Attendance at Camulos Academy 

Punctuality

Parents/carers have the responsibility to ensure that their child attends school everyday and arrives on time for school each morning.

Camulos Academy gates will be open to all pupils from 8.30 a.m. and the morning the registers will be taken at 8.40 a.m. Registers close at 8.50 a.m. Children who arrive after registers close will be marked as unauthorised late (which affects their attendance percentage).

Absence procedure

If a child is absent from school and the school has not received a phone call or other message from the parent/carer, a first day absence call will be made. The attendance officer does the following:

· Phone parents’ contact number(s).

· Repeat this during the first morning of absence if no response.

· Phone emergency contact number(s) to get an up-to-date contact number for the parent/carer and update the school system accordingly.

· SLT to speak to the parents at home time if they are at school to pick up other children.

· Speak to the parents face-to-face or by phone the next day and establish reasons for absence and update contact numbers.

· The parent/carer is asked to provide a reason as to why the child is not in school. The absence reason is recorded next to the child’s name on Arbor.

· When no contact has been established the school will consider conducting a home visit or request a safe and well check from the police, if the absence is unusual or school has concerns regarding the child’s welfare. This may also result in a referral to Essex Children Services. The Education Welfare Officer will also be informed.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) will routinely share a list of vulnerable children with the office, the admin team will notify the DSL immediately if a child on that list is not in school, on the first day of absence, and each subsequent day.

Lateness and punctuality

Pupils are expected to arrive at school by no later than 8.40 a.m, every day. It is very disruptive to their own education and that of others in their class, if they are late. Pupils who arrive after the register closes will be marked as absent for the whole session (a session being a morning or an afternoon). This absence will be unauthorised unless the school is satisfied that there is a legitimate reason for the pupil to be late. Such a reason will not include things such as missing the bus, clothes in the washing machine or lost shoes. For health and safety reasons it is important that the school knows who is in the building. Pupils arriving late should therefore report to the School Office on arrival with their parent/carer who must sign them in and provide an explanation for the late arrival. It is important that all pupils arriving late follow this procedure. For the same reason it is important that pupils leaving the premises legitimately (e.g. for a medical appointment), or returning to school later in the day sign out and provide a reason for leaving early. On his/her subsequent return to school, they must sign in again to say that they have returned.