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Students must come to school every day the school is open. This is known as regular attendance.

Students are more likely to want to come to school and achieve if they feel:

• included
• valued
• respected
• supported.

Students who miss school often

The attendance policy defines the following groups of students as at risk because of how often they miss school.

• Habitual non-attendance: a student misses 5 to 9 school days in a term. This is for any reason.
• Chronic non-attendance: a student misses 10 or more days in a term. This is for any reason.

For students in these groups, we assess the level of risk to their learning and wellbeing. When a student is at risk we will talk with the family about the issues.

Our school's vision

At Hawthorndene Primary School we aim to provide a safe, success oriented and stimulating environment. Students need to attend school regularly in order to participate fully and gain maximum benefits from schooling. Our aim is to ensure all students have access to equitable educational outcomes. Monitoring of student attendance enables identification of students at risk and early implementation of intervention strategies. We believe that early detection and assessment of the causes of school non – attendance and the provision of organization structures, responsive to the needs of the individual, are vital. All members of the school community are expected to meet the requirements of attendance and work to the best of their ability and skill as consistently as possible. Student attendance is everyone’s business.

How we follow up if a student misses school

This is an overview of how we follow up student absences. We might change these steps to fit in with a family’s needs. A quick follow up helps us to manage risks early and reduce absences. A child who is at least six years old but not yet sixteen is of compulsory school age, irrespective of distance from school and is required to be enrolled at a registered Government or Non-Government school. He/she must attend the school on every day instruction is to be provided at the school for the child, unless the Minister has granted an exemption from school attendance. Once children are six years of age they are required to attend school for the entire day. The primary responsibility for meeting this legal requirement rests with the parent / guardian. The responsibility for enforcing school attendance is with the Department for Education.(DfE). The school therefore has a legal responsibility to record and monitor attendance and report problems of non-attendance to the department.

1. If a student misses school, we record their absence. We also record the reason given by the parent or carer.
2. If we receive no reason, we follow up with the parent or carer. This is usually by phone or text (SMS).
3. If the absences continue or there are concerns raised by the absence, we keep following up. This might be by phone, email, meeting or a letter.
   • We support the family to look at any issues that stop the student from going to school.
   • If needed, we connect the family to other services. For example student support services.

Our data

At Hawthorndene Primary School our student attendance records help us to plan how we improve school attendance.

We routinely analyse data. We look at patterns. For example the attendance of different year levels. We also look at individual student attendance.

Our attendance rate has remained reasonably consistent. Many families apply for exemptions for travel during term time.

Our approach to improving attendance

At Hawthorndene Primary School our attendance strategies are guided by the ºÚÁϳԹÏn Department for Education's attendance policy.

We will plan, implement and review the following attendance improvement actions. We will do this with our governing council, staff, students, families and local community.

Promote

We will promote the importance of education from the earliest years of life and throughout the schooling years as a school community priority of the highest value.

Our actions

Assess

We will assess patterns of non-attendance and circumstances. We will use this to inform the development of appropriate targeted, intensive and coordinated interventions.

Our actions

Engage

We will actively engage and include all children, young people and their families in education and interventions which support attendance.

Our actions

Support

We will provide support to address the barriers to attendance, learning and wellbeing. We will make sure there is inclusive support for children and young people so they can be physically present and engaged in education.

Our actions

Monitor

We will monitor attendance to make sure that risks are identified, supports are in place, and progress is monitored.

Our actions

Evaluate

We will evaluate the need for further or ongoing interventions, referrals for external support and mandatory notifications.

Our actions