Attendance

Queen’s Park School’s Approach to Attendance

At Queen’s Park, we pride ourselves on our commitment to strong pastoral care and know that students achieve well in all areas of the school when they feel supported, cared for and have professionals they can talk to when they need extra help.  We know we are most successful in working with students who attend school regularly and can demonstrate that, “it takes a village to raise a child”. The partnerships we create with families to support student attendance are crucial. We aim to do this in a transparent and compassionate way.

Ms. Deadman is our Attendance Officer and can be found in the school office every day. If you have any worries or questions about absences, punctuality or attendance please speak to Ms. Deadman.

Excellent attendance and punctuality are vital. Children with better attendance achieve more at all stages of their education. 

In their most recent inspection, Ofsted judged that our attendance figures overall are lower than national averages, so we need your support to make the improvements necessary and see our children thrive.

Reporting Absences

Please contact the school office by phone before 8:50am on 01273 686822 on each day that your child is absent. You can also email admin@queenspark.brighton-hove.sch.uk. 

If we have not received a reason for an absence we will call and email to try to find our why your child is absent. If absences are “unexplained” we are required to record them as unauthorised. A member of the senior leadership team may complete a home visit to make sure your family is OK.

If children have an allocated social worker we will also inform them of the absence.

Absence due to illness

The vast majority of absence from school is due to illness. It is completely normal for all children to become ill from time to time, but where there is a high level of illness we will inform families by email that their child’s attendance is being monitored, and invite them to contact us to discuss any health concerns that they may have or support that is needed to help their child attend school more regularly. These emails are usually triggered if a child’s attendance falls below 96%. However, we do consider prior attendance to make a decision about when to contact you.

“Low Level” Illnesses

If your child is slightly unwell – for example a headache, sore throat, stomach ache etc. then they can still come to school. If you would like the office to administer any medication during the school day please go to the office and sign a form or email us which enables us to do this.

Longer absences due to illness

Families are asked to provide “medical evidence” to support any absences due to illness of 3 days or more. This does not have to be a formal doctor’s note or certificate but can be an appointment card, hospital letter, copy of a text message appointment confirmation, dated prescription or packaging of prescription medication etc.

Concerns around Attendance

If we have ongoing concerns about your child’s attendance you may be invited to attend an attendance support meeting in school to discuss this with our family champion, To Banks. These meetings do form part of a legal framework, as under section 444 of the Education Act 1996 it is parents/carers’ legal responsibility to ensure that children attend school regularly.

We are committed to working with families to help improve attendance. If there is a problem or your child is reluctant to come into school please let us know as we want to help.

If there is ongoing unauthorised absence parents/carers are at risk of fines and/or legal action from the Local Authority.

Medical Appointments during school time

We ask that any medical/dental appointments are made outside of school time, wherever possible, unless it is an emergency. Please ensure that copies of any appointment cards/hospital appointment letters or text messages etc. are shown to the office so that any absence from school can be authorised. We expect children to attend school before and after appointments in the middle of the school day.

Punctuality

We open all gates and doors at 8.40am and close them at 8.50am. Please aim to arrive at 8.40am so that children can  organise themselves and settle into their classes. This will help them have a calm start to the day.

Any child arriving after 8.50am will need to come into school via the office through the Part Street entrance and will be recorded as “late” on the registers. If children arrive regularly and/or extremely late to school we will inform parents/carers of our concerns via email, and if concerns persist we may need to hold meetings to address this.  

Poor punctuality disrupts the entire class and impacts on learning. Key learning begins at 8.50am each morning so if your child arrives late, they will be missing this.

Gates Open: 8.40am

Learning in Class Starts: 8.50am

Lunch: 12.15 - 1.15pm

End of Day: Reception - 3.15pm

End of Day: Year 1 - 6 - 3.20pm

Requests for Absence during Term Time

We do have a form to request authorisation for a term-time absence in the school office which must be completed and returned at least 3 weeks before any planned absence. Schools cannot authorise any requests for leave in term time for family holidays. If you do take your child out of school for a family holiday you should expect to receive Fixed Penalty Notice fines from the Local Authority.

The Fixed Penalty Notice is £60 per parent (or other person with parental responsibility) per child if paid within 21 days rising to £120 per parent per child if paid between 21 and 28 days. If the Penalty Notice is unpaid, the Local Authority will consider taking legal proceedings and this can lead to prosecution in the magistrates court.

If you feel that there are exceptional circumstances in your own case please provide full details on the form and we will look at each case on an individual basis.

Celebrating Excellent Attendance

Each week in assembly we celebrate the classes with the best attendance for the previous week – these classes get to look after Attendance Fred and often get a mention in the school newsletter. We also celebrate improved attendance for individual children through certificates and hot chocolate with headteacher.

How good is your child's attendance?

Above 97%: Less than 6 days absence a year
Excellent attendance! Pupils will almost certainly get the best grades they can leading to better prospects for the future.  

95%: 10 days absence a year
Attendance is becoming a concern and we need to work together to improve this.

90%: 19 days absence a year
These pupils are missing a month of school per year. The Government classifies pupils in this group as “Persistent Absentees” and it will be very difficult to keep up with work. Parents of young people in this group may face legal action being taken by the Local Authority.

Routine is the key to success

At home, routine is the key to making simple changes for success and here is a six point plan to try with the family:

  • Going to school unprepared can be a major worry for children - help by checking schoolbags the night before, packing P.E. bags and keeping an eye on homework progress.

  • Tired children aren't punctual and find it hard to learn, so ensure your child has a sensible bedtime and switch off all electricals at least an hour before bedtime.

  • Help your children get into a regular routine and set the alarm at the same time every morning.

  • Make time for breakfast so there are no shop stops where children can get side-tracked on the way to school. A nutritious breakfast also fuels more effective learning.

  • Children can become unsettled if they have to go into school late and without their friends - getting children to school in time to meet friends at the gate prevents this.

  • Have a memory board at home for special trips or activities - the board will help your children remember to tell you and help you remember to prepare them for it.

School absence, which might at first be relatively infrequent, can rapidly build up. Try to clamp down even on occasional absence; show your child that attending school is a priority, and is key to their future success. Get to know your child's teacher and head teacher - communicating problems is the first step to solving them.

Of course children are ill on occasions and when this is the case, we accept that being at home is the best place to be. Sometimes it can be difficult to decide if you should when you should keep your child at home.

Please take a look at our leaflet to help you decide.

Attendance minor sickness and attendance 2022-23

For details from the NHS click here: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

Please note - It’s fine to send your child to school with a minor cough or common cold.

If your child is too unwell to attend school.

 

  1. Please phone the school on the first day of absence, by telephone. Choose option 1 on the system. Leave a message stating your child's name, class and the reason of absence and an estimated return date.

  2. If we have no contact from you by 10am, we will phone to ascertain your child's whereabouts and reason for absence.

  3. You must phone every day of your child's absence.

  4. If the reason for the absence is illness, you may be required to provide medical evidence in order to ensure that the absence can be authorised and classified correctly.

Whenever possible make all medical appointments at the end of the school day or outside school hours. If the only option is to have an appointment in school time, your child should come to school first and/or return after their appointment.

Please be aware that the absence or illness of a pupil should not affect the education of their siblings. If a pupil has an appointment (particularly at the beginning or end of the school day), arrangements should be made to ensure that the other sibling is either dropped off or collected from school on time.

Back to Your Future

Persistent Absence