Attendance

For each child to reach their full educational achievement, a high level of school attendance is essential.  We will consistently work towards a goal of 100% attendance for all children. 

Further information can be found by reading our Attendance Leaflet below. Further information is also available to families on the Parent App.

• Attendance leaflet September 2023

  The BDAT Attendance Policy can be found on the BDAT website by clicking here 

What are our strategies for excellent attendance?

Leadership & Management

• Hannah Child is our Attendance Lead in school
• Gillian Illingworth and the Admin team support with the day to day attendance and promotion of punctuality
• All staff in school are aware of their role in supporting pupils in having high expectations of attendance and punctuality

Relationships & Communication

• We build trusting relationships between parents/carers, pupils and families to encourage engagement with school
• We prioritise children and families first and offer 1:1 support, where and when needed, to support pupils to attend school, on time, every day
• We communicate openly and honestly with staff, pupils and families about the expectations of attendance and punctuality
• We reward children and families of 100% attenders
• We reward children and families of children who have met attendance targets having improved their attendance
• We liaise with outside agencies, when needed, to work with pupils and families to support attendance
• We provide regular reports to parents/carers sharing their child’s attendance and the school’s attendance

Systems & Data

• We closely track and monitor the attendance and punctuality of pupils to provide an accurate picture of attendance and create actions for target children, families or groups
• We provide regular reports and strategies to staff to support them to track the attendance of their target children
• We work alongside the St John’s Safeguarding team to share attendance feedback about our most vulnerable pupils

Intervention

• We monitor and analyse data regularly to ensure early interventions
• We use attendance, pastoral, family liaison and SEND staff to identify and overcome barriers to attendance
• We create action plans in partnership with families and other agencies
• We follow local authority codes of conduct, policies and procedures

How do we communicate? 

We communicate regularly with parents, carers and pupils about the importance of good attendance. 

Parents/Carers 

• The school Attendance Leaflet is shared annually or when reviewed
• The school Attendance Leaflet is accessible on the Parent App and the Website
• Termly attendance letter and session summary sent to parents or carers for all children – including nursery and reception
• Letters, phone calls and attendance meetings if attendance or punctuality is a concern
• Sharing of Statutory Attendance frameworks

Pupils

• Celebration of class attendance shared in weekly Celebration Collective Worship
• Weekly incentives and rewards given to 100% scoring class 
• Termly well done hot chocolate for children with 100% or significantly improved attendance
• End of term well done hot chocolate and certificates for children with 100% attendance
• Monitoring and celebration of children who have achieved 100% in their cumulative school years 
• Personalised attendance targets to incentivize, recognise and reward key children
• Inclusivity of reception and nursery in all attendance recognitions and rewards

Statutory guidance and resources

The follow statutory Department for Education documentation is used to inform the school's work on pupil attendance:

Keeping Children Safe in Education

School behaviour and attendance: parental responsibility measures

  The BDAT Attendance Policy can be found on the BDAT website by clicking here