Our Approach to Attendance at Queensbury School
At Queensbury School, we are proud of our strong, established attendance systems and our unwavering commitment to every pupil. Our approach is centred around child-centric actions, evidence-informed practices, and a shared understanding of everyone’s role in promoting exceptional attendance.
To further strengthen our provision, we are enhancing our existing models and practices by integrating complementary approaches from the Inclusive Attendance (IA) framework. This allows us to continuously refine our strategies, ensuring we remain at the forefront of supporting our children and families.
Our Key Staff
- Attendance Champion: Mr M Ali
- Attendance Officer: Mrs C Swain
We believe that regular school attendance is not just a requirement but a fundamental pillar of education. It is crucial for academic success, personal growth, and building positive futures for our children.
Our Support Structure: A Multi-Tiered System
We operate a structured, multi-tiered support system to ensure every child and family receives the right level of help at the right time. This system is underpinned by our core school values and is now further enhanced by insights from the Inclusive Attendance framework.
Overview of our 3-Tier System:
Tier 1: Universal Support for All
This is the foundation of our approach, creating a positive and engaging school environment that motivates all pupils to attend.
- What we do: We build positive relationships, create welcoming classrooms, recognise achievements, and monitor attendance daily. We are supplementing our proven practices with IA strategies to deepen our understanding of attendance barriers.
- Role of Parents/Carers: Ensure your child attends school regularly and on time, communicate any absences promptly, and celebrate their achievements.
- Role of Pupils: Attend school regularly and be punctual, engage actively in learning, and support your peers.
Our Tier 1 Strategies:
Tier 2: Targeted Support for Emerging Challenges
For pupils showing signs of persistent absence, we provide early, targeted help.
- What we do: We use data to identify pupils who need extra support, work with them and their families to understand barriers, and implement personalised strategies. Our use of IA early help modules complements our existing intervention toolkit.
- Role of Parents/Carers: Proactively engage with the school to understand your child’s barriers and work collaboratively on support plans.
- Role of Pupils: Co-create and participate in targeted interventions, and continue to share any concerns with staff.
Our Tier 2 Strategies:
Tier 3: Intensive Support for Complex Needs
For pupils with more complex attendance needs, we provide intensive, multi-agency support.
- What we do: We lead a multi-agency team to create and implement highly specialised plans. Our collaboration is strengthened by applying IA’s multi-agency coordination principles alongside our established protocols.
- Role of Parents/Carers: Collaborate closely with the school and external partners, taking an active role in the support plan.
- Role of Pupils: Actively engage in intensive interventions and continue to communicate with the support team.
Our Tier 3 Strategies:
Who is responsible for attendance issues at Queensbury School?
Mr Ali is the named member of the Senior Leadership Team who has responsibility for attendance issues. Mrs Swain is the schools attendance officer, she is also a senior learning mentor. All members of staff, teaching and non-teaching have responsibility for attendance issues in school. Attendance matters are reviewed by Senior Leadership Team. Heads of Key stage are responsible for attendance issues within their year groups. Parents and carers have overall responsibility in ensuring their child attends school.
Managing Attendance: Our Day-to-Day Procedure
Clear communication between home and school is vital. Please follow this procedure to report any absence, ensuring we can keep your child safe and account for them.
- Reporting an Absence: If your child is unwell or unable to attend school, you must contact the school office by 9:15 AM on the first day of absence. Please call us on 0121 373 5731 and select the attendance option. You should call each subsequent day of absence unless otherwise agreed.
- Medical Appointments: Where possible, please arrange medical and dental appointments outside of school hours. If your child has an unavoidable appointment during the school day, please show the appointment card or letter to the school office in advance.
- Authorised Absence: The school, not parents, decides if an absence can be authorised. We follow Department for Education guidelines and will only authorise absences in exceptional circumstances. Family holidays will not be authorised during term time.
- First Day Calling: If your child is absent and we have not received a reason from you, we will implement our first-day messaging procedure to contact you. This is a vital safeguarding measure.
- Returning to School: After any period of illness, please ensure your child returns to school as soon as they are well enough. We will provide any necessary support to help them catch up on missed learning.
- Punctuality: School starts at 08:30AM. Pupils arriving after this time must sign in at the school office. Persistent lateness will be addressed as part of our attendance strategy.
Our Attendance Procedure Flowchart:
This chart visually guides you through our process for managing attendance and absence.
Categories of Attendance:
This table explains how we classify different types of absence and punctuality.
| Attendance during one school year | Equals this number of days absent | Which is approximately this many weeks absent | Which means this number of lessons missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95% | 9 Days | 2 Weeks | 50 Lessons |
| 90% | 19 Days | 4 Weeks | 100 Lessons |
| 85% | 29 Days | 6 Weeks | 150 Lessons |
| 80% | 38 Days | 8 Weeks | 200 Lessons |
A Culture of Recognition
Our philosophy is rooted in our own recognition-based approach. We celebrate both personal and collective achievements to foster positive environments, nurture relationships, and build intrinsic motivation. We believe that recognising success is key to making every pupil and family feel valued and connected to our school community.
Why Attendance Matters
- Academic Achievement: Regular attendance is directly linked to better exam results and improved life outcomes.
- Social Development: School is a vital environment for building friendships and learning essential social skills.
- Building Routine: A consistent school routine teaches valuable life skills like time management and responsibility.
- Preventing Gaps: Frequent absences can lead to significant knowledge gaps, making it harder to catch up.
- Safety & Well-being: School provides a safe, secure environment where we can monitor and support your child’s well-being.
Our Commitment to Continuous Improvement
Our staff are the heart of our attendance strategy. To ensure our practice remains cutting-edge, we are supplementing our ongoing professional development with selected modules from the Inclusive Attendance framework. This additional training enriches our team’s expertise, directly benefiting our pupils and families.
Together, we can ensure every child at Queensbury School has the opportunity to thrive.
If you have any concerns about your child’s attendance, please do not hesitate to contact our Attendance Officer, Mrs C Swain, or our Attendance Champion, Mr M Ali, via the school office at 0121 373 5731 or attendance@queensbury.eiat.org.uk.