Attendance

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is an important, legally binding agreement signed by 196 countries (as of 12 July 2022) which outlines the fundamental rights of every child, regardless of their race, religion or abilities.

Article 28 (right to education)
Every child has the right to an education.
Primary education must be free and
different forms of secondary education
must be available to every child

At Moston Lane Primary School we aim for all children to reach their potential and

“be the best they can be”

“All schools have a continuing responsibility to proactively manage and improve attendance across their school community.  Attendance is the essential foundation to positive outcomes for all pupils including their safeguarding and welfare and therefore should be seen as everyone’s responsibility”

(DfE Working Together to Improve School Attendance 19th August 2024)

It requires parents/carers to work collaboratively with the school in order to achieve this.  Where attendance is a concern, together we can identify the root causes of absence and remove barriers to attendance.  Together we will:

Expect

Expect high standards of attendance from all pupils and parents and aspire to build a culture where all can, and want to, be in school and ready to learn by prioritising attendance improvement across the whole school. 

Monitor

We will use attendance data to identify patterns of poor attendance as soon as possible enabling all parties to work together, to resolve attendance concerns before they become entrenched.

Listen & Understand

Where a pattern is identified School will discuss concerns with pupils and parents allowing the opportunity to understand barriers to attendance and how we can work together to resolve them.

Facilitate & Support

Working together we will endeavour to help pupils and parents access the support they need to overcome barriers outside of school.  This may include an Early Help Assessment.

Formalise Support

Where absence persists and the voluntary support is not working or not being engaged with, School will explain the consequences clearly and ensure support is in place dependant on the circumstances.  This may include formalising support through an Attendance Contract, or issuing of a Notice to Improve by the Local Authority.

Enforce

Where all other avenues have been exhausted and support is not working or not being engaged with, School will enforce attendance through Statutory Intervention.  A Penalty Notice may be issued in line with the national framework and or prosecution to protect a child’s right to an education.

The Local Authority have developeed a Statutory Action Escalation Pathway.  This is a 5 step process that schools should follow to improve School Attendance.  At Moston Lane we have incorporated this into our own Attendance Policy and have developed a  School Attendance Pathway.

Follow the link below to read a letter that was issued to all parents.  It is an informative letter from the Attendance Team. It highlights some of the support on offer from Moston Lane and the important nationwide changes that came into force on 19th August 2024..

Attendance Letter

Below you will find various other documents for your information to help support your child's attendance:

Parent Friendly Attendance Policy

Guidance for Parents

The Sickness Absence Booklet