St. Rynaghs National School

SCOIL NAOMH RAGHNACH

Main St., Banagher, Co. Offaly   -   Phone: 057 91 51419
email: strynaghs@strynaghsns.com

Attendance

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Attendance Policy

Introduction

One of the foundation stones of the wellbeing of the whole school community is attendance at school. We endeavour to consider the wellbeing of all in how we conduct ourselves. This contributes to attendance at school through creating and maintaining a positive school atmosphere.  It is our hope that pupils and staff attend not only because they should but because they want to.

 

Rationale

The main factors contributing to the editing of our attendance policy are as follows:

  • To promote and encourage regular attendance as an essential factor in our pupils' learning
  • Legislative requirements such as the Education Welfare Act 2000 and the Education Act, 1998
  • The role of the NEWB
  • Attendance as a contributor to wellbeing
  • Dealing with the impact of the Covid 19 emergency.

 

Aims and Objectives

The revised policy is geared towards:

  • Ensuring that pupils are registered accurately and efficiently.
  • Ensuring that pupil attendance is recorded daily.
  • Encouraging as full attendance as possible.
  • Counteracting the aftereffects of the Covid 19 emergency.
  • Promoting a positive learning environment.
  • Considering wellbeing in all we do.
  • Raising awareness of the importance of school attendance.
  • Fostering an appreciation of learning.
  • Operating an effective anti-bullying policy.
  • Ensuring compliance with the requirements of the relevant legislation.
  • Promoting healthy living.
  • Identifying and removing, insofar as is practicable, obstacles to school attendance.

 

Compliance with School Ethos

This policy complements the school vision of treating all children equally, helping them grow in knowledge and understanding and encouraging them to live a healthy, responsible Christian life.

 

Roles and Responsibilities

All staff have an input into the implementation of the policy. Class teachers record individual patterns of attendance and the school secretary makes returns to the NEWB. The Principal and the secretary maintain the Leabhair Tinreamh. The principal will contact families that have difficulties maintaining good attendance at school.

 

It is the responsibility of the Principal and staff to implement this policy under the guidance of the school's Board of Management.

 

Punctuality

School begins at 9 a.m. The gate opens for pupils at 8.50 a.m. The school uses some of our Croke Park hours to supervise pupils as they leave the school. This ensures they go home happily, prepared for their homework and a relaxed return to school the following school day. This adds to their wellbeing. The school will contact parents/guardians in the event of pupils being consistently late. The Principal is obliged under the Education Welfare Act, to report children who are persistently late, to the Education Welfare Board.

 

 

Recording and Reporting Attendance

The school attendance of individual pupils is recorded in the Leabhar Rolla (Roll Book) of each class on a daily basis. Class attendance data is recorded daily in the Leabhar Tinrimh (Attendance Book). The annual attendance of each individual pupil is recorded in the Clár Leabhar (Register).

 

If a pupil does not attend on a day when the school is open for instruction, his/her non- attendance will be recorded by the class teacher. The roll book is completed at 12.25 each day. Every teacher has a laminated roll that is filled out each morning by the teacher or a pupil which is used in case of fire and allows for children who are late or leave early to be accounted for at all times. The roll book may not be altered once it has been filled in. A note from parents/guardians is required to explain each absence. The notes are retained by the school secretary. Parents/guardians must also provide a note if a child departs early during the school day. These notes are dated and kept in the strong room.

 

Parents/guardians are made aware of the requirements of the NEWB particularly the by-law relating to absences of more than 20 days per school year. They are notified in writing on the end of year report of the total number of absences during the school year.  Pupils whose non-attendance is a concern are contacted by the principal. The principal will work with the parents to improve attendance.

 

The school must inform the Education Welfare Officer, where a child has missed 20 or more days in a school year, where attendance is irregular, where a pupil is removed from the school register and where a child is suspended or expelled for 6 days or more.

