Attendance at Leeds East Academy

Family Bulletin - Importance of Attendance

Please view our Family Bulletin by clicking this link: /docs/LEA_attendance_bulletin_rm3_01.pdf

Everyone Exceptional

Attendance is the keystone to each and every student being exceptional at Leeds East Academy. Students who demonstrate resilience in attendance benefit from better results and are also rewarded with unique opportunities

At Leeds East Academy we believe the home-Academy partnership is essential and will help our learners to achieve and succeed.

Research going back many years has consistently told us, not surprisingly, that parents are the most important people in their children’s lives, and that support for their children’s learning and development is crucial.

Let’s work together and ensure our young people achieve and succeed.

Every Day Counts
Your child’s Attendance target is 97% +

Penalty Notice Fines

Click here for PDF version.

Leeds East Academy Attendance Team

LEA Attendance Team
L Bean	Assistant Principal – Attendance and Aspirations
M Zubrzycki	Key Stage 4 Attendance Officer
V Burton	Key Stage 3 Attendance Officer
Wider Attendance Team
Mr B Carey	Key Stage 4 Pastoral Leader, Year 11 Link
Mr S Burton	Key Stage 4 Attendance and Behaviour Leader, Year 10 Link
Mrs Longhorn	Pastoral Leader KS3
Mr C Carrington	Key Stage 3 Attendance and Behaviour Leader, Year 9 Link
Mr C Powell	Behaviour and Attendance Manager, Year 8 Link
B Jagger	Behaviour and Attendance Manager, Year 7 Link
Ms R Cheetham	Personalisation Leader
Ms J Cain	Student Welfare Officer
Mr J Smithen	Behaviour and Attendance Manager
Mr A Razaila	EAL Community Cohesion Leader
Mrs V Lencov	GRT Community Liaison Manager
Mr J Hayward	SENCO
Mr J Nolan-Thomas	Global Learners Leader

The relevant attendance officer will support your child to ensure they are meeting the academy expectation of 97% and they will work together, with your support, to achieve the best possible outcome.

If you have any concerns or updates regarding your child’s attendance please contact the academy on 0113 273 1964 (option 1).

Support Guide - Getting to school on time

The importance of good attendance

There is an expectation that all parents inform the academy of absence; any absence unexplained will be followed up with a home visit.

Regular attendance at school is vital to help your child achieve and get the best possible start in life. There are 30 days in a 6-week half term. If your child has 1 and a half days off school, their attendance will be 95%. Good attendance is central to students’ academic achievement and personal development.

Attendance Level

What does this mean?

What will happen as a result?

What can you do as a parent

97.1% - 100%

0 - 5.5 Days Off

Your child has the best chances of being successful at Leeds East Academy

Your child will have access to exclusive incentives and be awarded at the end of each half term with a certificate and pin badge (100%).

Your child has potential to be a Legendary Attender if they have maintained 100% throughout their time at LEA

No term time holidays

Continue to praise your child and take an interest in what they are doing at school

Check your child’s planner daily and attend any meetings you’re requested to attend

Communicate with LEA, any potential barriers that might affect attendance

95.1% - 97%

6 - 9.5 Days Off

Your child’s attendance is starting to have an impact on their learning, however, they can still get their attendance back up to the green level.

Your child’s attendance will be monitored. If there is no improvement you will be invited into school for a meeting.

Medical appointments will not be authorised without a medical card.

A letter will be sent to your doctor every time your child is absent.

No term time holidays

All appointments to be arranged outside school hours.

Do not keep your child off school unnecessarily. We will call you if your child needs to come home.

90.1% - 95%

9.5 - 20 Days Off

Your child’s attendance is starting to have an impact on their learning.

‘attendance will be tracked week by week. You will be requested to attend a meeting with staff should attendance fall below expectations to discuss any barriers to regular school attendance.’

Your child’s attendance will be monitored to try and improve their attendance back to academy target of 97%

Medical appointments will not be authorised without a medical card.

A letter will be sent to your doctor every time your child is absent.

No term time holidays

All appointments to be arranged outside school hours.

You will need to provide appointment cards for medical appointments that cannot be moved.

Do not keep your child at home if you have concerns. The best way to resolve issues is to come into school and discuss with relevant member(s) of staff. The more time they take off school the harder it will be for them to return, which will have a detrimental impact on their progress and emotional well being.

UNDER 90%

20+ Days Off

Your child has inadequate attendance and
is classified as a Persistent Absent (PA) Pupil.

