Attendance/Absence
Absences, (such as holidays during term time) that are unauthorised, could result in a fine from Oldham Council.
Coming to school every day allows your child to get the best possible education.
Our Attendance Target is 97%
With your help we can reach our target!
It is vital that your child attends the Academy regularly in order to learn and progress. Every lesson is important which means that every day your son or daughter is absent has the potential to damage their achievement and affect their future.
Attendance Team
Get in touch with us – attendance@coopfailsworth.co.uk
Attendance Manager - Tracy Merron
Attendance Officer - Dawn Ghani
Attendance Officer - Donna Hirst
Attendance Officer - Grace Daly
Why is 97% attendance important?
Low attendance leads to underachievement. Studies have shown that missing 17 Academy days per year costs a student 1 grade in each of their GCSE subjects. 17 days is equivalent to an attendance rate of 91.2%. Of students who miss less than 5% of school, 73 per cent achieve 5 A*- C GCSE’s including English and maths.
Students with a higher % of attendance will simply achieve higher overall GCSE grades. Poor attendance can make the difference between a pass or a fail, or being accepted onto their chosen college course or not. Attendance below 95% is a concern.
The Impact
Take a typical student in Year 7 with an attendance rate of 90%. What does this mean?
90% would normally sound like a success when applied to an exam but when considering attendance it is equivalent of missing ½ a day off every week. An employer would regard this as part time!
If a Year 11 student had an average attendance rate of 90%, this would be equivalent to missing half a year off school.
Missing school has a huge effect on students success. Students should only be absent when it is completely unavoidable.
Legal Framework
Missing school for a family holiday will have huge impact on your child’s learning. Students who miss two weeks of school will miss 50 periods of learning and will never be able to make up that time.
Under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996, “parents are responsible for ensuring that a child, of compulsory school age, attends school regularly and punctually”.
Since 2013, legislation says parents cannot take leave of absence during term time. Leave of absence during term time will only be granted under exceptional circumstances; this does not include family holidays, celebrations or weddings.
Requests for leave of absence in term time must be put in writing to the Headteacher by letter or email. The Headteacher’s decision is final and cannot be appealed.
If parents take their children out of the Academy without making a request, or if parents still take their child out of the Academy after a request has been denied, the absence will be marked as unauthorised. We are legally required to inform Oldham Local Authority about any and all unauthorised absences. A Penalty Notice Fine may be then be issued by Oldham Local Authority, or in more serious cases prosecution proceedings can take place.
Working Together
Students are actively involved in achieving the highest attendance figures for themselves and their community. We work with parents and carers to support the improvement of attendance figures of our Academy.
Together we encourage our young people to attend regularly and punctually. This is not just important from an academic point of view but also in creating responsible citizens.
What can you do to help us?
Always keep us informed. If your child is unable to attend the Academy, for whatever reason, please contact the Academy by 8.30am to explain the reason for absence. Reception is open to take calls from 8.00am.
Absence Procedures
If your child is absent from school please call before the Academy’s 24 hour pupil absence line on
0161 688 3900 and choose option 1.
Absences should be reported before 8.00 a.m.
Research shows there is a link between the amount of time a student takes off school, and how well they do in their exams. We have a very high attendance target of 96% for our students.
The start of the Academy day
- All students should arrive on the academy site by 8.30am.
- Arrival between 8.35am and 9.30am will be marked as late.
- Arrival after 9.30am will be marked as Unauthorised Late; this is when the academy closes its register.
- All students arriving late will receive a 60-minute detention at the end of the Academy day. Text messages will be sent out informing parents/carers of their child’s lateness.
Illness
- Should your child be too ill to attend the academy, please contact us on the first day of absence before 8.00am on 0161 688 3945. Please keep us informed of your child’s progress on a daily basis.
- We may request evidence of illness or appointments in order to authorise any absences. This can include the Academy medical card (download and print your own) completed and stamped by your GP, or a letter from your GP/medical centre. If we do not receive evidence, the absence will not be authorised.
- If a child is absent and we do not hear from you, we will contact you to ensure your child is safe by phone call or by text. In some circumstances we will make home visits from the first day of absence. Home visits will be made on third day of all absences.
Celebrations
We embrace and celebrate all faiths and cultures. Wherever possible we will try and accommodate all religious celebrations. However, as with all leave of absence requests, these must be applied for in advance to the Headteacher. As with all unauthorised absences, these occasions may result in legal action.
Holiday leave in term time
There are 70 days of holidays each academic year and we expect all parents and carers to take their family holidays whilst the academy is closed.
Any parent wanting to take their child on a leave of absence from the academy should inform the Headteacher in writing. The application will be looked at on an individual basis and you will be informed by letter of the outcome.
However, it is highly unusual to grant a leave of absence during term time. If parents take their children out of the Academy without making a request, or if parents still take their child out of the Academy after a request has been denied, the absence will be marked as unauthorised.
We are legally required to inform Oldham Local Authority about any and all unauthorised absences. A Penalty Notice Fine may be then be issued by Oldham Local Authority, or in more serious cases prosecution proceedings can take place.
Persistent absence
The academy works with students and their parents/carers when we have a concern over attendance. Persistent absence is when:
- a student has below 91% attendance
- a student has 3 days absence or 6 sessions (half days) in a 30 day period
Where we have concerns about your child’s attendance, you will be asked to attend a meeting with the Attendance Manager, Pastoral Leader, Assistant Headteacher or Governors Attendance Panel.
We are legally required to inform Oldham Local Authority about any and all unauthorised absences. Penalty Notice Warnings are issued to parents/carers after 10 sessions of unauthorised absence
For more information please read our Attendance & Punctuality Policy
If we do not receive notification of a student absence our attendance team will contact Parents and Carers. Home visits may also be made.
We urge parents not to take students out of the Academy unless absolutely necessary. Please try to arrange medical appointments outside of the Academy day wherever possible. Parents and carers may also be asked to provide medical evidence as to explain why their child is absent.
It is absolutely essential that we work together in removing any attendance barriers. Raising your child’s attendance means that we are raising their chances in succeeding. Quite simply, if they are not here – they cannot learn.