 

Promoting Attendance

The school promotes good attendance by:

  • Creating an environment where children and staff experience a sense of belonging and feel safe, connected and supported.
  • Creating an environment where children and parents are listened to.
  • Creating an environment where teachers have agency in their teaching.
  • Ensuring that the anti-bullying policy is working to eliminate bullying.
  • Ensuring that all children are learning at a challenging but achievable level.
  • Ensuring Children have ample opportunity for activity and social interaction on yard.
  • Contacting and working with families who are struggling with attendance.
  • Considering the wellbeing of the whole school community in all our endeavours.
  • Being respectful in our interactions between staff members, parents and visitors to the school.
  • Ensuring the school building, grounds, classrooms, toilets and furniture are well maintained and appropriately furnished, creating a welcoming, safe and healthy environment.
  • The corridors and classrooms display the work, talents and accomplishments of our pupils.
  • The school timetable and environment is conducive to promoting healthy eating choices.
  • Teachers and staff understand the link between physical activity and wellbeing and facilitate physical and movement breaks within the school environment.
  • The school yard is organised, supervised and maintained to facilitate social interaction, physical activity and quiet time as appropriate.
  • Teachers are supported in attending relevant CPD.
  • SPHE is timetabled and the stay safe programme is taught.
  • The voices of all our staff, pupils and parents inform the development of school policies and plans.
  • The school collaborates with other professionals who are working with our pupils. These could be speech and language specialists, CAMHS, occupational therapists, NEPS and others.

 

National Education Welfare Board

The Education Welfare Officer is informed if:

  • A child is expelled
  • A child is suspended for more than 6 days in a school year.
  • A child has missed more than 20 days.
  • A child needs to be referred for non-attendance or very low attendance.

 

The NEWB is furnished with the total attendances in the school year through the Annual Report Form which is completed on-line. Referral forms and pre-referral checklists are filled out by the principal where necessary and sent to the Education Welfare Officer who is now under the direction of Tusla.

 

Whole School Strategies to Promote Attendance

Saint Rynagh's N.S. endeavours to create a safe, welcoming environment for our pupils and their parents/guardians. The wellbeing of the whole school community is central to our mission. The school building and yard are designed, managed and maintained to allow for teachers to be able to teach, children to be able to learn, teachers to be able to collaborate and children to be able to play. The work and accomplishments of the pupils is displayed and celebrated. The pupils are given sufficient time to eat a healthy lunch and exercise every day. The code of behaviour is understood by all, ensures that issues are minimal and works to resolve issues with care, respect and consistency. Pupils are listened to, their concerns are heeded and acted on if possible. Parents are listened to, their concerns are heeded and acted on if possible. Teachers are listened to, their concerns are heeded and acted on if necessary. Teachers design and deliver lessons that are differentiated for children of different abilities in order to provide adequate access, challenge and opportunities for success.   SPHE is taught in every classroom. The school facilitates the attendance of teachers at CPD. Parents/guardians are consulted in drafting and reviewing policies with the aim of promoting a high-level of co-operation among the school community. The teaching staff collaborates in the planning and implementation of the primary school curriculum, so as to provide a stimulating learning environment for all pupils.

 

School closures during the Covid19 emergency have had a negative impact on school attendance. The staff remains vigilant so that at 'risk' students are identified early. At risk students can be categorised as those who miss more than 5 days in a 20-day period without an accompanying note of explanation from parents/guardians. Teachers also alert the principal if a pattern of absences develops. Appropriate contact takes place between the school and parents/guardians when this occurs. The parents will be contacted by the principal to alert the parents to the absences and to ascertain if there are reasons for the absences. If necessary the principal will remind the parents of the benefits of attendance at school. A meeting between parents and the Principal may be set up if deemed necessary. The school will implement any in-school measures that the principal considers appropriate and likely to improve the pupil's school attendance. Class teachers, special education teachers and SNAS may need to be involved in in-school measures. Absences of more than 20 days are automatically referred to the Education Welfare Officer. Referral forms and pre- referral checklists will be completed and sent to Tusla if required.

 

The parents or guardians of new entrants are informed about our policies and the importance of attendance at school.  They are asked to confirm that they understand and support our policies. There is a focus on the value of regular attendance and on the importance of developing good attendance habits from Junior Infants onwards.

 

Our homework policy, like all our policies is designed to support children's attendance at school. Teachers use opportunities to promote wellbeing across the curriculum and the school day. Teachers support children playing cooperatively, inclusively and kindly on the yard. We actively support pupils who require intervention to ensure they interact successfully with their peers. At times of transition to and from our school we cooperate with other schools to facilitate as successful a transfer as possible. Staff and pupils are welcoming and inclusive of those from different cultural backgrounds and those with additional needs.

 

The calendar for the coming school year is published annually in June and a reminder is published in September. It is hoped that this approach will enable parents/guardians to plan family holidays around school closures, thus reducing the chances of non-attendance related to family holidays during the school term.

 

Communicating with other schools.

We receive mo scéal reports on our pupils transferring to us from a play-school.

We send education passports to the secondary school our sixth-class pupils attend.

We communicate with other schools if a pupil transfers to our school or transfers from our school.