Attendance at School

Attendance falls very much under the auspices of our holistic pastoral care program. It involves the school working closely and in collaboration with the home in ensuring that Leinster CS is in the very best position to identify and intervene in attendance issues in a timely and effective manner.

Managing attendance is very much embedded in our school’s ethos – to endeavour to ensure that each student at Leinster CS is engaged in meaningful, challenging and intrinsically rewarding learning experiences in a supportive, non-threatening and fun learning environment. When attendance does become an issue, we follow the procedures as set out within the Student Attendance (May 2011) DoE policy.

Procedures

Teachers use Integris to ensure that accurate attendance records are kept for each student enrolled. Attendance is recorded at both morning and afternoon sessions for all students.

• A continuous attendance by a student of not less than two full hours instruction is recorded as a half day’s attendance. Late arrivals who meet this requirement are not included as a half day absence, i.e. any child arriving after 9.40am or leaving before 1.00pm.
• Whilst on any school endorsed activity (excursions, PEAC etc) students are not to be recorded as absent.
• Suspended students are to be marked as suspended on Integris.
• Records to be kept on Integris, where they can be printed if required.
• Attendance records and notes are kept at Leinster PS for seven years.
• Unsatisfactory attendance reports on students are retained in a student’s records for 25 years from date of birth.

Monitoring

When a student has been absent from school and an acceptable explanation has not been forthcoming, the school is to either send a written request for an explanation to the student’s family or visit the family.

Record all details when a parent/caregiver provides the school with a verbal reason that we believe is an acceptable reason for an absence.

If a student’s attendance rate falls below 90% over a 10 week period, Leinster CS administration staff will conduct an investigation looking as to the reasons why the student is not attending school and proactively address the issues affecting attendance. (Appendix B:  Attendance Intervention Flowchart)

Responsibilities

Classroom Teacher

• Maintains accurate student attendance information on Integris.
• Follow-up discussions with absent students and parents on their return to school.
• Checks regularly the at risk students.
• Collaboratively develops programs to improve attendance and participation.
• Implements programs/initiatives.
• Monitors programs.
• Contact parents regarding unexplained absences.
• Notify Administration of concerns

Administration

• Monitors attendance of those students with 5 or more days of absence in a term.
  • • Commences interventions prior to absence reaching 10 days.
    • Co-ordinates the case management of at risk students.
    • Makes contact with parents/caregivers of students.
    • Communicates concerns to parents/caregivers.
    • Organises and facilitates case conferences.
    • Initiates the development and resourcing of individual or whole school programs to improve the attendance and participation of students.
    • Monitors and evaluates interventions.
    • Maintains written documentation for all communications and interventions.
• Monitors attendance of those students with an attendance of over 95% in the year and presents these students with a certificate at the final assembly of the year.
• Set targets for future years based on current year data – this may relate to whole school information, classes or cohorts of children.