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At Good Shepherd we want to work with you to achieve the best attendance we can in our school. Even short absences will have a detrimental effect on your child’s learning.
| Attendance during one school year | Equals this number of days absent | Which is approximately this many weeks absent | Which means up to 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 |
Our school doors open at 8:30 am to assist working parents and close at 08.50am. If your child arrives after the school doors are closed, they will be recorded as late. If your child arrives after 09:30 am, when the registers are closed, they will be marked with a ‘U’ code which means they are registered as absent for the whole session.
Our school day finishes at 3:15 pm (unless your child is in after-school clubs). Please ensure your child/children are collected on time as lateness can cause distress and upset to your child and must be recorded by the school.
We recognise that children may be unwell from time to time. If your child is unwell, please inform the school on the school answer machine before 9:00 am on each day of absence.
As part of our Romero Attendance Policy, our Family Support & Attendance Worker Sharon Feeney, will be conducting home visits to all children if they are off for 3 consecutive days or more or if your child’s attendance is sporadic. If you are not in, then we will leave a “calling card” and it is expected that you call them back.
Medical/dental appointments are recorded as an absence so still affect your child’s attendance record if they are not present for registration. These appointments must be supported by evidence which should be provided to the school office. Please make medical appointments after school whenever possible.
Following changes in the law in 2013, the Principal can only authorise absence in exceptional circumstances. Leave is unlikely to be granted for purposes of a family holiday. If you wish the Principal to consider a request, please complete an Exceptional Leave of Absence form available from the school office.
Fixed penalty notices can be issued to parents or carers if the children in their care are absent from school for any of the following reasons:
which result in an absence of 10 or more sessions within a 5-week period.
A fine of £60 for each child is issued to each parent or carer. If the fine is not paid within 21 days, a fine of £120 will be issued; which has be paid within 28 days of the date from when the original fine was issued. Please note there is no right to appeal.
In the Romero Academy, we want to help you to ensure your child attends school each day and on time. Our Learning Mentor and Partnership Attendance officer work together to this aim and will contact you if it is necessary to address levels of absence or lateness in our school.
All children who have 100% attendance will receive recognition and a special Certificate at the last assembly of each term, with special incentives if they achieve 100% attendance for the whole year.
Classes with the highest attendance each week also receive recognition in our weekly assembly and are mentioned in our school newsletter.
