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Attendance at Newman

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Attendance Procedures

Is my child too ill for school?

Why does attendance matter?

Getting support with your child's attendance

Promoting Excellent Attendance
What is 'Persistent Absence'?

Students are to attend school every day unless they are unwell. There is a direct relationship between 100% attendance & academic performance.

Attendance Procedures

Absence due to illness or appointments must be reported through ClassCharts. It is important that all Parents/Carers have a ClassCharts account. If you do not have one visit https://www.classcharts.com/parent/login and enter your email and click  'I don't have an account yet'. You will then need to enter your parent access code that has been sent to your email separately.  If you are having difficulties with this please email admin@cncs.co.uk.

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Illness 

There are times when students are not medically able to attend school and when this is the case we ask that you report this, and the reason for their absence, on ClassCharts before 8.30am.  

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If you have not advised us of the absence, an email will be sent to you regarding the whereabouts of your child. 

Upon the students’ return it is their responsibility to meet with all the subject teachers for the lessons they have missed, to ensure all lesson work and home study is completed. Work is not sent home during absent periods.

The school employs Pastoral and Attendance Managers (PAMS) to work with students and their families who are experiencing problems with school attendance.

 

Late arrivals to School

Should your child need to arrive late to school and miss morning registration due to an appointment please also report on ClassCharts. 

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Appointments during the School Day 

You can report this and upload evidence on Classcharts. Please do this as early as possible. We may authorise the absence until we receive evidence (e.g., doctor’s letters, appointment cards, confirmation texts, or prescriptions).

Try to book medical and dental appointments after school when possible.

Students should attend lessons before and after appointments whenever they can.

 

Request for Absence of more than one school day

For any absence requests that are for move than one school day, please complete an Exceptional Circumstances Leave of Absence during Term Time Form at least two weeks before the planned absence. Your request will be considered by the Attendance Team, who will be back in touch with you on the decision. 

 

Punctuality

Students are expected to arrive on time to all tutor times and lessons. If a student needs support with their punctuality they will be asked to attend a Restore and Repair Session afterschool.

 

Students feeling unwell during the school day

Should a student start to feel unwell during the school day they should let their teacher know.  We have first aiders on site who may decide your child should go home, and if so they will contact you.  Students are requested not to contact home directly. 

Is my child too ill for school?

If you are unsure about whether your child is too ill to attend school, then please take a look at the NHS guidance below.

Why does attendance matter?

As the Department for Education (DfE) points out in its blog Why is school attendance so important and what are the risks of missing a day?, we know that the highest attendance rates are linked with the best outcomes at all key stages. Even missing small amounts of education can mean a child misses important sections of the curriculum and may therefore struggle to learn concepts that are built on what they missed.

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And it’s not just about the academic opportunities. There’s value in the whole school experience. Learning with peers, enjoying sport and music, building relationships with adults beyond their families, and building friendships – these are the building blocks of well-being and a good life. School contributes so much to this.

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It is therefore vital that children are in school as much as possible.

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Getting support with your Child's attendance

Each student at Cardinal Newman Catholic School belongs to a House. Each House has five forms, from Year 7 to Year 11. Each House has a Head (also called a PPL) and a Pastoral & Attendance Manager (PAM). Your child's PPL, PAM and form tutor make up the pastoral team around your child and if you are worried or have any questions, they are who you need to talk to.

For more support, please take a look at the resources available here.

Promoting Excellent Attendance

Promoting excellent attendance to ensure that your child makes every minute of every lesson of everyday count

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Attending school has a huge impact on your child’s academic success starting from reception all the way through to Year 11. Families play a vital role in making sure that their children get to school safely, regularly and on time. Here are some useful tips to help you.

 

Always make school a priority

  • Never make doctor, dentist or optician appointment during school time unless this is absolutely necessary.

  • If you do need to make an appointment in school time try to ensure that your child misses as little of school as possible.

  • We know that travel companies don’t make it easy for families, but never book a holiday during term time (it won't be authorised, your child will fall behind and you may be fined).

  • Don’t allow your child to stay off school to make things easier for yourself – this is against the law.

  • Don’t allow your child to miss school on Mondays and Fridays if you are going away for the weekend.

  • Don’t allow your child to take a day off because of the weather.

  • Don’t allow your child to take a day off for their birthday – this is completely unacceptable. 

 

Help your child to stay on track

  • Find out if your child is coping with their work and if they are up to date – missing school will make them fall behind.

  • Check your child’s attendance with school, you might not realise how much school they have missed.

  • Encourage your child to stay back at school to attend home learning clubs, booster sessions and extra lessons whenever they are offered.

  • If your child forgets their home learning, PE kit, stationery etc. or is not in correct uniform,  this will be deemed as failure of equipment and will therefore result in a sanction in line with our behaviour policy.

  • If you are worried about your child’s attendance, you should make contact with your child’s form tutor or progress and achievement leader to discuss.

What is 'Persistent Absence?'

If your child takes too much time off school they will become categorised as persistently absent (PA)
 
A student becomes a ‘persistent absentee’ (PA) when they miss 10% or more schooling across the school year for whatever reason. Absence at this level is doing considerable damage to any child’s educational prospects and we need parents/guardians/carers’ fullest support and cooperation to tackle this. Ten percent of absenteeism in the five years of secondary education is the equivalent of missing half a year of schooling. We monitor all absence thoroughly. Regular reports are shared with the PAMS and PPLs. Where appropriate a PAM or PPL will contact home and action plans or arrangements are put in place.

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