Attendance

Why is Attendance Important?

• Attendance and attainment go hand in hand, and to make progress children need to be in school.
• Your child will gain knowledge and skills such as reading, writing, arithmetic and much more! Your child will learn to think creatively and independently. ACHIEVE WELL AND BE SUCCESSFUL.
• Having a good education will improve your child’s chances of success later in life. DREAM BIG!
• By interacting with other people such as teachers and classmates, your child will develop the social skills needed to become a valued member of the community. BE KIND.
• Regular school attendance is good for your child’s physical and mental health.

Most importantly it allows your child to have fun!

Regular attendance at school means that your child can make the most of their education and improve their chances in adult life. School can also help your child’s social skills such as making and developing friendships. A regular and punctual attendance pattern will help your child when they enter the world of work. 

The link between attendance and attainment in school is clear. The more a pupil is in school the more they increase their opportunity to fulfil their potential. 

Helping children to create a pattern of regular attendance is everybody’s responsibility – parents and carers, pupils, and all members of school staff. If you need any support with your child’s attendance, please speak with our attendance officer who would be happy to help.  

For more information, also see:

• Managing Illness Absence – Support Leaflet for Parents
• Managing Illness Absence – Information for Parents
• Loss of Learning due to Lateness or Absence
• Our Attendance Policy on our School Policies page

How can I encourage regular attendance and what should I do if my child is struggling to attend school?

• Show your child that you think school is important. Ask about their day, what have they learned, what they enjoyed and what they didn’t!
• Praise their achievements however small.
• Don’t keep your child off for unnecessary reasons.
• Be organised, make sure your child arrives at school ready to learn.
• Recognise that if children get into bad habits at an early age, it is hard to break them later in life, poor attendance at nursery can turn into a worse problem at the end of their school career.

Most importantly, talk to us. If you are struggling to get your child into school, have a chat with Mrs Grubham or Mrs Briscoe.

Responsible Members of Staff

Strategically responsible for attendance:

Mrs M Grubham (Executive Principal)
Email: MGrubham@sjbca.co.uk or Mandy.Grubham@st-johnbosco.sandwell.sch.uk
Phone: 0121 556 0228

Responsible for daily attendance marks:

Ms E Kenny (Office Administrator)
Email: Elaine.Kenny@st-johnbosco.sandwell.sch.uk
Phone: 0121 556 0228

Absence Procedures

If your child is absent, you must:

• Contact us as soon as possible on the first day of absence, ideally by 9.00am. Call 0121 556 0228.

If your child is absent, we will:

• Telephone you on the first day of absence, if we have not heard from you.
• Continue to attempt to make contact with you until we know where your child is.

Punctuality

Schools are legally required to take a register of pupils first thing in the morning and at some point in the afternoon. We close our registers 10 minutes after registration.  

If your child is late but the register is still open, they are marked as late. If the register has already closed when your child arrives late and without a satisfactory explanation, it may be classed as an unauthorised absence. This may lead to legal action for not ensuring regular and punctual school attendance. 

Punctuality is important because if, for example, a child arrives 15 minutes late at school each day, they lose almost two weeks of education a year. 

Gates are open from 8.30am until 8.45am. Registers close in class at 8.50am. Your child may get an absent mark for the morning if they arrive after 9am.

Leave of Absence

Please speak to the school office if you require a leave of absence form.

If you are thinking of taking your child out of school during term time, school will require you to complete a Leave of Absence form (which can be collected from the school office). Please attach any supporting evidence for the leave request and provide an explanation as to why the Leave of Absence is required.

Leave of Absence requests can only be granted if the principal considers that the request meets “exceptional circumstances”. If the principal does not authorise the Leave of Absence but the children are absent during the requested time, parents may receive a penalty notice (fine).

Please note if a Leave of Absence is not requested and the child is then absent from school, the school can request that the Attendance & Prosecution Service issue Parents/Carers with Penalty Notices.

Acceptable/authorised reasons for absence:

• Illness
• Emergency appointments

Unacceptable/unauthorised reasons for absence:

• Birthday treats
• Holidays
• Haircuts
• Shopping
• Visiting relatives
• Minor illnesses
• Attending appointments with a sibling or parent

Our Current Attendance

Our school target is 97% this year.

• Autumn 1 2023 average attendance = 97.27%
• Autumn 2 2023 average attendance = 93.1%
• Overall Autumn 2023 average attendance = 95.32%