attendanceat furness academy

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ImprovIng AttendAnceevery dayevery Half dayevery Lesson counts!  

any absence affects the pattern of a child’s education and regular absence will seriously affect their learning. “every Lesson matters” in the academy and students who have time off often find it difficult to catch up and do well.

furness academy promotes our core values and we encourage all students to reach out and have the opportunity to achieve their personal best. We want to work in partnership with parents, carers, students, teachers

and the wider community in our pursuit of this goal. for our children to gain the greatest benefit from their education it is vital that they attend regularly and on time. your child should attend furness academy every day the academy is open unless the reason for absence is unavoidable, every day, HaLF day and LeSSOn MatterS.

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Furness AcAdemyAttendAnce tArgetthe minimum level of attendance expected for all students at furness academy is 96% which is equivalent to no more than 8 days absence per student per academic year.

our target is to achieve better than this because we know that good attendance is the key to student success and academic achievement.

We will keep you informed of future projects or initiatives that will focus on improving attendance and

how your child’s attendance compares with the

Government expectations.

DID YO U K N O W?

The GOverNmeNT cONsIDers aNaTTeNDaNce Of belOW

93%UNsaTIsfacTOrY

good AttendAnce meAns

there is a strong link between the number of days absence a student has and the qualifications that a student achieves.

student absence can disrupt teaching routines and may affect the learning of others in the same class.

Not setting bad

behaviour patterns

Not missing

important lessons

It is easier to make and keep friends

A better chance

of being successful

in life

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Why good AttendAnceIs ImportAnt

chris is a new year 7 Student

He/she has 90% attendance

chris thinks this is pretty good

So does his/her parent/carer  

are they right?

Is chris’s attendance good?

What does 90% attendance mean?

DID YO U K N O W?aTTeNDaNce

=90%

1/2DaYmIsseD everY WeeK

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Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11

Let’s Look A LIttLe cLoserOne school year at 90% attendance MeanS your child will miss FOur wHOLe weekS OF LeSSOnS, which equals 100 HOurS of education missed.

or 500 hours of education missed!

90% aTTeNDaNce Over fIve

Years Of eDUcaTION meaNshalf a Year mIsseD

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WhAt ImpAct mIght 90% AttendAnce hAve on your chILd’s LIFe? research suggests that…

17 missed school days a yearequals a drop in a grade in Gcse achievement (dfes)

the good neWs

GraduateDegree

£15.01per hour

a levels£10.25per hour

Gcses£9.02

per hour

No Qualification£7.44

per houremployment is hard to

find without qualifications

wHat cOuLd cHriS’S pOtentiaL earningS LOOk Like?

The greater the attendance......the greater the achievement

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the AttendAnce teAm peOpLe reSpOnSibLe FOr attendance MatterS at FurneSS acadeMy

MrS rObinSOn assistant Principal

MrS iSaacSeducation Welfare Officer (eWO)

MrS gunSOnattendance Lead and education Welfare Officer

MrS keLLSattendance Officer

mrs IsAAcs And mrs gunson Furness academy education welfare OfficerseWOs provide support and advice on problems relating to attendance, putting parents/carers in touch with other support agencies who may offer assistance. eWOs help and encourage good communications between home and the academy. the eWOs will always try and resolve the situation by agreement with the family but, if other ways of trying to improve the students attendance have failed and unauthorised absence persist the eWO will use sanctions such as Penalty notices.

our AttendAnce oFFIcer, mrs keLLsWork alongside academy staff, Parents and students to help create a culture for improved attendance and attitude to learning and encouraging good communications between home and school.   

We all want to address student engagement within the academy community, and need to work as a team. your continued support therefore is vital in making your child’s journey through the academy a success.

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AttendAnce poLIcyWe are hopeful that if we all work together we will help your child to achieve their personal best.

the place to be on a school day is at the academy. If you are not in the academy then you must have a just reason and a parent/carer should have telephoned 01229 484270 preferably before 8.40am on the first day of absence.

absence messages should contain the following information:

student name Learning Group

reason for the absence Possible length of time the student will be out of the academy.

you are expected to attend the academy every day unless you are medically unfit or have an urgent unavoidable family reason not to attend. for absences longer than five days parent/carers should contact the academy each following monday morning if the child’s absence spans more than one week. for long term absences a parent/carer may be requested to obtain a medical note.

