Attendance
At Harris Academy Merton we believe that good attendance is vital to the wellbeing and prospects of all our students. Attendance is intrinsically linked to our Academy strategy for raising achievement. We thus expect students to achieve above 96% attendance.
Punctuality to school is also crucial to create a calm and purposeful atmosphere as students who are persistently late often disrupt their own and others’ learning. We expect students to arrive on time for learning.
A student’s progress is severely hampered if they do not regularly attend school. To illustrate:
|
Percentage Attendance |
School Days Missed Over an Academic Year |
Sessions Missed |
|
100% attendance |
0 school days missed |
- |
|
95% attendance |
10 school days missed (60 lessons) |
20 sessions |
|
90% attendance |
19 school days missed (114 lessons) |
38 sessions |
|
85% attendance |
29 school days missed (174 lessons) |
58 sessions |
How can I track my child’s attendance?
You have access to My Child at School (MCAS) to track your child’s attendance. Students' attendance should be 96% and above. If a students’ attendance is below 90%, they are considered persistently absent, and action will be required to address this serious cause for concern. If you need a reminder of how to access this platform, please call reception for support.
How can I support my child’s attendance to school?
- Talk regularly with your child about school and how they feel about it. They are more likely to attend if they feel supported and anxieties listened to.
- Phone us as soon as possible to tell us why your child is absent, and when you expect them to return. Putting the school number in your phone can save you time. Know the school routine for alerting you to absence.
- Only grant days at home for genuine illness.
- Avoid taking holidays in school time.
- Know routines of the school day to avoid issues, e.g. have they got their PE kit?
- Praise and reward good attendance: even small successes.
- Contact Faculty to resolve issues, we may be able to help and support.
What happens if my child’s attendance is low?
We review attendance weekly for the below:
- Students that miss 10 sessions (5 school days) in 10 weeks
- Students that are persistently absence (bellow 90% attendance)
Faculty staff may contact parents/carers to put in place support via an Attendance Contract with the aim of improving a child’s attendance over a 6-week period, and longer. This will involve various on-site strategies to support your child e.g., Early Help 1-1 conversations, Learning Zone, rewards.
If little improvement is seen or a there is a lack of engagement from parents/carers, a Notice to Improve (NTI) letter may be sent which outlines improvements that need to be made during a monitoring period of between 3 and 6 weeks.
If sufficient improvement has not been made, details will be forwarded to the Senior Education Welfare Officer at Merton who will make arrangements for a Penalty Notice fine to be issued.
How do we promote good attendance at Harris Academy Merton?
Assistant Principals take overall responsibility for encouraging and rewarding publicly the need for high attendance and excellent levels of punctuality in their Faculties. Any figures which outperform the Academy targets or demonstrate week-on-week improvement are celebrated with staff and students during tutor time and weekly assemblies. Staff encourage a competitive spirit within and between Faculties.
100% attendance and punctuality are rewarded at weekly and termly celebration assemblies where students receive badges, certificates, and vouchers. There are also termly rewards for shorter periods of 100% attendance, this includes bowling, an ice cream van, breakfast, and movie screenings.
KEY DOCUMENTS |
|
| LB Merton School Attendance and Penalty Notice Info for parents and carers Sept 2024 | Click Here |
| Principal Letter - Attendance Guidance September 2024 | Click Here |
