Attendance Matters
Attend today and acheive tomorrow - make every day count!
At Hazelwood Academy we place high importance on regular attendance and punctuality of pupils.
Much of the work children miss when they are absent is never made up and this can leave children at a disadvantage for the remainder of their school career. Attending school is therefore vital if your child is to achieve their full potential.
We believe good attendance is everyone's responsibility and therefore we aim to work with parents, pupils and staff across the school to ensure all pupils achieve the maximum possible attendance.
What should I do if my child is absent from school ?
Phone the school office on 01793 497 250 and leave a message on the school absence line
or
Send an e-mail to contactus@hazelwoodacademy.org
Is my child too ill for school?
This NHS Guide includes a link to UK Government Guidelies to support parents and carers
The target attendance figure for all pupils is a minimum of 97% attendance.
Our current whole school data is as follows...
97%
2023/4 attendance target
95.3%
2023/4 YTD attendance
96.7%
last weeks attendance
At Hazelwood Academy we track each child's attendance percentage against the SOL Attendance Diamond (below).
We then review the attendance patterns of every child, every week. If attendance is falling week on week we will contact you to check in and see if any support measures are needed. As a parent it is your legal duty to ensure your child attends school and we want to help you overcome any difficulties you may encounter.
It is important that parents/carers monitor single day’s absence, as these days soon add up to weeks.
Our aim is to address any issues before any pupils attendance falls down to a level where a significant amount of learning is lost.
If you are concerned your child's Attendance there are important steps that you can take:
Ensure your child attends every day, on time and ready to learn. Lesson time begins at 8.45am and pupils can arrive to class by 8.30. Any child arriving after the gates have closed will marked as late and this can impact their attendance percentage
If your child is ill, contact the Academy on the first day of absence and provide an explanation to enable us to code the absence accurately.
If no contact is received regarding the absence, it is recorded as un-authorised. Ultimately the Academy is responsible for deciding if the absence is acceptable or not. Only genuine absence will be authorised. You will be asked to provide medical certificates if your child has a poor attendance record.
Ensure that medical appointments are made outside of the Academy time.
Avoid trivial absences such as, ‘buying new shoes’. This would not be accepted as a reasonable absence.
Holidays should not be taken in the Academy time.
Respond to letters or telephone calls regarding attendance and punctuality.
Contact your childs teacher, Mrs Irving (Attendance Lead) or Mrs Tanner (Family Support Worker) if you are experiencing difficulty in getting your child into the Academy and require support.
At Hazelwood Academy we also take the time to celebrate and reward children who attend the academy each day and whose attendance is improving:
● A daily attendance Dojo point is awarded to each pupil every day they are in school. This weekly total is doubled if a pupil has attended all week
● An ‘In to Win’ randomised draw takes place on Mondays in each class the winner gets a special class privilege
● The Class attendance mascot ' Flex the Fox' is awarded during Fridays assembly to the class with best weekly attendance overall.
● Termly Green Group (>97% draw) takes place on the last day of term in whole school assembly. every child with termly attendance >97% will be entered into the draw for a £50 Asda Voucher and seasonal prize.
● Termly 'Most improved attendee' also awarded on the last day of term in whole school assembly.
Please see below for key attendance documents including:
HWA Parent's Guide to Attendance
A practical guide to the school's and the parent's procedures and responsibilities when reporting, monitoring, requesting and rewarding attendance.
HWA Attendance Policy
Policy detailing the Academy's overall approach to attendance
HWA Request for Absence form
If you do need to request term time absence please complete the 'Request for absence form' This must be completed at least 2 weeks in advance of the proposed absence. In truly exceptional circumstance leave may be authorised. Please note time off for holidays in term time is always unauthorised.
