Attendance at Newman
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Is my child too ill for school?
Why does attendance matter?
Getting support with your child's attendance
Promoting Excellent Attendance
What is 'Persistent Absence'?
Attendance Procedures
Students are to attend school every day unless they are unwell. There is a direct relationship between 100% attendance & academic performance.
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Full day absences
There are times when students are not medically able to attend school and there are clear procedures to follow detailed below.
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To report your child absent, please email absence on absence@cncs.co.uk for EVERY day that your child is absent. Please email before 8.30am
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Please ensure you include your child’s full name, tutor group and reason for absence.
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Please note that this is only for recording an absence and we are unable to respond to messages left in this inbox due to the sheer volume left each day.
If you have not advised us of the absence, a text message will be sent to you regarding the whereabouts of your child.
Upon the students’ return it is their responsibility to meet with all the subject teachers for the lessons they have missed, to ensure all lesson work and home study is completed. Work is not sent home during absent periods.
The school employs an Inclusion Officer to work with students and their families who are experiencing problems with school attendance.
Late arrivals to School
Should your child need to arrive late to school and miss morning registration due to an appointment please follow the process below.
You can contact us by phone OR email:
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Call the school before 8.30am on 01273 558551, Option 1
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Send an email to absence@cncs.co.uk
Appointments during the School Day
If a student arrives late for any reason, we will need a note including a reason for lateness. You can contact us by phone OR email OR a note in the student’s planner:
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Call the school before 8.30am on 01273 558551, Option 1
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Send an email to absence@cncs.co.uk
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Write a note in student’s planner, clearly stating the time and reason for signing out of school
The student will be required to sign in, on the register in the Admin office on their arrival and provide evidence of the said appointment (eg, copies of headed doctors/hospital letters, appointment cards, appointment confirmation texts or copies of prescriptions). NOTE: the absence will remain unauthorised until evidence has been received.
Please try to arrange medical and dental appointments after school whenever possible.
Whenever possible, students must attend lessons before and after any appointment.
Request for Absence
For any absence requests, please complete an Exceptional Circumstances Leave of Absence during Term Time Form and email the attachment to the Attendance Officer at: absence@cncs.co.uk or hand it to the Admin Office on the first floor of Cashman building at least two weeks before the planned absence.
Punctuality
Students are expected to arrive on time to all tutor times and lessons. Where a student is marked late to registration and/or a lesson, a Response and Repair session will be arranged for the following school day.
Students feeling unwell during the school day
Should a student start to feel unwell during the school day, they need to report to the School Matron in the medical room at either break or lunchtime for assessment.
Students are requested not to contact home directly.
Why does attendance matter?
As the Department for Education (DfE) points out in its blog Why is school attendance so important and what are the risks of missing a day?, we know that the highest attendance rates are linked with the best outcomes at all key stages. Even missing small amounts of education can mean a child misses important sections of the curriculum and may therefore struggle to learn concepts that are built on what they missed.
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And it’s not just about the academic opportunities. There’s value in the whole school experience. Learning with peers, enjoying sport and music, building relationships with adults beyond their families, and building friendships – these are the building blocks of well-being and a good life. School contributes so much to this.
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It is therefore vital that children are in school as much as possible.
Getting support with your Child's attendance
Each student at Cardinal Newman Catholic School belongs to a House. Each House has five forms, from Year 7 to Year 11. Each House has a Head (also called a PPL) and a Pastoral & Attendance Manager (PAM). Your child's PPL, PAM and form tutor make up the pastoral team around your child and if you are worried or have any questions, they are who you need to talk to.
For more support, please take a look at the resources available here.
Promoting Excellent Attendance
Promoting excellent attendance to ensure that your child makes every minute of every lesson of everyday count
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Attending school has a huge impact on your child’s academic success starting from reception all the way through to Year 11. Families play a vital role in making sure that their children get to school safely, regularly and on time. Here are some useful tips to help you.
Always make school a priority
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Never make doctor, dentist or optician appointment during school time unless this is absolutely necessary.
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If you do need to make an appointment in school time try to ensure that your child misses as little of school as possible.
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We know that travel companies don’t make it easy for families, but never book a holiday during term time (it won't be authorised, your child will fall behind and you may be fined).
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Don’t allow your child to stay off school to make things easier for yourself – this is against the law.
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Don’t allow your child to miss school on Mondays and Fridays if you are going away for the weekend.
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Don’t allow your child to take a day off because of the weather.
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Don’t allow your child to take a day off for their birthday – this is completely unacceptable.
Help your child to stay on track
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Find out if your child is coping with their work and if they are up to date – missing school will make them fall behind.
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Check your child’s attendance with school, you might not realise how much school they have missed.
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Encourage your child to stay back at school to attend home learning clubs, booster sessions and extra lessons whenever they are offered.
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If your child forgets their home learning, PE kit, stationery etc. or is not in correct uniform, this will be deemed as failure of equipment and will therefore result in a sanction in line with our behaviour policy.
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If you are worried about your child’s attendance, you should make contact with your child’s form tutor or progress and achievement leader to discuss.
What is 'Persistent Absence?'
If your child takes too much time off school they will become categorised as persistently absent (PA)
A student becomes a ‘persistent absentee’ (PA) when they miss 10% or more schooling across the school year for whatever reason. Absence at this level is doing considerable damage to any child’s educational prospects and we need parents/guardians/carers’ fullest support and cooperation to tackle this. Ten percent of absenteeism in the five years of secondary education is the equivalent of missing half a year of schooling. We monitor all absence thoroughly. Regular reports are shared with the PAMS and PPLs. Where appropriate a PAM or PPL will contact home and action plans or arrangements are put in place.