LateneSSpoor punctuality is not acceptable. If your child misses the start of the day they can miss work and do not spend time with their Learning Group Leader getting vital information and the news for the day. Late arriving students also disrupt lessons, can be embarrassing for the child arriving late and can encourage future absence.

the school day starts at 8.40am and we expect all students to be in class at that time. the academy recommends that students arrive at the academy by 8.30am.

If your child arrives after registration time they must sign in at student services. students will be entered as late on the register.

safeguarding our students is important.

If you have any problem getting your child to attend the

academy on time please contact the attendance Officer on 01229 484270 who will be happy to support you to resolve the problem.

DID YO U K N O W?

beING

mINUTes

WhOle lessON=

101

laTe everY DaY

everY WeeK

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Punctuality is a priority for all students if your child is persistently late you will be asked to discuss the issue with the Head of year to resolve the problem

If your child continues to be persistently late for school after 9.30am you may face the possibility of a penaLty nOtice.

iF yOur cHiLd iS abSentWe will:

telephone or text you on the first day of absence if we have not heard from you;

If your child’s absences are

increasing and we are not aware of a good reason for this we will invite you in to the academy to discuss the situation with your child’s Head of year.

If absence persists the education

Welfare Officers may then review further appropriate action, including legal interventions with the local authority.

the eWOs will always try and resolve the situation by agreement with the family but, if other ways of trying to improve the students attendance have failed and unauthorised absence persist the eWO will use sanctions such as Penalty notices.

due to change in Government legislation - Holidays in term time cannot be granted. for details on exceptional leave of absence requests please see letter below.

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dear Parent/carer

I am writing to update you on some of the changes to the academy’s attendance Procedures which include punctuality to school.

the academy and the Governing Body are keen to promote improved attendance. It is vital that all students attend regularly and on time.

Outlined below are the expectations:- - students leave home on time and arrive at the academy by 8:30 am, with correct uniform and equipment to start the day (including their tablet). - Parent/carer to telephone the academy if your son/daughter is to be late. - contact the academy by 8:40 am on the first day of absence if your son/ daughter is unable to attend through illness – 01229 484270 – Option 1, text 07624815968, or email info@furnessacademy.co.uk. - If you receive a text message as a result of your child’s absence it is important that you respond to this text to ensure your child is appropriately safeguarded. - contact mrs Kells, the academy attendance Officer, if the reason for absence requires a more personal contact. - We need u p t o d a t e contact numbers at all times so please ensure you inform us of any changes. - requests for exceptional circumstances leave of absence must be made in writing to mrs robinson, assistant Principal, and if possible at least 4 weeks prior to any leave and can only be authorised by the Principal. reasons such as family bereavement or taking part in a religious event would be acceptable for short absences. unacceptable reasons for missing academy education include general holidays, shopping, concerts and birthdays.

if your child is absent or late we will: • Telephone and text you on the first day of absence if we have not heard from you. • If no response is received a member of Academy staff will make a home visit to check on the welfare of the student (this new procedure will begin week commencing Monday 10th February 2014). • If your child’s absences are increasing and we are not aware of a good reason you will be invited to meet your child’s Head of year and the education Welfare Officers. • If absences persist the Head of Year may refer the matter to the Education Welfare Officers. • Any student who is late twice in one week will make this time up in their lunchtime.

ensuring your child regularly attends school is your legal responsibility and permitting your child to have any absence from furness academy, without a good reason, is an offence in LaW (the education act 1996) and may result in legal action.

We are very keen to work with parents/carers to ensure that all students meet the minimum attendance target of 96% (no more than 8 days per student per year).

If you require any further information on this please do not hesitate to contact me.

yours faithfully

Helen robinson assistant Principal

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reWArds, tArgets, projects

And specIAL InItIAtIves

Good attendance is a priority at the academy. We want to achieve the best for our students and in order to do this a student needs to attend the academy every day and be on time.

your child has an important part to play in meeting their attendance

targets. targets for the academy, Learning Groups, year Groups and Houses are displayed in the academy and in Learning Groups and students should take the time to study them.

daiLy awardSfor Learning Groups

with 100% attendance

prize drawSfor tickets to

entertainment/events

tripSto football games,

theme parks, Leavers’ Ball

SeaSOnaL awardSincluding easter

eggs and christmas selection boxes

FuLLy cHarged awardS

for all students with 100% for a full year

For further details on the full attendance policy contact the school office

reWArds, tArgets, projects And specIAL InItIAtIves

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