Moments Matter, Attendance Counts 

Please refer to Policies section for Attendance Policy and First Day Absence procedures.

At The Bishop Harvey Goodwin School we want all pupils to flourish and to do this they need to attend school regularly. Every lesson and opportunity counts towards your child's success and achievement. We know that as parents you want your child to get on well in life. Children only get once chance at school and if your child does not attend regularly every day and on time then it could prevent them from becoming their best version of themselves. 

When children do not attend school or turn up late they;

• struggle to keep up with school work
• feel different
• miss out on the social side as it means they can struggle with friendships

'pupils need to attend school regularly to benefit from their education. Missing out on lessons leaves children vulnerable to falling behind. Children with poor attendance tend to achieve less in both primary and secondary school' (DfE School Attendance August 2020)

It is a parental role to ensure their child or children attend school regularly and a school have a duty to ensure pupils attend regularly. We encourage all pupils to attend school 96% + of the time and provide termly celebrations and rewards to all for good attendance. 

Reporting Absence

It is the parents' responsibility to inform the school that their child is absent and the reason by 9.30 am on the first day of absence. You can do this by

• ringing the school office on 01228 590794 absence line or in person
• emailing admin@bishopharveygoodwin.cumbria.sch.uk. 
• In person 

If we don't hear from you

As part of our school safeguarding policy, if we do not hear from a parent when the child is absent we may carry out a home visit to find out why the child is missing from school. If we still have no contact by the end of the first day of absence then we will contact 101 and inform the police.

Monitoring Absence

We monitor all absence closely. If attendance becomes a cause for concern we may send a message, write a letter or invite parents in to discuss the matter. Parents of children with attendance below 90% may be involved in attendance panel meetings. We will look for patterns in absence. This is to ensure attendance improves.

Punctuality

It is very important children arrive on time. If your child will be marked late if they arrive after the register closes at 9.10 am and if they arrive after 9.30am then they may be marked absent for the whole of the morning session. If parents are regularly late we will hold a meeting to look at how punctuality can be improved. 

What can parents do to help;

1. Make sure your child arrives on time everyday

2. Take an interest in what is happening in school for your child. Ask them about their day and encourage learning and success at school

3. Follow the school's procedure for notifying absence

4. If you think you might need to take your child out of school please contact us to discuss the reasons as early as possible. Reasons such as medical appointments and bereavement would be acceptable for a short absence. Shopping and cheap holidays in term time will not

5.Make sure your child understands that you do not approve of them missing school and if they have a reason for non-attendance such as a friendship issue or problem with school work, please discuss these with us as early as possible

Term Time Absences

In line with Government and LA policy, any holidays taken in school time, unless exceptional circumstances, have to be recorded as unauthorised. Our school is accountable to the DfE and LA for attendance. We use NAHT guidance for 'exceptional circumstances' when making a decision about what is deemed authorised or unauthorised.