12th July 2024Student Attendance
At Barton Manor School, we believe that consistent attendance plays a vital role in fostering academic success, social development, and a sense of belonging. When pupils attend school regularly, they benefit from continuous learning, active participation in class discussions, and the opportunity to build positive relationships with their peers and teachers.
Good attendance and punctuality are important for achieving success at school and are also important life skills.
Absence from school disrupts learning and hinders progress. Ensuring regular attendance at school is a legal responsibility for parents/carers.
If pupils are not in school a justifiable reason must be provided, parents/carers should contact the attendance team by 8:30am or as soon as possible thereafter via telephone or email.
School Absence Line: 01227 532140
School Absence Email: attendance@bartonmanor.org
Senior Lead Attendance Champion: Mrs H Stanley
Heads of Year
Year 7 Mrs K Mount: kmount@bartonmanor.org
Year 8 Miss J Wiles: jwiles@bartonmanor.org
Year 9 Mr A Attrill: aattrill@bartonmanor.org
|
Attendance during |
Equal this number of days absent |
Which is approximately this many week absent |
Which means this number of lessons missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95% | 9 days | 2 weeks | 50 lessons |
| 90% | 19 days | 4 weeks | 100 lessons |
| 85% | 29 days | 6 weeks | 150 lessons |
| 80% | 38 days | 8 weeks | 200 lessons |
If a student’s attendance falls below 90%, they are classified by the Government as being a Persistent Absentee (PA), and are at a much greater chance of failing in their GCSE subjects and therefore damaging their life chances.
Punctuality
Punctuality
Good punctuality is an excellent life skill, and we expect all our students to arrive in school before 8:25am. For any student who arrives after 8:35am, we operate a ‘late gate’ through Reception and pupils will receive a detention on the third late to school. If a pupil arrives after 9:05am they will receive a detention the same day.
We thank you for your continued support in ensuring your child attends school on time every day, so they can achieve their full potential. Arriving just 5 minutes late every day is the equivalent to missing 3 days of education over the whole year. 10 minutes late every day will mean that a child loses over 30 hours of learning a year.
Supporting your Child
The following advice and support have been collated from Government advice and educational bodies around the support required to improve attendance:
- Talk to your child about the importance of attending every class to support their learning
- Help your child maintain daily routines; write out a morning and evening routine to follow, including wake up time, leaving the house, completing homework and a bedtime
- Having a routine for getting up, getting dressed, having breakfast and leaving the house can create a sense of confidence and reduce stress
- Prepare the night before by checking their timetable, packing bags and laying out clothes
- Ask about their school day; learn which classes are engaging your child’s interests
- Discuss ways to increase interest in classes your child does not find engaging
- Encourage meaningful after school activities, including sports and clubs
- Discuss feelings of pressure from other children or feeling alone at school which can lead to skipping or missing school
- If your child is feeling unsafe, losing interest or missing school, speak to their Head of Year
- Stay on top of your child’s social contacts. Peer pressure can lead to skipping school, while pupils without many friends can feel isolated
- Schedule dental and medical appointments outside of the school hours
- Don’t let your child stay home unless truly sick; medical evidence will be requested
- Communicate with the School – talk to teachers if you notice sudden changes in behaviour. These could be tied to something going on at school
- Attendance is an important life skill that will help your child be successful during GCSE exams and throughout their future careers
Helpful Links for support and further information
Helpful links for support and further information:
Resources - Kent Resilience Hub
School absences - Kent County Council
Early Help (support for families) - Kent County Council
Parents Mental Health Support | Advice for Your Child | YoungMinds
School Anxiety and Refusal | Parent Guide to Support | YoungMinds
Summary table of responsibilities for school attendance (publishing.service.gov.uk)
School attendance and absence: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Requesting an Absence
Authorisation of absences are at the discretion of the Headteacher.
All absences, including for holidays, must be requested as far in advance as possible. If you think your child needs to be taken out of school, you should discuss the reasons with the Attendance Team or the Head of Year as soon as possible.
If the Headteacher is satisfied with the evidence and the notice period, they will authorise the absence.
The School cannot authorise an absence for a holiday during term time.
Taking holidays during term time means that pupils miss important school time – both educationally and for other school activities. It will be difficult for pupils to catch up on work when they return to school.
KCC can issues a fine if your child is on holiday during term time.
Leave of Absence Form
