Attendance

School Expectations:

• Every student should have a minimum attendance of 97% or higher.
• All students should strive to achieve 100% if they can.
• Persistent absence is defined as any child whose cumulative attendance is 90% or below at any point during the academic year. 90% attendance means a student is missing half a day of school every week throughout the year. That is equivalent to 4 weeks of learning.

School Day and Registration

• The start of the school day is 8.30am.
• Morning registration takes place in form-time (8.30- 9am).
• Afternoon registration takes place in Lesson 4 (in the first 10 minutes).
• The end of the school day is 3pm.
• The register closes at 9.15 in the morning and 12.45 in the afternoon.

Name and Contact Information for staff with responsibility for attendance:

• The SLT Lead for attendance is Mr G. Diamond: g.diamond@olqp.lancs.sch.uk
• Our Attendance Improvement Worker is Mrs B. Hall: bhall@olqp.lancs.sch.uk
• Our Attendance Officer (day to day) is Mrs K. Scott kscott@olqp.lancs.sch.uk
• The school phone number is: 01695 725635

Where students need more detailed support on attendance

The following staff may be involved: Learning Managers & Pastoral Support Assistants:

Year Group	Learning Manager	Pastoral Support Assistant
7	Ms T. Poskitt	Mrs S. Quane
8	Mr T. Hudson	Mrs G. Banks
9	Mrs H. Roby	Miss O. Jones
10	Mrs K. Leicester	Mrs C. Snead
11	Mrs K. Knight	Mrs K. Batchelor

Supporting Attendance

We ask that all parents/carers support their child and the school by:

• Sending their child to school every day, unless they are too ill to attend, please refer to this link for further information: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
• Ensuring your child arrives at school by 8.25am, in correct uniform, fully prepared and equipped for learning.
• Reporting any absences to school (01695 725635) before 8.25am on each day of absence.
• Avoiding medical appointments in school time. If an appointment is unavoidable the student should attend school prior to the appointment (if possible) and be brought back to school after their appointment. Parents must provide evidence of the appointment.
• Not taking holidays in the school term time. School does not give you permission to take your child out of school during term time. Any request from parents will be unauthorised unless in exceptional circumstances and parents take the risk of being issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice.
• Contacting the Attendance Officer for support if there are any issues preventing attendance.
• Working with the school and any other agencies to resolve any difficulties which may affect regular school attendance.

Supporting Punctuality

• Arriving on time for the start of the school day and to all lessons is vital. There is a clear link between attendance and punctuality and attainment.
• The more time a pupil spends in school the more likely they are to improve their opportunity to fulfil their full potential.
  • 5 mins late each day 3 days lost
  • 10 mins late each day 6.5 days lost
  • 15 mins late each day 10 days lost
  • 20 mins late each day 13 days lost
  • 30 mins late each day 19 days lost
• Students should be in their form room 8:25am onwards and registration starts promptly at 8:30am. 
• If a student arrives 5 minutes late each day, they can miss up to 3 days of learning each academic year.
• If a student is late to school without a valid reason they will receive an automatic lunchtime detention. If this persists then parents may be invited to a meeting.
• Being late does not only affect just one student, it disrupts the other students in the class as well as the teacher delivering the lesson.

Punctuality to Lessons

• Punctuality to lessons is also extremely important.
• The start of a lesson is when important recall activities take place to ensure learning gaps are filled.
• Students are allowed 4 minutes transition from one lesson to the next.
• Students arriving after the 4-minute bell are recorded as late.
• Students who are late throughout the day will make up their lost time over lunch and after school. 

What does the school do to promote excellent attendance?

• Rewards – Excellent pupil attendance is celebrated on a weekly and termly basis in assemblies.
• Students achieve positive ClassCharts points for Attendance each lesson: Be here, Be on time, Be ready
• Students also achieve ClassCharts points for attending school each day
• Form attendance is displayed in class each week
• Students get certificates for 100% attendance
• Students get positive letters home for 100%, excellent, good, improved attendance
• The school offers additional pastoral support for individual students who need bespoke help
• A Local Authority Attendance Officer works alongside staff to support and promote excellent school attendance.