Attendance

Norbridge Academy Family Liaison & Attendance Officer: Mrs S Townsend

Contact: stownsend@norbridge.notts.sch.uk

Attendance and Absence

Attendance 

Our target for attendance is 96%.

Norbridge Academy updates the  Attendance Policy every year - this can be found under the policies tab on the website.

It is important that school has a minimum of two emergency contacts for your child, this should be updated with any changes as soon as possible. If your child is absent it is important that you contact school first thing in the morning. If your child is absent for a number of days you should contact school on the morning of each day and follow up absences of more than three days with medical evidence.

Understanding types of absence:

Every half-day absence from school has to be classified by the school as either authorised or unauthorised.  This is why information about the cause of any absence is always required.
Authorised absences are mornings or afternoons away from school for a good reason like illness, medical/dental appointments which unavoidably fall in school time, emergencies or other unavoidable cause.

Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider reasonable and for which no leave has been given.  This includes:

• Parents/carers keeping children off school unnecessarily.
• Absences which have not been properly explained.
• Children who arrive at school too late to get a mark.
• Shopping, looking after other children or birthdays.
• Day trips and holidays in term time which have not been agreed.

Absence procedures – Parental responsibility:

• Inform the school office on the first day of absence (phone 01909 472322, e-mail office@norbridge.notts.sch.uk or stownsend@norbridge.notts.sch.uk or call in person to the office) indicating the reason for absence and the expected return date.
• If child is unable to return on expected date, parents to inform school office.
• Provide copies of medical appointment letters or cards.

If absences become a concern:

• Initial issues are raised by phone call or letters to parents/carer.
• If absences persist parent/carer is invited in to discuss support with the Attendance Officer - Miss Townsend.
• If this fails to achieve required improvements then the matter is referred to the Education Enforcement Department at Nottinghamshire County Council.

Holidays:

• Holidays are not permitted during term-time unless there are exceptional circumstances.
• Any period of leave taken without the agreement of the school will be classed as unauthorised and may attract sanctions such as a Fixed Penalty Notice.
• If you require a period of leave for your child please submit this request by completing a 'Leave of Absence' form and return to the school office as soon as possible prior to the leave. The form can be downloaded below.

Why punctuality is so important:

• Children that arrive late are likely to have missed the start of the lesson which makes it more difficult for them to learn as the lesson progresses.
• Late arrivals distract classmates and interrupt the teacher’s lesson.
• Children that arrive late are likely to feel unsettled and are embarrassed to walk into class once it has started.
• Children that arrive late are developing bad habits.  It sets up your child for the future; whether at primary school, secondary school, college or work.  They could lose their place or job if they think it is acceptable to be late.

Classroom doors open at 8.40 and lessons begin at 8.50.  The register is taken twice a day; once at the start of the morning session and once at the start of the afternoon session.  Children will receive a late mark if they are not in class by 8.50am.  The register officially closes at 9.20am, after which time pupils arriving without good reason will be marked as U which counts as a legal absence.
For any pupils where punctuality continues to be a problem, parents/carers will receive a letter or could be invited into school to meet with Mrs Townsend.

Thank you.

Rewards

At Norbridge Academy we reward children for achieving 100% attendance and also reward children achieving above the school target of 96%

Children achieving over the school target will receive a prestigious gold, silver or bronze award.

Gold—99% - 99.9%

Silver—98% - 98.9%

Bronze—96% & 97.9%

In addition to this, children with significantly improved attendance will also be rewarded each half term with a certificate and prize.

The best class each week wins a certificate to display and the Attendance trophy - which is full of enough sweets for the whole class to share!

The best class each half term win a certificate to display and extra playtime!

All winners are displayed on the Attendance display in school (outside Miss Townsend's office) and on this page of the website (please see below).

Children in Foundation and Key Stage 1 will be playing Attendance Bingo every week!

All children will start with a bingo ball in a prize bag on Monday. Each day they attend school their ball stays in the bag. Balls are only removed after an absence.

One lucky ball will be chosen on Friday from the bag to receive a certificate and prize.

Good Luck!!

Whole School Class Attendance

W/E 24.9.21

Sparrow - 91.8%

Rock pipit - 94%

Merlin - 95.5%

Parakeet - 94.7%

Wren - 95.2%

Woodpecker - 99%

Peacock - 98%

Flamingo - 96%

Hummingbird - 98.7%

Bluebird - 97.8%

Owl - 93.9%

Macaw - 99%

Penguin - 99.7%

Toucan - 97.8%

Kingfisher - 93.7%

Whole School - 96.6%