Attendance.

At Elmwood School we have high expectations of success and believe that attendance is the key to this success. Regular attendance at school is fundamental for our pupils to reach their full potential, so we carefully monitor pupils’ attendance and set high targets for their attendance levels. We all have responsibilities in life and the pupils at Elmwood know all about theirs and what the impact is if they fail to attend. The table below highlights the affect of poor attendance on learning days missed:

At Elmwood School we have high expectations of success and believe that attendance is the key to this success. Regular attendance at school is fundamental for our pupils to reach their full potential, so we carefully monitor pupils’ attendance and set high targets for their attendance levels. We all have responsibilities in life and the pupils at Elmwood know all about theirs and what the impact is if they fail to attend. The table below highlights the affect of poor attendance on learning days missed:

 

 

 

Average Attendance Number of Days Learning Missed?
95% 10
90% 20
85% 30
80% 40

Promoting Positive Attendance

Strategies we use to promote positive attendance at Elmwood School:

  • Attendance in accordance to bases are shared during weekly celebration assemblies.
  • Gift vouchers are provided to those who achieve 100% per term and access to school visits if their attendance is 95% or above.
  • Family Support Worker regularly drops in to the pupils’ classes, in addition to communicating frequently with parents/carers to address attendance.
  • Staff use MarvellousMe to send messages to parents/carers to praise good attendance and behaviour.
  • Monthly School Council meetings provide the opportunity for pupils to discuss attendance levels.
  • Mentoring sessions on Friday mornings allow pupils to talk through any attendance concerns on an individual basis.
  • The LA Education Welfare Officer, visits school weekly to monitor pupil attendance and carries out any necessary home visits. When attendance becomes a concern, pupil meetings are arranged, parents/carers warning letters are sent and Legal prosecution instigated if attendance doesn’t improve.
  • Progress and behaviour are tracked against attendance.
  • Learning points are not awarded if a child is not present within school, meaning weekly reparation sessions are provided to challenge and reflect on how attendance effects learning.

Expectations

Parents should always cover any absence with a phone call or note to school. Daily calls are made by staff to establish the reason for any pupil absence.

​The Education Welfare Officer, visits School weekly to monitor pupil attendance and carry out any necessary home visits/referrals.

Elmwood discourages holidays being taken during school time and can only authorise a holiday in exceptional circumstances. Applications should be made to the Head Teacher well in advance, using a holiday request form that is available from the school office or by clicking on the link below.

Pupil Holiday Request Form

Many of our pupils (and parents / carers) initially had positive and exciting perceptions around education and schooling but through negative experiences and many battles for parents / carers to secure the appropriate provision for your child leaves us feeling “colourless”. At Elmwood we want to place the colour back into your child’s education and perceptions of learning (which go beyond the physical building of our school), we also want to share those magical moments with parents / carers to support purposeful conversations at the end of the day so you too can recharge and get your “colour” back after a difficult day.

At Elmwood we want your child to feel excited about attending and passionate about their talents and achievements and we will stand with parents / carers on that lonely roundabout to re-ignite that passion and love for learning.