Colley Lane Primary Academy, Colley Lane, Halesowen, B63 2TN
Part of Windsor Academy Trust
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Attendance

Attendance Team

We are grateful for the support we receive from parents and good attendance will ensure that your child can reach their full potential. To achieve this, your child needs to attend school every day. All schools must have an identified attendance lead. At Colley Lane, we have an attendance team lead by Mr Simpson.

  • Mr Simpson - Attendance Lead
  • Mrs Silvers - Support officer
  • Mrs Edwards - Pastoral Coordinator

How to report an absence

Parents can use our attendance email address if their child is going to be absent from school or for any other attendance matter.

The email address is attendance@colley.windsoracademytrust.org.uk

A member of the attendance team checks the account daily. Parents can still continue to telephone the school and leave a message on the attendance line if they prefer by calling 01384 900450.

Alternatively, parents can now report student absence via the absence section on ParentMail. If you need help registering for ParentMail, please speak to the school office. Please do not report absences through Class Dojo.

If your child does not attend school and we have not received an explanation, a member of the team will phone home to make some enquiries. If we are unable to establish response or contact after a number of consecutive days and all emergency numbers have been contacted, we may make a home visit as a matter of safeguarding.

Monitoring and early identification are essential in addressing poor school attendance. At CLPA we use standard letters that inform parents of their child’s current attendance. The team meet fortnightly to review attendance and letters are issued at set times during each school term.

How we manage attendance

Our minimum expectation for attendance is 96%. Details on how me manage attendance that falls below this level is outlined below.

Letter 1 - 95% and below letter is an informative letter advising parents that attendance has fallen below school/national expected average. It visually explains the impact of poor attendance, informs the parent a home visit may be undertaken and offers the opportunity for them to discuss their child’s attendance. (In line with LA referral criteria and government expectations).

Letter 2 - 93% and below letter is a follow up letter, which identifies that there has been further deterioration and informs parents that no further absence will be authorised without medical evidence and that further unauthorised absence will be referred to the LA for consideration of a Fixed Penalty Notice or legal proceedings. (In line with LA referral criteria and government expectations).

Letter 3 - 90% and below letter is a letter that identifies the student is persistently absent and that the matter could be passed to the Local Authority for enforcement proceedings. This letter also offers the parents the opportunity to come in and discuss any barrier to their child’s attendance. However, parents are spoken to via early intervention through attendance clinics, calls, home visits and letters beforehand.

Please be assured that we will always strive to ensure your child receives the help and support they need to ensure a successful year. In order for this to happen, it is important for you to play your part by maintaining good communication between school and home and we would like therefore to remind you of the following:

  • Please report any changes to personal information including address or contact numbers.
  • Please remember to report any medical issues including medication.
  • If your child’s attendance is poor or there are ongoing medical conditions, please provide medical evidence when at all possible so that we are in a position to authorise absence and support your child.
  • Please ensure your child attends regularly, on time each day.

Holidays in term time

There is no automatic entitlement in law to time off in school time to go on holiday. Leave of absence shall not be granted unless the parents can prove ‘exceptional circumstances’. All applications must be made in writing at least 20 school days prior to the requested leave date. (Please see our Attendance Policy for details or ask at the school office).

Please remember that taking holidays in term time will affect your child’s schooling as much as any other absence. If it is necessary to take a leave of absence, please notify the school, try to take as little time off as possible and overlap the leave with the school holidays.

5 days or more unauthorised leave of absence will be referred to Dudley Council, Education Support Service for consideration of a fixed penalty fine or further legal proceedings.

If a leave of absence/holiday has not been received, our procedure will be to attempt contact through your child’s emergency details. If we are unable to make contact with you or you have claimed that your child is absent through illness and we believe you may have taken leave without prior consent, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised. The matter will then be referred to Dudley Council Education Support Service for consideration of a fixed penalty fine or legal proceedings.

Safeguarding

It is important we know children and their parents are safe and well. In the past where schools have not chased up the reasons as to why children are off school, it has then transpired that there have been tragic circumstances around these absences, eg illness of a parent and a child unable to seek help.

No response or clear reason for absence can lead to schools safeguarding procedures where we will contact all emergency numbers, undertake a home visit and if no contact is made we may contact the Police and Children’s Services.

How does your child compare?

Please remember, frequent absence can add up to a considerable amount of lost learning and can seriously disadvantage your child in adult life.

Is my child too ill for school?

It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school, nursery or playgroup when they're unwell.

But there are government guidelines for schools and nurseries that say when children should be kept off school and when they shouldn't.

If you do keep your child at home, please contact us as soon as possible on the first day of absence and every day thereafter until your child is well enough to return to school, either by sending us an email to attendance@colley.windsoracademytrust.org.uk, telephoning into school on 01384 900450 and speaking to a member of the office team or leaving a message on the absence line and before 9.00am.

Let them know that they won't be in and give them the reason. If your child is well enough to go to school but has an infection that could be passed on, such as a cold sore or head lice, let their teacher know.