Attendance Matters
St. Bernard's Catholic Primary School is works in partnership with parents, the Local Authority, and Birmingham Education Partnership School Attendance Programme, to improve school attendance. Birmingham City Council lead on attendance in regional educational establishments.
We would like to congratulate the many parents who make sure their children attend school regularly. It's key to future life opportunities!
Absence disrupts the education of the individual pupil and the whole class. Are you aware those children who do not attend regularly:
- Do not achieve well in exams;
- Find it difficult to maintain friendships;
- Are more likely to have gaps in their learning.
The research is absolutely clear! SCHOOL ATTENDANCE MATTERS!
Lost Learning Due to Poor Attendance
The chart below identifies the possible amount of lost learning due to poor attendance:
| Attendance during the school year | Equals this number of days absent | Which is approx 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 |
Mrs. Asson is our School Admin Attendance Officer and of course Mr. Foley & Mr. Stephenson monitor school attendance information.
The School Nurse and Family Support Worker are also involved in making sure your child's attendance is the best it can be. We are all here to help, challenge, and support accordingly.
Please see our Attendance Policy and weekly newsletter for further information on attendance.
Importantly, you can use your daily MCAS app to monitor your child's attendance.
ATTENDANCE MATTERS = OPPORTUNITIES for LIFE!
PLEASE NOTE
New Attendance legislation came into force on 19th of August 2024 which impacts how Local Authorities and Schools issue Penalty Notices (fines) for unauthorised absences. Central to the statutory guidance for schools is the premise that schools should identify when a pupils’ attendance is becoming a concern and then work alongside parents and pupils to remove any barriers to attendance.
There will be a Support First Model approach:
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We will notify you if you’re child’s attendance is a concern and start a conversation with you to understand the reasons why and if we can offer any support.
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If you receive a letter, telephone call, invite to a meeting its important that you engage with these so that we can understand any reasons for absence and agree support, if appropriate.
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If we agree an action plan with you to help improve attendance it is important that those agreements are followed.
The school day starts from 8:45am (window of opportunity start between 8.30am/8.45am). Your child's punctuality in getting to school for a 8.45am start is VITAL!
St. Bernard's School Office Admin can be contacted at enquiry@st-bernards.bham.sch.uk
Birmingham City Council (BCC) & New Attendance Legislation
click on the links and find our more
BCC Penalty Notices BCC FAQs for Parents