Attendance
At Underwood West Academy, we strive for the highest possible standard of education for all pupils and recognise that this can only be achieved by supporting and promoting excellent attendance, punctuality and behaviour. This is based on the belief that only by attending school regularly and following our principles will pupils be able to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available to them. Parents and carers play a key role in ensuring primary-aged pupils attend school regularly and arrive on time. Many pupils achieve 100% attendance but there are some whose patterns of attendance cause concern.
Teachers and parents share a common goal when it comes to children. We all want the very best educational opportunities for them, and we want every single one to get the most they can out of the 190 days a year our schools are open for learning. Underwood West Academy, each pupil’s attendance and punctuality is tracked daily. Where attendance or punctuality data causes a concern, parents are informed of this by letter.
There are times when children are unable to attend school. We all become poorly from time to time, and there are also hospital appointments and funerals that happen during the school day which cannot be missed.
The school’s Attendance Officer, meets regularly with members of the Senior Leadership Team to look at attendance bandings and cross reference these with pupils’ current progress and attainment scores. Parents will be informed if their child is falling behind academically as a result of poor attendance or punctuality. We are committed to working with our families to ensure that their children can catch up on the learning they miss on the days they are understandably absent from school.
Punctuality
It is equally as important to ensure that your child is punctual to school. This means being on time and ready for the day ahead. Being punctual allows for a great start to the day, putting your child in a positive frame of mind to make the most of the day’s learning and activities. It also shows children the importance of time management, which can be carried through their life.
Punctuality is linked to good attendance and as we know, good attenders have more opportunities and therefore achieve more! Minutes late can quickly equate to days missed. In example, if your child was late by 5 minutes each morning, by the end of the academic year they would have lost 3.4 days of learning.
Also, it allows your child to see their friends which leads to improved self confidence and therefore SUCCESS!
Holidays in Term Time
Underwood West Academy DO NOT authorise holidays in term time.
Term time holidays have become one of the major reasons for absence from school. Contrary to popular belief, there is no entitlement to ten days off school for family holidays. What the law actually provides for is exceptional circumstances. In line with the local authority Underwood West Academy have agreed that, unless exceptional circumstances can be proved, any absence for a family holiday in future will be treated as an unauthorised absence.
It is much harder to help children recoup the learning and school experiences lost when they are taken out of school to go on term time holidays. We understand the economic pressures every family now faces, and share the frustration felt by many at having to pay more for breaks within school holiday times.
We recognise that more needs to be done by the government and the travel industry to regulate and reduce these prices but we cannot allow children's education to be put at risk because of high holiday costs.
We urge all parents and carers to work with us and book family time and breaks away during the 175 days of the year when our schools are not open for learning. This will give every child the same chance to take advantage of the rich educational and social experiences our school provides.
In August 2024, the Department for Education (DfE) updated national guidance to support parents, schools and local authorities (LAs) in improving school attendance. The guidance, Working together to improve school attendance, is statutory.
Cheshire East local authority will issue fixed penalty notices in line with the DfE’s statutory guidance.
LOCAL AUTHORITY CODE OF CONDUCT FOR ISSUING PENALTY NOTICES FOR SCHOOL ABSENCE
All requests for leave during term time must be made in writing by completing a request form, these are available from the school office.
Attendance Letters
Attendance is categorised by bandings set by the Department for Education
We address poor attendance in stages according to the banding category your child's attendance meets and we issue the following letters in a staged response to manage poor attendance:
