Here at Norbridge Academy we aim to give your children the very best education possible, so please don’t let your child miss out by poor attendance and lateness.
It is essential that your child attends school on time every day.
School has a statutory duty to keep your child safe which includes knowing where they are if they are not in school. We appreciate that children are sometimes genuinely ill. If your child is going to be absent due to illness, please inform the office by 8:40am on every day of absence.
If you do not contact the office, school will ring you followed by every contact number we hold for your child until we speak to somebody. If your child is absent for two consecutive days and we are unable to contact anybody, we will visit the family home in order to ensure that your child/ children are safe and well. If we are still unable to contact a named contact then we may call 101 in order to seek the police’s assistance in locating the family.
Norbridge Primary Academy – Family Liaison & Attendance Officer: Mrs S Townsend – TownsendS@NorbridgeAcademy.org.uk
Our target for attendance is 96%.
Norbridge Primary Academy updates the Attendance Policy annually. You can find this here:
Understanding types of absence:
Every half-day absence from school will be categorised as either authorised or unauthorised, which is why information about the cause of 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 (evidence required), emergencies or other unavoidable cause. The attendance officer will look at each reason for absence, however the final decision will rest with the head teacher.
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 with no explanation.
- Children who arrive at school late (after 9.15am).
- 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 absences@norbridgeacademy.org.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 – Mrs 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.
- 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, register taken at 8.45am 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 8.45am. The register officially closes at 9.15am, 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.
Rewards
At Norbridge Primary Academy we reward children for achieving 100% attendance and 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 Mrs 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
Cygnet Class – 93.9%
Puffin Class – 97%
Flamingo Class – 90%
Robin Class – 95.7%
Serin Class – 98.8%
Hummingbird Class – 95%
Owl Class – 93.3%
Merlin Class – 98.1%
Toucan Class – 91.8%
Peacock Class – 91.4%
Raven Class – 95.5%
Macaw Class – 97.3%
Penguin Class – 96.6%
Falcon Class – 92.4%
Kingfisher Class – 98.1%
Whole School Attendance – 95.1%
Best Class Spring 2 – Raven Class 98%
Improved Attenders – Spring 2
Best Class – Spring 1
Hummingbird Class – 97.6%
Improved Attenders – Spring 1
Best Class – Autumn 2
Kingfisher Class – 96.5%
Improved Attenders – Autumn 2
Best Class – Autumn 1
Merlin Class – 96.8%
Improved Attenders – Autumn 1
Annual Attendance League
Can you find out what your class attendance is so far this year?
Best Class – Autumn 1
Merlin Class – 96.8%
