Attendance
At PLA, we insist on excellent school attendance and we offer a clear whole school vision for attendance which are underpinned by high expectations linked to our academy core values. We expect good attendance and punctuality from all members of the school community and we make sure that our students understand the importance of this.
When it comes to attendance, we also make sure staff, pupils and families understand that absence from school is a potential safeguarding risk as well as recognising that good, attendance to school is crucial in preparing young people for successful transition to adulthood and to support further learning opportunities and better job prospects.
Our key principles are to;
- Ensure that every child is safe and has their right to education protected which may involve working with external agencies.
- Ensure we have clear and consistently applied systems and processes to improve, reward and incentivise attendance and address absences.
- Ensure good attendance and punctuality is regularly promoted and achieved, in line with both targets set by the Trust and national expectations.
Attendance at Park Lane Academy is something we are very passionate about, and we expect all students to meet the Academy minimum target of 95%+. We operate a traffic light system for attendance, where 95%+ is green and 92%-94% is amber and below our expectations. Attendance contracts are issued to parents/carers who do not ensure their child’s regular attendance at school, but we prefer to work with you to support you before this stage is reached.
Absence
Reporting Absence
Before reporting an absence for illness, please read through the guidelines on the page below:
Is my child too ill for school?
Phone: 01422 362215 Email: pla-attendance@spacademies.org
In cases of absence, parents must inform the Academy on the first day of a student’s absence, by either telephoning: 01422 362215 Opt 1 or emailing: pla-attendance@spacademies.org If the absence is prolonged you may be required to produce a doctor’s note.
The Attendance Officer will follow up any unexplained absences, you may receive either a text, a voice message or a phone call.
For absence over 3 days an Attendance Officer may attend your home to complete a welfare check.
Planned Absence We are only able to authorise absence from school in exceptional circumstances. In making a request for a leave of absence you will need to explain why the circumstances are exceptional. The Academy will advise if they can accept the leave of absence. You must make your application as far in advance as possible. Under the National Framework from the DfE, if any parent chooses to take an unauthorised leave of absence for their child during term time, they risk being issued with a Penalty Notice in line with the Calderdale Code of Conduct.
Local councils and schools can use various legal powers if your child is missing school without a good reason. They can give you:
- a Parenting Order
- an Education Supervision Order
- a School Attendance Order
- a fine (sometimes known as a ‘penalty notice’)
Further information can be found on the Gov website:
GOV.UK - School attendance and absence