Absence

Every young person is entitled to an education. Parents who do not ensure their children receive appropriate education, put their child's future at risk. Being absent from school means a missed opportunity to learn. Regular attendance, including punctuality, helps a child become reliable and organised. These are two qualities valued by employers and are essential for life after education.
As a school, we are committed to maintaining parents’ and pupils’ awareness of the importance of regular attendance;

• Raising attendance
• Improving punctuality
• Raising levels of achievement
• Maximising opportunities both in school and in later life

Good attendance is important because:

Statistics show a direct link between under-achievement and poor attendance. They also show that:

• Regular attenders make better progress, both socially and academically
• Regular attenders find school routines and school work easier to cope with
• Regular attenders find learning more satisfying
• Regular attenders have an easier transfer to secondary school
• Regular attendance promotes wellbeing

Parents must:

• Contact the school as early as possible on the first morning of all absences explaining the reason for absence, and to let us know when the pupil will be returning to school.
• Arrange dental and doctor’s appointments outside of school hours, or during the school holidays.
• Bring their child to school before, and return them after a hospital or other medical appointment.
• Contact the school if their child has an extended period of absence due to illness.
• Work with the school to promote good attendance.

Contact the school at 01443875531 or by email at heoca@caerphilly.gov.uk.

Following up on unexplained absences after registration:

The school will take various measures to safeguard children. This could be via any of of the following:

• Contacting parents or guardians via InTouch; an email communication software.
• Further contact via a phone call as a follow-up if the absence continues.
• A home visit if we fail to make contact on the first day/s of absence.
• Referral to Education Welfare Service for support.
• Conducting a Student Attendance Meeting (SAMs) on the school site with the Family Engagement Officer and all multi-agency partners.

Punctuality

All pupils should arrive on-site by 8:25 am ready for the school day to start at 8:30 am. It is important to be on time as the first few minutes of the school day are often used to give out instructions, or for pupils to organise their schoolwork for the rest of the day. If a child misses the pastoral period, their work for the whole day may be affected.

Late arrivals are disruptive to the whole class, and often embarrassing for a child. We expect our students to be punctual; arrival after the close of registration may be marked as an unauthorised absence in line with the Local Authority guidance.

The school will contact parents if we have concerns about a child’s punctuality. Persistent lateness will result in detention.

Holidays and Term Time

The school supports the view that every lesson counts, and discourages parents from taking holidays in term time. There is no entitlement to time-off in term time and it is our policy not to authorise any holidays during term time.