An outward looking centre of excellence
in the education of children with visual impairments
Attendance
At Priestley Smith School, we aim to provide a safe, caring and supportive learning environment which enables all students to achieve to their maximum potential and encourages them to be as confident, resourceful and independent as possible. Parents have a crucial role to play in their child's education.
Click the link below to see some more information and suggestions.
Some helpful strategies include:
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Making sure your child is in school, on time everyday. This includes being ready for the arrival of their transport.
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Ensure they are wearing the correct uniform (taking into consideration any sensory needs)
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Encourage your child to have enough sleep so they are able to concentrate throughout the day
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Where necessary, informing us when your child is absent by calling the school office before 9:15am on their each day of absence 0121 325 3900
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Helping them to be prepared for the school day, i.e. having their Swimming kit on Swimming days, having their homework ready to be handed in on time, etc.
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Making sure they have had breakfast before school.
Parents are responsible for making sure that their children of compulsory school age receive a suitable full-time education.’ (Department for Education, 2015). Nevertheless, to help parents with this, the school will monitor attendance and punctuality and support families who are experiencing difficulties in getting their children to school. If you are having difficulties with your child coming into school, on time, every day, please contact us.
It is important that parents, pupils, school staff and governors all work together to ensure high levels of attendance and punctuality.
School has a duty to know the whereabouts of all children on roll. We ask that parents contact the school no later than 9:15am to let the school know if your child is going to be absent. Alternatively, a message can be left on the school’s answering machine. Where contact has not been made, the school office will make contact to ensure each child is accounted for. Where a child cannot be accounted for, we may initiate a home visit to ensure the safety of a child.
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Where attendance falls below 90%, the child will be considered a persistent absentee and classed as a vulnerable child by the Local Authority. All measures should be taken to prevent attendance from reducing to this level unless there is an exceptional circumstance.
When a child’s attendance is a concern, the school works with the ‘Fast Track’ attendance scheme governed by The Education Legal Intervention Team. This process includes specific measures to be taken by families to improve attendance. Should the programme fail to improve attendance, parents could face legal action which could result in criminal prosecution and parents receiving a criminal record. This is in extreme cases and Priestley Smith School will support parents in any way we can to improve attendance and prevent persistent absences, and therefore prevent the Fast Track programme from being initiated.
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Attendance in Equals this number of Which is approximately Which means this number
one school year days absent this many weeks of lessons missed
90% 19 days 4 weeks 100 lessons
80% 38 days 8 weeks 200 lessons
70% 57 days 11.5 weeks 280 lessons
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Any queries regarding attendance and punctuality should be discussed with your child’s class / form teacher in the first instance.
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