorded by the Principal at the end of the school year in the School Register.
The roll is called by the class teacher each day at 10am. Any pupil not present will be marked absent. The roll book may not be altered once it has been filled in.
If a child arrives later than 10am and prior notice has not been given to the teacher the late arrival is recorded on a separate sheet to be retained in the roll book. This information will be considered when making returns to Tusla.
Pupils marked present for the day but leaving school early must be collected from the classroom by a parent or an adult delegated by the parent and signed out in a Sign Out Book held in each classroom.
Following a child’s absence from school, a letter of explanation must be supplied by a parent to the class teacher to contain the child’s name, the dates of the absence and the reason for the absence. Letters are filed by the teacher and stored in the child’s school file at the end of the year. These letters will form a record which may be inspected by the Education Welfare Officer from Tusla. Verbal and phone messages should be followed up in writing.

Strategies for promoting good school attendance

The Board of Management and staff are committed to providing a positive school atmosphere which is conducive to promoting good school attendance
A safe and welcoming environment is created.
The school curriculum, insofar as is practicable, is flexible and relevant to the needs of the individual child.
The school will promote development of good self-concept and self-worth in the children.
Support for pupils who have special educational needs are in place in accordance with Department of Education & Science guidelines.
Internal communication procedures are in place to inform teachers of the special needs of pupils.
At the initial meeting with new parents, the Principal addresses the importance of good attendance.
The calendar for the coming year is published annually in June and a copy is posted to all parents with the end of year newsletter. Parents are encouraged to plan holidays and family events around school closures.
The monthly attendance of pupils from First Class to Sixth Class is recorded on a sheet at the back of the homework journals and parents are asked to sign off on it.
A special reward system is in place. Full attendance is acknowledged at the end of each month, each term and at the end of the year. Monthly assemblies take place with stickers given to junior pupils and homework passes to senior pupils. Full attenders are rewarded at the end of each term. A certificate and special prize is presented at the end of the school year to those who have full attendance and the names are published in the end of year newsletter.
The attendance rates of pupils will be monitored by the class teacher in the first instance, and the class teacher will notify the Principal of concerns regarding the attendance of any child.
Parents will be informed in writing by the Principal when their child has been absent for 15 days.
Pupils with a poor attendance record will, insofar as is practical, be supported in an effort to improve their attendance.

Strategies in the Event of Non-Attendance

Section 17 of the Education Welfare Act states that “the parent of a child shall cause the child concerned to attend a recognised school on a school day”

Section 21 of the Act obliges schools to inform the Education Welfare Officer if a child is absent on more than 20 days in any school year or if a child does not attend school on a regular basis.

In such cases the EWO (following all reasonable efforts by Tusla to consult with the child’s parents and the Principal of the school) may serve a “School Attendance Notice” on any parent who he/she concludes is failing or neglecting to cause the child to attend the school. A successful case taken against the parent may result in a fine and/or imprisonment.

Roles and Responsibilities

Parents

Parents/Guardians can promote good school attendance by:

Ensuring regular and punctual school attendance.
Notifying the school if their children cannot attend for any reason.
Working with the school and Education Welfare service to resolve any attendance problems.
Making sure their children understand that parents support and approve of school attendance.
Discussing planned absences with the school.
Refraining from taking holidays during school time.
Showing an interest in their children’s school day and their children’s homework.
Encouraging them to participate in school activities.
Praising and encouraging their children’s achievements.
Instilling in their children a positive self-concept and a positive sense of self-worth.
Informing the school in writing of the reasons for absence from school.
Ensuring, insofar as is possible, that children’s appointments

(dentist etc), are arranged for times outside of school hours.

Contacting the school immediately if they have concerns about absence or other related school matters.
Notifying the school in writing or by phone if their child/children are to be collected by someone not known to the teacher.

Pupils

Pupils have the clear responsibility to attend school regularly and punctually.
Pupils should inform staff if there is a problem that may lead to their absence.
Pupils are responsible for promptly showing absence notes from parents to their class teacher.
Pupils are responsible for passing school correspondence to their parents on the specified day.

School Principal

The School Principal will:

Ensure that the school register of pupils is maintained in accordance with regulations.
Inform the Education Welfare Officer in the following instances -
- If a pupil is not attending school regularly.
- When a pupil has been absent for 20 or more days
- If a pupil has been suspended for a period of six days or more
- When a pupil’s name is removed from the school register.
- If the Principal is concerned about a student’s attendance.
- If the school has expelled a student.
- Submit required quarterly reports on line
- Submit the end of year report
Inform parents of a decision to contact the Education Welfare Officer of concerns regarding a pupil’s attendance and/or when a pupil has missed 20 days.
Promote the importance of good school attendance among pupils, parents and staff.
Inform the Board of Management at each meeting of the attendance statistics for the previous month/s.
Provide a summary to the Board of Management of the quarterly returns and end of year return made to Tusla.

Deputy Principal

The Deputy Principal will

Record the class attendance numbers in the Attendance Book each day.
Record and compile absences for entry into the Tusla’s computerised returns to be submitted five times each year.
Work closely with the Principal in monitoring attendance and in devising ongoing strategies to promote good attendance.
Monitor the compilation of the monthly attendance record in homework journals.

Class Teacher

The class teacher will:

Implement this policy.
Maintain the school roll-book in accordance with procedure recording name of pupil, roll number, date of birth, date of transfer into the class, address, quarterly attendance totals and yearly attendance totals.
Call the roll at 10am and fill in the roll book accordingly.
Complete the daily class attendance record and return to DP at the end of each day.
Keep a record of explained and unexplained absences.
Contact parents in instances where absences are not explained in writing.
Encourage pupils to attend regularly and punctually.
Inform the Principal of concerns she may have regarding the attendance of any pupil.
Submit the relevant paperwork to the Principal when a pupil has reached the 15 day absence benchmark

Transfer of Information

Subject to the restrictions of the Data Protection Act, attendance, behaviour and academic records of children who transfer to another primary school will be passed to the Principal of the school, by post, as soon as written notification of transfer is received.
Attendance, behaviour and academic records of children who transfer from another primary school will be sought directly from the previous school.
Attendance, behaviour and academic records of pupils transferring to a second level school will be sent to the school on confirmation of enrolment.
In the case of pupils transferring to another school and where the Education Welfare Officer was involved or where there was ongoing concern about attendance, the Principal will make direct contact with the relevant school.

Communication

A copy of this policy will be given to all members of staff, Board of Management members, Parent Association members and will be available to all parents on request. It will be published on the school website. The main points will be highlighted regularly in the school newsletters.

Success Criteria

Improved attendance as measured in monthly, termly and annual statistics

Happy, confident, well- adjusted pupils

Positive parental feedback

Other Relevant Policies

Code of Behaviour

SPHE

Child Protection Policy

Enrolment Policy

References

Don’t Let Your child Miss Out (NEWB)

Education Act 1998

Education Welfare Act 2000

Empty Desks (CDU –MICE)

Ratification

This policy was ratified by the Board of Management in 2013

Review Date

From 2016 onwards this policy will be reviewed annually at the May meeting of the BOM.

Reviewed on 11^th May 2016.

Signed _______________________________________________ (Chairperson)

Signed ________________________________________________ (Principal)

Date __________________________________________________