Oxford Spires
Academy
Key Information
Attendance and Punctuality
Attendance
Research has shown that regular attendance and good punctuality are crucial factors in students achieving their full potential in education.
At Oxford Spires Academy we wish to work in partnership with parents and carers and seek your full support in ensuring that your child attends school every day and on time. We are always pleased to work together with parents/carers in resolving any difficulties, but we are also committed to high levels of attendance at school.
How to report absence Years 7-11
If you know your child is going to be absent please use one of the following method to inform us:
- Call the Attendance Line on 01865 428200– Option 1
- Contact school through your child’s Bromcom MCAS parent app
If leaving a telephone message, please include the following information:
- The name, form and year group of your child.
- Your name and contact details.
- Reason for absence.
Please inform us daily for any absences.
Please do not report any absences through the admin email or Reception or your tutor.
If your child is absent from school and we have not received any communication then we will endeavour to contact you. If we are unable to make contact with you by the fifth day of absence will conduct a home visit. If this is unsuccessful we are duty bound to contact social services and the police of a child being missing from education. Good communication between home and school prevents unnecessary worry and work for all of us.
How to report absence Year 12 & 13
- Students, please phone the absence line on 01865 428200 – Option 1 by 8:30am each morning of your absence.
- Contact school through your Bromcom parent app
- A parent will need to confirm they are aware of this absence.
The school day begins at 8.30am, all students should attend tutor line up at this time.
Attendance and Punctuality
Research has shown that regular attendance and good punctuality are crucial factors in students achieving their full potential in education. At Oxford Spires Academy, we wish to work in partnership with parents and carers and so are seeking your full support in ensuring that your child attends school every day and on time. We are always pleased to work together with parents/carers in resolving any difficulties, but we are also committed to improving attendance levels at school.
Oxford Spires Academy are monitoring students closely whose attendance is falling and will contact you if your child’s attendance does not improve. As a parent/carer you are committing an offence if you fail to ensure that your child attends school regularly and punctually, even if they are missing school without your knowledge. It is important that parents/carers monitor single day’s absence, as these days soon add up to weeks. You can monitor your child’s attendance via MCAS.
Please note that we will actively pursue low attendance with the use of penalty notices and, where necessary, prosecutions. If your child has an absence rate of 5% or greater, which is not supported by documentation authorising exemption, then each adult that has responsibility for a student’s attendance is at risk of prosecution. As a rule, Oxford Spires Academy does not authorise extended holiday leave, and we issue fixed penalty notices when cases arise. An example of a fixed penalty notice letter for an unauthorised holiday is included in the links below.
Please note that the school gates open at 8:10am and that tutor time starts promptly at 8:30am. Any student arriving after that time will be recorded as being late for school.
There is a clear link between success at school and a high level of attendance. Therefore, unless your child is really too unwell to attend, in which case the best place for them is at home, please support the school by ensuring regular attendance at school. Attendance is linked to attainment and is key to your child’s success. Every day your child is absent impacts on their education. Last year, 97% of students with attendance over 95% (missing fewer than ten days of school over the academic year) achieved 5 A* – C grades at GCSE. Of those whose attendance was below 90% (missing more than nineteen days of school over the academic year) only 54.5% achieved the same grades.
The message is equally important with punctuality. The school day begins at 8.30am, the first bell is rung at 8.25am and all students should go to their classroom at this time.
Over a year lateness leads to a loss of learning:
- 5 minutes late each day = 3 days lost
- 10 minutes late each day = 6.5 days lost
- 15 minutes late each day = 10 days lost
Strategies to improving attendance
If you are concerned about your child’s attendance, there are important steps that you can take:
- Ensure your child attends every day, on time, equipped and ready to learn. Prepare for the school day and pack bags the night before.
- Establish good bedtime and morning routines.
- Ensure school has up-to-date addresses and telephone numbers. We will contact you if your child is absent and you have not contacted school. This ensures that the absence is quickly identified.
- If your child is ill, contact school on the first day of absence and provide an explanatory note on their return to school. After illness make sure your child makes a prompt return to school
- Use MCAS to monitor your child's attendance closely.
- If no contact is received regarding the absence, it is recorded as un-authorised. Ultimately, school is responsible for deciding if the absence is acceptable or not. Only genuine absence will be authorised. You will be asked to provide medical certificates if your child has a poor attendance record.
- Ensure that medical appointments are made outside of school time.
- Avoid trivial absences such as, ‘buying new shoes’. This would not be accepted as a reasonable absence.
- Holidays should not be taken in school time. Any Leave of Absence can only be agreed by the Head Teacher and only agreed where there are exceptional circumstances.
- Respond to letters or telephone calls regarding attendance and punctuality.
- Address any anxieties and concerns early. Contact your child’s form tutor/Year Team if you are experiencing difficulty in getting your child into school.
Thank you for working in partnership with us to achieve the highest possible levels of attendance and punctuality at Oxford Spires Academy.