Attendance and Punctuality

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Attendance and Punctuality 2024-03-14T08:42:33+00:00
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Attendance and Punctuality

Why is attendance and punctuality important?

For children to achieve to the best of their ability, they must attend school every day and be punctual. Most children who meet these expectations will make very pleasing rates of progress during their time at Haggerston School. Our wish for all of the children here is that they make the most of everything that the school has to offer (academically, socially and more holistically with regards extra curricular opportunities and enrichment). That is only possible if children are here every day, on site by 8.30am ready for line-up/lesson one and are ready to learn/engage with the opportunities available.

It is essential that your child has excellent attendance and punctuality in order to ensure that they maximise their full potential. Your child should aim to have 98% attendance or better in each year of their secondary schooling and
should always be on time. We will always listen, empathise and support but we will not tolerate poor attendance.

To support with this we ask that:

  • all appointments (including medical and college interviews for Year 11) are arranged outside of school hours.
  • family holidays are only booked during the school holidays and that before booking any holiday you check the website for term dates. Families may incur a fine or penalty notice from the local authority for extended periods away from school.
  • any meetings booked with you by the school about your child’s attendance are kept, and held quickly, so that we can work together to support your child.

If your child is going to be absent you should:

  • call the absence line (on 020 7739 7324 and press option 1) by 8.20am leaving a clear message stating their name, tutor group, specific reason for absence and return date if known
  • email studentabsence@haggerston.hackney.sch.uk by 8.20am stating the same information as above
  • send in medical evidence for all absences of 3 or more school days in order for the absence to be authorised.
  • Medical evidence will need to be provided if your child has a high number of absences. If not provided, this could lead to fines.
  • Attendance is also a safeguarding matter. If we do not see your child for 3 days without contact or 5 days with contact, we will schedule a home visit to ensure all is well. These days may fluctuate due to circumstances.

Rewards

Please check the parent bulletin for weekly reward updates. Every week, the Tutor Group in each Year Group with the highest Attendance and Punctuality can get a weekly early lunch pass from Student Services.  Each half term we will also hold Attendance and Punctuality week whereby the highest Tutor Group in each Year Group will receive a pizza lunch.

Medical needs

If your child has a medical need that can be supported with medication this should be handed to reception so it
can be administered when required.

Holidays

Please do not book these in term time, as we are unable to authorise them. Families may incur a fine or penalty notice from the local authority for extended periods away from school.

Punctuality

Excellent punctuality is also integral to your child’s success, which is why any student who is not on site by the time the student gate closes (8.40am) will be awarded 3 corrections. It is a good habit for all students to adhere to the principle that arriving 5 minutes early is on time. All students should aim to be on site by 8.30am.  If a student is late after 10am and we have not received a communication or evidence of an appointment, the absence will be recorded as an unauthorised absence. Arrival after 9.15 will result in an unauthorised absence, which can lead to fines.

The Impact

We will always listen, emphasise and support but will not tolerate poor attendance.

Any absence affects the pattern of a student’s schooling and regular absence will seriously affect their learning. Absence disrupts teaching routines, and so may affect the learning of others in the same class.  It is widely known that the link between a student’s attendance and attainment is irrefutable – students who miss large amounts of school do not achieve as well as those who attend regularly.  Poor attendance habits follow through from secondary school into employment.  To break these patterns, the school will work closely and supportively with parents and will intervene swiftly where there are concerns. Once a student’s attendance percentage drops below 97%, students’ academic outcomes can drop significantly. At Haggerston School we have the high expectation that every student should be striving to achieve 100% attendance every academic year, and our goal is to see the whole school figure rise towards this.

As a school we are striving to achieve an overall attendance that exceeds both local and national averages and continues to improve from year to year. In 2021/2022 we were above the National and Local average attendance. Thank you for your support. As discussed at our Parents Information Evenings and explained in our Attendance clarity letter, attendance processes and systems have been redesigned. We expect to see an even greater uplift over the following academic years, as a result of the new systems in place.

At Haggerston School we have the high expectation that every student should be striving to achieve 100% attendance every academic year, and our goal is to see the whole school figure rise towards this.