ATTENDANCE POLICY

Date of Policy:	For Academic Year 2022-23
Date for Review:	August 2023
Lead for Review:	Assistant Head (PPPD)

Contents

Contents	2

Preface	3

Aim	3

Statutory guidelines and responsibilities	3

UKVI	3

Student responsibilities	4

Staff responsibilities	4

Procedures	4

Authorisation	4

Preface

The Department for Education (DfE) has published numerous reports that link absence and attainment.

The reports conclude, in general, that the higher the overall absence rate, the lower the likely level of attainment. Specifically, students at GCSE with no absence are 2.2 times more likely to achieve 5+ GCSEs A*-C or equivalent and 2.8 times more likely to achieve 5+ GCSEs A*-C or equivalent including English and mathematics than pupils missing 15-20% of GCSE lessons.

It is reasonable to assume that good attendance at the school is therefore necessary for students to fulfil their potential.

This policy sets out how this will be supported and achieved, besides the fact that a good attendance record is a statutory requirement for Compulsory School Age (CSA) pupils, and students who receive the sponsorship of the school to obtain a visa to study in the United Kingdom (via UKVI).

Aim

Encourage all students to maintain 100% overall attendance in order to promote their achievement and success.

Principles to be followed to achieve this aim:

Ensure all school staff (in particular, Teachers, the Attendance Officer, Personal Tutors and Pastoral Directors) are proactive in following up on non-attendance and that there is prompt, accurate and comprehensive liaison with stakeholders by the appropriate staff.

There will be recognition of critical times in the life of a student after absences (e.g. after long term illness, bereavement) when we need to be proactive to ensure that the student is well supported, and good attendance is picked back up.

Every case must be judged on its specific circumstances.

Statutory guidelines and responsibilities

UKVI

The school will observe the requirements of UK Visas and Immigration organisation (UKVI).

Maintaining satisfactory attendance is part of the visa conditions for students studying under a visa in the UK. It is the responsibility of the institution to ensure accurate attendance monitoring and prompt follow up occur across all courses.

We will cease to sponsor students who repeatedly fail in meeting attendance requirements.

The school will cease to sponsor any student on a Student Visa who misses 10 consecutive contact points.

A contact point is defined as an entire day (Monday to Friday). In addition to timetabled classes, contact points may also include meetings with residential staff or welfare/pastoral staff if necessary in welfare cases.

A student who has missed 10 missed contact points may, in exceptional circumstances, may be allowed back into the school.

The student will be required to document any reason for the absences and continued sponsorship will be at the discretion of the Headmaster.

When the school ceases to sponsor a student, this will be reported to UKVI via the SMS and the Student Visa will then be curtailed by UKVI.

Student responsibilities

It is the responsibility of all students to ensure that they attend every lesson or other session on their timetable.

If students are aware in advance that an event will result in them missing lessons, they must seek authorisation in advance.

Students must provide appropriate evidence for any absences. There is a sickness/attendance procedure that students must follow for relevant staff to consider authorisation.

Staff responsibilities

Staff must support students to maintain 100% attendance.

Teaching staff must complete the register for every lesson during the first 10 minutes. They must promptly amend the register when a student arrives late to their lesson.

Teachers should discuss and challenge lateness occurrences with students every time it occurs and issue demerits as appropriate.

Personal Tutors monitor and manage student attendance and should discuss and challenge all unauthorised absences for the students they are responsible for, again, issuing demerits as appropriate.

Procedures

The policy is aimed to reflect the age range of students attending the school.

New teachers will receive an induction on their role in attendance matters.

The Student Handbook contains details regarding the reporting of absences and the Student Behaviour Policy contains details regarding demerits.

Authorisation

Authorised absences are times away from school for a good reason.

Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider reasonable and for which “no leave” is given.

UKVI state that authorised absence should be ‘reasonably granted’. This means we should actively consider the intentions of the student, i.e. whether they are genuinely intending to continue their course and the impact of any absence on the student’s ability to complete their course.

If either of these factors is in any doubt, we may need to consider alternative action, such as withdrawal or deferral.

Late return to the school and/or early departure caused by flight schedules will need to be sanctioned by the school on an individual basis, but only when there is a very good reason.

There are clear, well defined procedures for reporting medical absences. These procedures are communicated to students upon induction to the school and students must follow them for an absence to be considered for authorisation.

Educational visits (such as university open days/interviews/auditions) will usually be authorised if evidence is provided to the school and procedures followed.

The school recognises that as a multi-cultural and mixed faith community there are events that will fall in term time, however, these will not be authorised.