Attendance and punctuality is monitored at Easterside Academy. We employ Education Welfare Ltd to do this for us.
Roz Pickersgill is in school every Tuesday afternoon. Parents/Carers are encouraged to come in and speak with her or any member of our school attendance team: The Principal, Mrs Loughran and any member of the Care Team regarding any attendance issues.
Absence
If your child is going to be absent from school please let us know the reason, by telephoning the school on the first day of absence. If no contact has been made we will conduct a first day absence call and in some cases a home visit.
If a child’s lateness or poor attendance begins to increase, we will call home, send out letters and conduct a home visit – we will do our best to contact parents/carers and offer our support. We aim to prevent any child from become a persistent absentee. If a child becomes a ‘Persistent Absentee’ and their attendance falls below 90%, we work closely with our Education Welfare Officer and the Local Authority to address this and may eventually seek court action. Parents/carers have a legal duty to make sure their children attend school.
Education Welfare Ltd will send letters to parents/carers who fail to notify the school regarding the reason for absence or whose child’s absence becomes unacceptable. The school reports on absence at consultation time and in the end of year report to parents/carers. The Principal reports fortnightly on your child’s class attendance.
Certificates and awards
Certificates are awarded for 'Exceptional Attendance' each term and an ‘Easterside Experience’ is arranged for those children in order for them to celebrate. Weekly attendance and punctuation awards are given out on Friday’s at the ‘Celebration Assembly’.
Please inform the school if your child is reluctant to come to school, so problems can be sorted. The school is supported by three Pupil and Parent Support Advisors and an Educational Welfare Officer, who can help to resolve attendance issues.
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Easterside Academy works with Middlesbrough Football Club to promote and celebrate good attendance through their 'Roary's Class Acts' Programme.
Holidays authorisation
Governors and the Principal can no longer authorise holidays in term time except in exceptional circumstances. This must be done through completing the leave of absence form in the main office.
Easterside Academy follows the Local Authority penalty notice procedures for unauthorised leave of absence taken in term-time.
Applications for leave of absence in term-time must be submitted to school at least four weeks prior to the leave being taken. The application will be considered by the head teacher following government and local authority guidance and you will be informed of the decision by post prior to the leave being taken.
Leave of absence in term-time will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances. Please refer to the school attendance policy for further guidance. Supporting evidence must be submitted with the leave of absence application.
Please be aware that should leave of absence be taken without the permission of the Principal, then the absence will be unauthorised and you may be issued with a penalty notice following local authority procedures.
- 96% is the National Attendance Figure.
- A child is classed as a persistent absentee when absence falls to a level of 90% or below.
There is a correlation between absence and underachievement