Attendance and Punctuality
All schools/academies have to show that they have a robust system in place to track and support any attendance which falls below this level.
Attendance here at Oasis Academy Limeside is co-ordinated by Mrs Charles (Assistant Principal). We have an Attendance and Admissions Officer, Miss Giddens who works closely with Mrs Charles on a daily basis.
OUR ATTENDANCE TARGET IS 97% (currently 93.6%) so we have some work to do, although we do aim in the long term for as close to 100% as possible.
Attendance and Access to the School Site
School gates open at 8:40am every morning to allow time for your child to reach their classrooms on time. If your child is in after 9am please be aware they will need to be brought to the office as gates are closed promptly at this time, they must be signed in and a reason must be given for the lateness. Therefore this will result in a late mark.
Should your child be unable to attend school, we expect parents to contact the school by telephone - 0161 678 7535 before 9.00am and inform the reception staff the reason for absence.
If we have not received a reason for absence for your child, we will attempt to contact parents by telephone to ascertain a reason for absence. If this is not successful, school has a responsibility to determine the safeguarding/wellbeing of your child and may conduct a home visit.
Illness's, Medications, Appointments and Term-Time Leave
We understand at times that there can be genuine reasons for absences. Please remember to keep the Academy Office informed.
Illness
At times illness can permit your child from attending school. If this is the case please ensure you let teachers know and call the absence line to report this to the Academy Office.
Should your child be absent due to illness it would be expected that your child remains at home and does not accompany parents or siblings to go shopping or participate in other activities that would suggest that they are well enough to attend school.
Absences that are due to illness and last longer than 3 days may require medical evidence to be authorised. This can take the form of a GP appointment card, a consultation letter, copy of a prescription etc.
Repeated illnesses may also require medical evidence to be authorised.
If your child becomes unwell at school, they will be assessed by class teachers and phase leaders who will determine if they are suitable to remain in the Academy. If they need to be sent home parents/carers will be contacted.
Medications
If your child is on any medications it is fine for them to come to school. We have first-aiders who can administer the medication when required- Please note that a medication form will need to be filled in and signed by parents/carers. It will need to be in date and named.
Medical Appointments
Medical appointments should be made outside of school hours where possible. If this is not possible then we require proof of appointment to enable us to mark down registrations accordingly.
Holidays in Term Time
The law states that parents/carers do not have the right to take their child out of the Academy for holidays during term time. In exceptional circumstances however the Principal may authorise a period of leave. On considering any request the Principal will take attendance figures into account. Any extra days will be recorded as unauthorised absences.
To request a leave of absence due to exceptional circumstances please contact the school office and Miss Giddens will be able to give you the form to complete.
If a request is not granted, the leave will be recorded as 'unauthorised'. Unauthorised leave has a negative impact on your child’s attendance and may result in a fixed penalty notice being issued by the local authority.
If you have any queries about attendance please contact Miss Giddens on 0161 688 7535.
Also keep an eye on our Facebook page for any updates.
Persistent Absence
If your child’s attendance falls below our expectations, we will contact parents to discuss the reasons for this and endeavour to provide support to improve your child’s attendance in school.
Being on time to school is important for your child to have the best start to the day. We expect pupils to enter school through their own classroom door therefore ensuring that they arrive on time.
We believe that working together with parents/guardians is the best way to achieve positive attendance outcomes for our children, and we ask that you support us with ensuring that your child regularly attends and is on time.
Should you feel that you need support with your child’s attendance/punctuality in school please contact the Attendance and Pastoral teams.
The Academy is committed to encouraging pupils to attend school regularly. We will work with parents and pupils to secure this aim.
Unauthorised absence will result in a fine and possible court proceedings.
Rewarding attendance
All children are working towards achieving their 100% attendance certificate (1 per term, 3 a year).
We have a system of rewarding attendance throughout the school:-
- Each week the attendance data is monitored and the 'Attendance Cup' is awarded to the class with the best attendance in our Friday Celebration Assembly.
- 100% for the week results in extra playtime.
- Class competition is fierce between teachers and pupils alike and we actively encourage this.
You can support us with this aim by doing the following things;
- Do not book holidays in term time.
- Make medical appointments after your child has had the morning or afternoon attendance mark and always return to school afterwards.
- Do not take your child out of school unless in exceptional circumstances.
- Always ring the school to let us know where your child is and why they are absent.
- Always encourage your child to attend, as sometimes the child saying they don’t feel well could mean they are just tired.
- If your child has been ill, encourage them to attend as soon as they are fit and able.
- Be punctual and set good routines, as persistent lateness will affect their attendance.