Attendance
Attendance at Victoria Primary Academy
Please Note: All Parent/Carers must notify the school of any absence of pupil including those who attend Nursery (morning and afternoon sessions).
We recognise the clear link between good attendance and children’s attainment. We therefore expect all children to attend school regularly and on time.
At Victoria Primary Academy, because we value attendance, we encourage regular and punctual attendance with the following rewards:
| Weekly | Half-termly | Annually | |
| 100% | Raffle lucky dip | Star prize draw for the 100% club | Star prize draw for the 100% club |
| 100% attendance sticker | 100% attendance certificate | 100% attendance medal | |
| Any class with 100% attendance for the week will be rewarded with a pizza party. | |||
| Class | A class from FS/KS1 and a class from KS2 will win Biscuit Bear for the week. | A class from FS/KS1 and a class from KS2 earn a reward of their choosing. | A class from FS/KS1 and a class from KS2 earn a reward of their choosing. |
| Any class meeting or exceeding our 97% target earn an extra playtime. | |||
| Most Improved | Any child nominated for their improved attendance receives a goodie bag and a postcard home. | ||
If your child is absent due to illness, or for any other valid reason, please contact the school office (0113 248 2449) on the first day of absence.
No child will be allowed to leave the school premises during the school day unless collected by a Parent/Carer or a nominated adult (aged 16 years and over) who is a named contact for the child. All pupils must be signed out at the school office and the reason for them leaving the school premises must be specified. Written confirmation of an appointment is required for all medical and dental appointments. We encourage parents to make medical and dental appointments in the school holidays wherever possible, or out of school hours.
As parents/cares we expect that you will:
- Always encourage regular school attendance and be aware of your legal responsibilities.
- Always ensure that your child arrives at school punctually and ready for the school day.
- Ensure that you contact school whenever your child is unwell and unable to attend school.
- Contact the school by 9.00 am on the first day of the child’s absence and telephone every day thereafter unless your child has a doctor’s certificate.
- Contact us promptly whenever any issue occurs that may keep your child away from school.
Responding to non-attendance
When a pupil does not attend school we will respond in the following manner:
- On the first day of absence, if we have not heard from the parent/carer by 9.30 am the school will ring the child’s first nominated point of contact. We may follow this with a home-visit if we are not able to make contact with you by telephone.
- When children are frequently absent, or they have low attendance over time, you will follow our attendance procedures. These are a supportive measure and school will ask you to attend a meeting in school where we can see how school could support you to improve your child’s attendance.
- If attendance does not improve after support we may refer you to the Cluster Attendance Team. You will be notified of this. Failure to comply with the expectations set out by the Cluster Attendance Team may result in further action, or court prosecution.
Punctuality
As all school days begin with a core area of learning (reading, writing or maths), it is very important that your child arrives on time every day.
- If pupils arrive at school after the close of the register (8.45) without a written explanation, a late mark will be recorded.
- If a child arrives late after 9.30 am, it will be recorded as a late absence and counted as an unauthorised absence. Where a child is persistently late, we consider this cause for concern and will ask to meet with parents to discuss a suitable way forward and/or notify the Educational Welfare Service.
Leave of absence
The school operates a very strict policy regarding leave during term time. Leave of absence will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.
The school term dates are published a year in advance and therefore we do not support or authorise parents taking their child out of school during term time. If a family feels leave in term time is unavoidable, a Grant of Leave of Absence (in very exceptional circumstances) must be completed at least two weeks prior to the leave date. This can be obtained by writing to the Headteacher, via the School Office.
Please click below to view Victoria Primary Academy Attendance Policy:
