Attendance
The primary school years are a vital stage in your child’s education, and every day in school matters. At Mill Dam, we want every pupil to make the most of all the opportunities available to them and not miss out on valuable learning experiences.
We know that regular attendance is closely linked to good progress, high achievement and positive wellbeing. Children who attend school consistently are more confident learners, develop stronger friendships and build the skills they need for later life and future employment.
At Mill Dam, we are committed to ensuring that every child can access the full curriculum and all the opportunities we provide. Attending school every day, and arriving on time, is an essential part of this. We therefore expect all pupils to attend school every day unless there is a genuine reason for absence, and to arrive punctually so that learning can begin without disruption.
We work in partnership with parents and carers to promote good attendance and will offer support where needed to help every child attend school regularly.
Attendance Information
Below is a range of information about attendance, initiatives in school and more.
Support
Good attendance is achieved through a strong partnership between home and school, and we are here to help. If you have any concerns about your child’s attendance, or if there are family or personal circumstances that may affect their ability to attend school, we encourage you to speak to us as soon as possible. By working together, we can provide the right support to help your child attend regularly and feel confident in school.
Mill Dam is proud to be part of the DfE Attendance Hub programme, which supports schools in promoting high levels of attendance and sharing effective practice.
As part of our commitment to supporting families, we may carry out home visits when a child is absent from school. These visits are intended to offer support, ensure that children are well, and provide a friendly and supportive link between home and school.
Our Target
Our school target for attendance is 96.5%, but we always push our families to ‘Aim for 100, beat 96.5!’. No value can be put on good attendance, so aim for every single day.
Monitoring
As attendance and punctuality are extremely important, we take all concerns about low attendance or repeated lateness seriously. We carefully monitor the attendance of every pupil to ensure that all children are able to access their learning and make good progress.
Where attendance falls below expected levels, or where punctuality is a concern, the school will contact parents and carers to discuss how improvements can be made. This may include letters home, meetings in school or the involvement of the attendance team to offer support and guidance.
We believe that working in partnership with families is the most effective way to ensure good attendance, and we will always aim to support parents and carers while maintaining high expectations for every pupil.
Reporting Absences
We understand that on rare occasions, children may be too ill to attend school. In these cases, we ask all parents to phone school ASAP and inform us of the reason, and expected return date. If we don’t hear from a parent, school will phone first thing to check-in.
Punctuality
‘Rise & shine, school starts at quarter to nine!’. Being on time to school and good punctuality is essential.
Fines
Good attendance is so important, so there are some cases where we may need to work with the Education Welfare Service to submit fines. This may be if a holiday is taken in term time, or if attendances does not improve after a period of support. Please read attached EWS code of conduct.
5 Foundations for Effective Attendance
At Mill Dam, we have adopted the 5 Foundations of Effective Attendance Practice framework, this is modelled on the work of Professor Katherine Weare. The emphasis is on developing a school culture and climate which builds a sense of connectedness and belonging to ensure all children can attend school and thrive. The approach ensures we prioritise building solid working relationships with children / parents prior to any escalation. The staged approach we use ensures we identify triggers early that can lead to poor attendance issues such as; mental health issues, lack of trust, communication and relationship breakdowns and the possible lack of networking opportunities both internal (in-school) and external (external agencies).
The Foundations framework has most recently been reviewed by the Department for Education. The Foundations framework received an excellent report following the four-day review. “The Foundations approach is an excellent example of best practice; there are very clear and detailed systems and procedures in place to manage absence and attendance consistently” (Michelle O’Dell DFE Attendance Advisor March 2022).
Aims of the strategy
- Increase school Attendance and reduce Persistent Absence to meet set targets
- Ensure Attendance is well managed within the school, with the appropriate level of resources allocated
- Enable the school to make informed use of Attendance data to target interventions appropriately, focusing on the key demographic groups highlighted in the 2022 DFE paper
The 5 Foundations Approach
The approach is evidence-informed and completely child-centred. Each Foundation is supported by 5 Key Performance Indicators, these are used to ensure the school can embed the Foundations framework and understand the strategic direction regarding attendance improvement. The framework allows the school to understand the whole school approach to supporting and improving attendance. We create welcoming environments to allow all children to gain a sense of belonging and ultimately achieve academically through regular school attendance. All staff receive attendance training to support the whole school approach, they understand their role in improving attendance and certain staff are identified to engage in specialist training to continue to support families and children who work with external partners.
We use data information to support children, this allows us to understand the groups, and individuals, who require specific programmes of intervention. Reviewing each programme allows us to understand the effectiveness of support and change what is not working. Finally, we train and support all staff to understand the ‘root cause’ of concerns.
Foundation 1 – Whole School Thinking Culture and Climate
The school has a fully embedded ethos in which excellent school attendance is expected, developed and nurtured. The escalated approach to supporting attendance is built on foundations of belonging and connectedness.
Foundation 2 – Supportive Policies, Systems and Process
The approach to improving attendance is built on clear policies, systems and processes. This ensures continuous and sustainable improvement drives attendance practice. The attendance policy is understood by all stakeholders and allows the school to set, and maintain, high expectations to improve the culture of attendance.
Foundation 3 – Professional Learning Staff Development
The school prioritises developing a team of attendance experts, with a shared vision and core purpose. The Attendance Leader delivers bespoke training to support all staff to fully understand their role in improving attendance. External partnerships support attendance improvements through a multi-disciplinary approach for identified children and families.
Foundation 4 – Implement Targeted Programmes and Intervention
Data information and analysis direct resources proactively towards key demographic groups and identified individuals. The expert use of data analysis informs decision making at all levels. The attendance process ensures the Attendance Leader understands the reason for attendance concerns, these barriers can then be successfully supported and removed.
Foundation 5 – Connect Appropriately with Approaches to Behaviour Management
Connecting and belonging drives the school approach to supporting attendance. All staff are supported to understand ‘deeper roots’ regarding poor attendance concerns. The school has developed, and embedded, an effective rewards system to further drive attendance improvements and celebrate success.