Attendance and Punctuality
Good attendance and punctuality are essential if you are to succeed at the Academy, in fact research shows that there is a direct link between good attendance and academic progress and achievement.
All pupils must make every effort to attend the Academy every day. However we accept that some students may become ill or have other genuine reasons for absence. Therefore we aim to ensure that no students’ attendance falls below 97%. If you are absent the Academy must be notified on the first day. Please note that the Academy will not authorise holidays taken during term times.
Daily Routines
At OASH, we believe that regular attendance is crucial for students' academic success and personal development.
Doors open for pupils at 8:35am, and registers are taken promptly at 8:50am.
Breakfast Club
We recognise that many parents and carers have work commitments or have children attending more than one school and need to make arrangements for their children to be looked after before the school day starts. We have an amazing breakfast club that parents can enquire about if they need wrap around care for their child or children.
We have a breakfast club which opens every school day from 7.45am. Children can choose from cereals and toast each day, children have supervised indoor play and then line up with their classes for registration.
Please book your breakfast club space on MCAS for £2.50 per day.
Senior Attendance Champion
The Senior Attendance Champion at OASH is Heather Lloyd. The role of the Senior Attendance Champion is important in promoting that attendance is everyone's business. You can contact the Senior Attendance Champion or a member of their attendance team through the school office if you need support with helping your child to attend school regularly. The attendance team will be able to identify barriers to attendance and support you with the difficulties you or child are encountering.
Attendance Officer - Dawn Hayes
Illness and Medicines
Medicines
If your child needs to take any form of medication at the Academy, please fill out a Medicine Form at the office. Once completed, you will give the medication (in the original box) to the office staff. Our staff have had specific medication training to ensure the safety of all children.
Is my child well enough to be at school?
The following are taken directly from the HEALTH PROTECTION AGENCY:
- Sickness and diarrhoea: 48 hours absence from last bout. Contact school.
- Headlice: Treated at home and return to school immediately. (NOT A REASON TO BE ABSENT)
- Minor isolated coughs/colds/sore throats. (NOT A REASON TO BE ABSENT)
- General unwell/tired. (NOT A REASON TO BE ABSENT)
- Rash: Consult school and seek advice to possibly attend doctors/pharmacist.
Common illnesses:
- Chicken pox: Five days absence from the START of the rash.
- Hand, foot and mouth: NO ABSENCE NEEDED.
- Impetigo: Attend school after lesions have scabbed over or 2 days after starting antibiotics.
- Ringworm/Threadworm: Treat and then NO ABSENCE required.
- Slapped cheek: NO ABSENCE but inform school to protect pregnant /vulnerable members of staff.
- Conjunctivitis: Treat and NO ABSENCE needed.
- Tonsillitis: NO ABSENCE needed.
Leave of Absence in Term Time
In exceptional circumstances leave of absence in term time may be granted by the Principal. The Principal will take into account a student's previous record of attendance when making decisions. It is important to note that the Principal can determine the length of the authorised absence as well as whether absence is authorised at all.
Please collect a 'Leave of Absence Request Form' from the Academy office. This form should be completed to enable the Principal to decide whether to authorise the application for leave. Authorising leave from the academy is at the discretion of the Principal. If the leave is taken without the authorisation of the Principal, a Penalty Notice will be issued.
Absence Procedures
1. Check guidelines - can your child attend? if not....
2. Ring the Academy 0121 373 6056 before 09.15am
3. The academy will contact all parents/carers on the first day of absence. This will either be by telephone or a home visit. If we are unable to make contact, we may contact the police for a safe and well check. This could result in your child being registered as a missing child from education.
A Relational Approach
At OCL we understand the importance of a relational approach to attendance and have implemented a graduated response to attendance using four waves of support. At each Wave all stakeholders including students, parents/carers, school staff, the local authority and outside agencies are made aware of their expectation for each wave of support.
What happens when attendance is good?
To reward good or better attendance we have a number of attendance reward systems.
The tiered reward system will follow at OCL are as follows…
Half Termly - Attendance rewards for the best class each Half Term
End of Year Rewards - At the end of the academic year, children with good attendance are invited to a special rewards day!
Our attendance rewards are inclusive and all students have opportunities to win attendance prizes or awards.
What is Persistent Absent and Severely Absent attendance?
Children who are registered at a school but regularly fail to turn up are officially referred to as being ‘persistently’ or ‘severely’ absent.
The school day is split into two sessions – one session counts as a morning or afternoon spent in school. Pupils who have missed more than 10% of school sessions are considered persistently absent, while children who have missed more than 50% of school sessions are referred to as severely absent.
It’s encouraging that the number of absent pupils has fallen since the pandemic, but there is still work to do. That is why we’re introducing measures to improve school attendance.