ATTENDANCE
A child’s success at school is likely to be affected negatively if their attendance is poor. Those who do not attend regularly may fall behind in their learning leading to feelings of frustration and unhappiness. At Bishop Vaughan we endeavour to provide a nurturing environment where all young people can flourish in a caring and safe environment. It is our goal to support all pupils to attend school regularly and on time in order to take advantage of the opportunities available to them.
In order to encourage good attendance, all pupils are monitored by their form tutor, head of year and the attendance team. Parents are regularly informed of good attendance via the school app and pupils are rewarded in school. Similarly, the school app, Class Charts, is used to communicate with parents when attendance becomes a concern.
We aim to:
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Give attendance and punctuality a high priority;
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Provide support, advice and guidance to families;
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Use attendance data systematically to evaluate success;
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Use rewards to celebrate good attendance;
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Use sanctions sensitively and only when necessary;
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Work in partnership with the Education Welfare Service to improve attendance; and
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Support pupils returning to school after significant periods of absence.
Absence from School
Non-attendance is an important issue that is dealt with seriously. We will always work with young pupils and parents/carers to support them in the improvement of their attendance. At Bishop Vaughan all staff work collaboratively to encourage all pupils to achieve the school target of 95% attendance.
If your child is absent from school please can you inform us during the morning of the first of absence. Your child’s absence can be reported via Class Charts, email or the school telephone line, all listed below. If a pupil is likely, for whatever justifiable reason, to miss more than two days of schooling, parents are asked to notify the school in writing. Extended periods of unauthorised absences are reported to the Education Welfare Officer and any absence that is condoned by parents may result in corrective action on the part of the Local Education Authority. If your child is absent from school due to a medical appointment, please provide the school with an appointment card/letter explaining the reason for absence. Failure to do so will result in the absence being treated as ‘unauthorised’.
In some circumstances, the school may request that the Educational Welfare Service issue parents/carers with a Fixed Penalty Notice under The Education (Penalty Notices) (Wales) Regulations 2013.
A warning letter will first be sent if:
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There have been 10 unauthorised sessions within one school term;
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Parents/carers have failed to engage in attempts to improve attendance;
A Fixed Penalty Notice may be issued if:
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There is one further unauthorised absence within 15 school days of a warning letter having been issued;
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An unauthorised holiday is taken during term time
The local code of conduct, which explains how penalty notices will operate, is available on the Swansea Council website.
If any parent has concerns about their child/s attendance, then please speak to staff in school for advice and support.
Absence During Term Time
We ask parents not to arrange family holidays during term time so that pupils are not missing vital lessons and examinations.
All absence requests within term time will be viewed as individual cases by the head teacher. Please complete the absence request form linked here.
An information leaflet produced by the Local Authority can be be downloaded from here.
You can contact us regarding pupil absence using the following methods:
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The Class Charts app
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Pupil Absence Line: 01792 772006, then option 1
Please note that telephone calls may be recorded for training and security purposes
Family Engagement Manager: Mrs E-J Gwyther
Family Engagement Officer: Mrs K North
Family Engagement Officer: Ms T Thomas
A Class Charts guide for parents and carers can be read here:
