Priestlands School
Attendance Matters
Encouraging regular attendance is one of the most powerful ways you can prepare your child for success both academically and in life.
When you make attendance a priority, you help your child to achieve better grades, to achieve their full potential and support them to develop healthy life habits.
Students who attend school regularly have a greater sense of belonging and are more likely to feel a positive connection to their school and community. It helps them to develop important social skills and friendships. All these things help set them up to have a stronger and more successful future.
Attendance is everyone’s responsibility and we want to build strong relationships with parents to ensure good attendance for all. We will work together to resolve difficulties and remove barriers to attendance where possible.
If you have concerns regarding attendance and wish to speak to a member of staff, please contact the attendance team: attendance@priestlands.hants.sch.uk
Remember, as a parent you can check your child’s attendance on the Arbor app.
Punctuality:
- School starts at 8.45am prompt and students should be in tutor rooms by 8.45am. A warning bell sounds at 8.40am. Registration closes at 9.15am
- Students who arrive after 8.45am but before 9.15 am will be marked as late and will still receive a present mark for the morning session
- Students who arrive after registration closes at 9.15am will receive an unauthorised absence mark
Students who persistently arrive late are negatively impacting their learning.
Repeated lateness will be considered as unauthorised absence and could contribute to a decision made with regard to fixed penalty notices and referrals to the legal intervention team.
As a school we monitor attendance closely and will challenge students and parents should it become a concern. Support will always be our first response.
Please note that it is a parent’s responsibility to ensure that their child attends school regularly.
Holidays during Term Time and other Leave of Absence requests
Parents will be aware of the law relating to family holidays taken during term time.
The law makes it clear that parents must avoid taking holiday in term time. The regulations state that parents do not have the right or entitlement to take a child out for the purpose of a holiday in term time and that the Headteacher is not able to routinely authorise such holidays.
Regulations do permit a Headteacher to agree to a request for a leave of absence. Such requests will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.
Attendance and the Impact on Academic Achievement
In order for a student to reach their full potential, regular attendance is essential.
At Priestlands we strive for all students to attend 100% but challenge students to achieve 96% or better. We recognise that students get ill and there can be reasons for absence that simply can’t be avoided. We will use every opportunity to convey to students and parents, the importance of attendance.
Priestlands students are expected to attend every day that the school is open unless the reason is unavoidable.
The routines that students develop around attendance and punctuality are the same expectations of any future employer.
EBSA - Emotionally Based School Avoidance
EBSA is an umbrella term used to describe a group of children and young people who have severe difficulties in attending school for emotional reasons.
There is no single reason for EBSA. There are four main reasons:
- To avoid uncomfortable feelings brought on by attending school, such as low mood and anxiety
- To avoid situations that might be stressful such as academic demands, social pressures or aspects of the school environment
- To reduce separation anxiety or gain attention from family members
- To pursue tangible reinforcers outside school such as shopping or playing computer games
Worry around tests and school work is normal and anxiety is a normal feeling, it is important that young people understand this.
As a school we will work with students and parents to reduce anxiety and to build resilience however, parents must also be proactive in addressing the difficulties and seeking support outside school.
It is the Headteacher’s decision whether to authorise absence for students struggling with EBSA and the school will request evidence and supporting documents from parents to support this decision making process. If as a school we decide to refer to the legal intervention team it will be once the school has tried all reasonable support and interventions to get the student back to school.