Attendance

The target attendance figure for all pupils is a minimum of 97% attendance. Based on current attendance figures your child will be placed in one of the following groups below.

Group 1: No Concern-Green Group
The child attends for 97% – 100% of the time.

Group 2: Concern-Yellow Group
The child attends for 95% – 96.9% of the time.

Group 3: Risk of Underachievement-Amber Group
The child attends for 93% – 94.9% of the time.

Group 4: Severe Risk of Underachievement-Pink Group
The child attends for 90% – 92.9% of the time.

Group 5: Extreme Risk of Underachievement-Red Group
The child attends for 0% – 89.9% of the time.

Your child will be informed of their Attendance Group by their form tutor. Queensbury Academy are monitoring students closely whose attendance is falling and will contact you if your child’s attendance does not improve. As a parent/carer you are committing an offence if you fail to ensure that your child attends school regularly and punctually, even if they are missing school without your knowledge. It is important that parents/carers monitor single day’s absence, as these days soon add up to weeks. You can monitor your child’s attendance via Bromcom Parent App.

Please note that we will actively pursue low attendance with the use of penalty notices and where necessary prosecutions. If your son or daughter has an absence rate of 5% or greater, which is not supported by documentation authorising exemption, then each adult that has responsibility for a student’s attendance is at risk of prosecution. As a rule, Queensbury Academy does not authorise extended holiday leave, and we issue fixed penalty notices when cases arise. An example of a fixed penalty notice letter for unauthorised holiday is included in the links below.

Please note that the school gates open at 8:30am and tutor time is at 8:35am. Any student arriving after that time will be recorded as being late for school and must sign in via Central reception before going to class.

There is a clear link between success at school and a high level of attendance. Therefore, unless your child is too unwell to attend, and needs to recover at home, please support the school by ensuring regular attendance at school. Attendance is linked to attainment and is key to your child’s success. Every day your child is absent impacts on their education. Evidence shows 97% students with attendance over 95% (missing fewer than ten days of school over the academic year) achieved 5 A* – C grades at GCSE. Of those whose attendance was below 90% (missing more than nineteen days of school over the academic year) only 54.5% achieved the same grades.

The message is equally important with punctuality. The school day begins at 8.35am, all students should attend tutor line up at this time.

Queensbury Academy monitor the attendance of every student closely, and your child’s tutor will inform them of their attendance each week, and which colour of the Attendance group they are in. 

For students, whose attendance is falling we will contact you to support improvement in this area. As a parent/carer you are committing an offence if you fail to ensure that your child attends school regularly and punctually, even if they are missing school without your knowledge. It is important that parents/carers monitor single day’s absence, as these days soon add up to weeks.

Just a day absent from school can affect the learning of your child.

If attendance decreases, then the Academy follows specific procedures and interventions to ensure your child receives the highest level of attendance.

1 - Tutor conversation with child and then a Tutor phone call home.

2 - Letter - Warning of attendance drop.

3 -Letter - Invite to HOY Meeting.

4 - Head of Year meeting held.

5 - Letter - Invite to Senior school leader meeting.

6 - Senior leader meeting held.

7 - Letter - Invite to Headteacher meeting.

8 - Headteacher meeting held.

Other Attendance Interventions

• Fixed Penalty Notice issued for 10 Unauthorised marks.
• Home Visits/Interventions.
• Education Welfare Officer Referral.
• EWO Meeting with School and Parent/Carer.
• Referral for Prosecution.

If you are concerned about your child’s attendance, there are important steps that you can take:

• Ensure your child attends every day, on time, equipped and ready to learn. Prepare for the school day and pack bags the night before.

• Establish good bedtime and morning routines.

Ensure the school has up-to-date addresses and telephone numbers, Including an emergency contact.

• We will contact you if your child is absent and you have not contacted the school. This ensures that the absence is quickly identified.
• If your child is ill, contact the school on the first day of absence and every day thereafter until they are well enough to return to school.
• If no contact is received regarding the absence, it is recorded as unauthorised. Ultimately school is responsible for deciding if the absence is acceptable or not. Only genuine absence will be authorised. You will be asked to provide medical evidence eg; an appointment card/text/letter.
• Ensure that medical appointments are made outside of school time wherever possible.
• Avoid trivial absences such as, ‘buying new shoes’ as this would not be accepted as a reasonable absence.
• Holidays should not be taken in school time. Any Leave of Absence can only be agreed by the Head Teacher and only agreed where there are exceptional circumstances.
• Respond to letters or telephone calls regarding attendance and punctuality.
• Address any concerns early. Contact your child’s form tutor if you are experiencing difficulty in getting your child into school.

Linked Documents

Queensbury Academy Attendance Policy

New attendance procedures 2024 FAQs

Department for Education | New Government Attendance Strategy 2024

CBC Family holidays in term time

CBC Penalty notice (Attendance) New arrangements from 19 August 2024

CBC Payment of Penalty Notices