Children with attendance at this level become disengaged with school due to the amount of missed lessons. This not only affects them academically but also socially.

FACT: Students with attendance below 90% are more likely to become victims of crime.

You will be visited by the attendance team every time your child is off.

A letter will be sent to your doctor every time your child is absent.

The Seacroft Manston Cluster may visit you to discuss why your child is ‘PA’.

Other external agencies, such as Leeds City Council, may offer you support.

You are at risk of being fined, this could be £1000

No time holidays

Parents/Carers will be expected to attend meetings with school to discuss attendance

Contact school for advice/support.

Work with the attendance team and academy to improve attendance.

Ensure your child arrives on time, everyday and model to them that school is important by encouraging morning routines.

Attendance during one school year	Equals days absent	Which is approximately weeks absent	Which means the number of lessons missed	Absence over five years
95%	9 days	2 weeks	50 lessons	¼ year
90%	19 days	4 weeks	100 lessons	½ year
80%	38 days	8 weeks	200 lessons	1 year
70%	57 days	11½ weeks	288 lessons	1¼ years
60%	80 days	16 weeks	400 lessons	2 years
50%	100 days	20 weeks	500 lessons	2½ year

Attendance Incentives

Maintaining an 100% attendance is an expectational achievement and one that we are celebrate and reward. Students who achieve 100% attendance will be given a place in the Elite 100% attendance club. As part of your membership to the club you are entitled to a range of different rewards including celebration activities, golden ticket reward trips and pop up events throughout the year.

A 100% attendance pin badge will be presented to students when they are entered into club. It is expected that this badge is worn at all times to access all rewards; including queue jump in the canteen, access to the games room and prize draws.

Students that are member of the 100% attendance club in September are those that secured 100% attendance during the whole of the previous academic year and all of our new year 7 cohort. After October half term we will welcome additional students to the club who achieved 100% attendance during half term 1, we will welcome additional students on a termly basis. This will be reviewed weekly by the attendance team and students who’s attendance drops below 100% will hand their badge back to school.

We reward students who maintain a 100% attendance with fantastic rewards on site.

Last year we had:

Ice Rink (including a snow machine):

£100 prize draws:

Summer Fair (with lots of inflatables):

Parental Responsibilities

In order to facilitate this process, parents with children at Leeds East Academy are expected to:

inform school by telephone 0113 273 1964 option 1 on the first morning of any absence before 9.30am
provide a note to cover the absence on the child’s return to school
ensure that their child gets to school on time
ensure that their child gets to school on time, where they are are late support the acacdemy's actions in issuing a same day after school 30mins detention.
not take family holidays during term time (see further guidance below)
Only the Principal may authorise such absences. Absences without permission from school will be registered as unauthorised (equivalent to truancy).

We understand that maintaining high attendance is the key to success however, there may be times when absence is unavoidable. In these situations, where possible, we request that you complete an 'Exceptional Circumstances Form' from the attendance office prior to the absence. Parents should complete the forms and return them to the attendance office for the Principal to authorise. We will notify you of the decision so you are informed if the absence is authorised or unauthorised. These absences will still affect absence % however your child will still be able to part of our exciting rewards system.“

Exceptional Circumstances’ include:

Representative event (for example sport, music or school)
Religious observance
Family bereavement (immediate family)
Employer/further education/school interview
Specialised medical appointments for students who are undergoing specialised care outlined in care plans or those with a diagnosed medical condition.

Any other ‘exceptional circumstances’ will be at the discretion of the Principal and a student’s attendance record will be taken into account when deciding whether or not to grant permission for absence.

‘Exceptional Circumstances’ DO NOT include:

looking after siblings
general doctor/practitioner appointments,
birthdays
shopping for uniform.

The Legal Framework

Under The Education Act 1999, parents are responsible for ensuring that children of compulsory school age receive full-time education. Parents have a legal responsibility to ensure their child’s regular attendance at the school where they are registered.

If a child of compulsory school age who is registered at a school fails to attend regularly at the school, the parent is guilty of an offence under this Act.

Aims

At LEA we firmly believe that all students benefit from regular school attendance. The aim of this guidance is to minimise the amount of time lost due to absence in order to maximise the educational potential of every student. This can be achieved with the support of parents by ensuring absence, including holidays, is not taken during term time unless there are ‘exceptional circumstances’*.

At LEA, in order for an attendance record to be deemed good, it must be 97% or above.