Attendance Matters
We value each and every student and know that the best place for them to access skills and knowledge is in school, in the lessons, and pastoral sessions designed for them. This is why we have decided to introduce an appendix to the behaviour and attendance policy to ensure learners are building positive behaviour and ready for the wider world. This appendix will become active on our return from the October half-term on the 31st October 2023 and is applicable for all Key Stages.
It is expected that all learners attend tutor times and lessons on their timetable in a timely manner to ensure the most effective start to each lesson and pastoral session.
Our school day starts with a tutor session at 08:35 and this should be attended by all students promptly. This is where students are registered, have their uniform and equipment checked, and it is an excellent chance for well-being, and pastoral relationships to be built. Notices are also given at this time and so it is a vital part of our school day. Each lesson is carefully crafted to deliver content from our broad, deep and rich curriculum, and so should be attended in full. Finally, our PM tutor sessions include Read Out and Character Curriculum at KS3, Study Skills and World of Work at KS4, and current affairs and life skills for KS5. Each year group also has an assembly to support whole school topics.
Students who do not meet this expectation and arrive after tutor sessions and lessons from the first day after half-term will now receive a sanction. For more details, please see the appendix to the behaviour system on our website. Below is a brief summary of the appendix.
Between 8:35- 8:45, students should go straight to their tutor time where their tutor will mark them as arrived but late with an “L” code. After 8:45, students should sign in via the digital screen by the attendance team next to reception. This same procedure is applicable for PM tutor time where a late mark will be given if a student has not arrived within five minutes of the start of the session.
Students should arrive at each of their subject lessons on time. We are aware that the school site is large and so expect students to arrive within five minutes of the lesson start time. This should be in line with their peers who will be travelling across the site in the same time frame. Any student that is more than five minutes late to their lesson, past the point of the majority of their peers, will receive a late mark.
Students who do not arrive to lessons when expected need to be safeguarded. Teachers and support staff will use class charts to notify truancy for students who are not present in the lesson from ten minutes after the lesson bell has gone. This will immediately trigger a truancy call to the legal guardians to ensure the highest level of profile is raised for the child’s welfare.
Students who are marked late “L” for two or more lessons without a sufficient reason will receive a sanction.
Sanctions for lateness are to be applied on a sliding scale:
2 – 3 late arrivals in one day will result in a 20-minute detention after-school.
4 + late arrivals in one day will result in a 40- minute detention after-school.
Students who do not attend their detention will be escalated to a 60-minute detention. This will also be with pastoral leads. Students who persist in their lateness to sessions will be escalated to an SLT detention on alternative dates.
Sessions for late sanction will run on a Wednesday and a Friday after-school, and students will be notified in tutor time AM if this applies to them. We reserve the right to amend these dates / days as we see the process develop over time.
Late arrivals will be calculated on a weekly rolling basis from Friday to Thursday inclusive and the detention will be issued for the following Wednesday.
All detentions will be logged on class charts and therefore will be seen by parents and students.
If a student is required to leave the school site early, they should go to the PBSC and pick up a pink “leaving school site slip”. This will be issued if there is already a note on SIMS from a legal guardian or a telephone call is successful at confirming the appointment. From there, the student should go to reception, hand over the note and use the sign-out system by the attendance team.
We understand that sometimes lateness is out of the control of the young person and, where appropriate, and confirmed instances affect the prompt arrival of students, limited exceptions will be made. Whilst we know efforts are made for appointments to be made out of school time by parents, we recognise this is not always possible, and so will condone these instances of absences where a parent or guardian has let us know an arrangement has been made.
Our aim is to improve the habits of our young people and prepare them for the world beyond John of Gaunt School. We are intent on improving the attendance of all students to offer the best possible outcomes for our students.
Mrs Rossiter
Assistant Headteacher
