Every child to whom the School Attendance Act applies is obliged by law to attend school every day the school is in operation, unless there is a reasonable reason for not attending. The Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 provides a framework for promoting regular school attendance, tackling the problem of absenteeism and early school leaving. The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) was established under the Act as a single national body with responsibility for encouraging and supporting regular school attendance. Under Section 21 of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000, the Board of Management of a recognised school is required to prepare a report each year on the levels of attendance at the school. The final report becomes due for completion on the day that the school closes for the summer break. The online facility www.schoolreturn.ie is used for this purpose.
Aims
The aims of the School Attendance Policy of Stonepark NS are to:
- Encourage pupils to attend school regularly and punctually.
- Share the promotion of school attendance amongst all in the school community.
- Inform the school community of its role and responsibility as outlined in the Act.
- Identify pupils who may be at risk of developing school attendance problems.
- Ensure that the school has procedures in place to promote attendance/participation.
- Develop, subject to available resources, links between the school and the families of children who may be at risk of developing attendance problems.
- Identify and remove, insofar as is practicable, obstacles to school attendance.
The school will ensure that:
- The importance of school attendance is promoted throughout the school.
- Pupils are registered accurately and efficiently.
- Pupil attendance is recorded daily in the roll books.
- Parents or guardians are contacted when reasons for absences are unknown or have not been communicated.
- Pupil attendance and lateness is monitored.
- School attendance statistics are reported as appropriate to: (a) The Education Welfare Board, (b) The Education Welfare Officer, (c) The Board of Management.
Punctuality
School is open from 9.20 a.m. Pupils and teachers are expected to be on time. The school will contact parents/guardians in the event of pupils being consistently late. The Principal is obliged under The Act, to report children who are persistently late, to the Education Welfare Board.
Guidance for Parents
Section [(21) (9)] of the Act states that: “a pupil’s absence can only be authorised by the Principal when the child is involved in activities organised by the school or in which the school is involved”. The school principal cannot authorise a child’s absence for holidays during school time.
Reasons for pupils’ absences must be communicated in writing, by parents/guardians to the school and will be retained by the school. To facilitate this, such communications may be written in the homework diary, or on a separate page or sheet of paper.
If a child is absent, when the child returns to school s/he should give/send a written note to the class teacher which contains the child’s name, the dates of absence and the reason for the absence. The teacher will keep these notes in a separate folder for the year. These notes will form a record which may be inspected by the Education Welfare Officer on a visit to the school. The class teacher will contact parents when a written explanation for the child’s absence is not received by the school.
Parents/guardians can promote good school attendance by:
- Ensuring regular and punctual school attendance.
- Notifying the School if their children cannot attend for any reason.
- Working with the School and Education Welfare Service to resolve any attendance problems.
- Making sure their children understand that parents support and approve of school attendance.
- Refraining from taking holidays during school time
- Showing an interest in their children’s school day and their children’s homework.
- Encouraging them to participate in school activities.
- Praising and encouraging their children’s achievements.
- Instilling in their children, a positive self-concept and a positive sense of selfworth.
- Informing the school in writing of the reasons for absence from school.
- Ensuring, insofar as is possible, that children’s appointments (with dentists etc), are arranged for times outside of school hours.
- Contacting the school immediately, if they have concerns about absence or other related school matters.
- Notifying, in writing, the school if their child/children, particularly children in junior classes, are to be collected by someone not known to the teacher.
Board of Management
The Board of Management is committed to providing a positive school atmosphere which is conducive to promoting good school attendance. In this regard:
- The school curriculum, insofar as is practicable, is flexible and relevant to the needs of the individual child.
- The school will promote development of good self-concept and self-worth in the children.
- Support for pupils, who have special educational needs, are in place in accordance with Department of Education & Science guidelines.
- Internal communication procedures are in place to inform teachers of the special needs of pupils.
- The assistance of the Education Welfare Officer will be utilised, if necessary.
- The attendance rates of pupils will be monitored by the class teacher in the first instance, and the class teacher will notify the Principal of any concerns regarding the attendance of any child.
- Pupils with a poor attendance record will, insofar as is practicable, be supported in an effort to improve their attendance.
School Principal
The School Principal will:
- Ensure that the school register of pupils is maintained in accordance with regulations.
- Inform the Education Welfare Officer: (a) If a pupil is not attending school regularly. (b) When a pupil has been absent for 20 or more days during the course of a school year. (c) If a pupil has been suspended for a period of six or more days. (d) When a pupil’s name is removed from the school register.
- Inform parents of a decision to contact the Education Welfare Officer of concerns regarding a pupil.
- Insofar as is practicable, promote the importance of good school attendance among pupils, parents and staff.
Class Teacher
The class teacher will:
- Maintain the school roll-book in accordance with procedure.
- Keep a record of explained and unexplained absences.
- Contact parents in instances where absences are not explained in writing.
- Encourage pupils to attend regularly and punctually.
- Inform the Principal of concerns s/he may have regarding the attendance of any pupil.
Record/Communication
Subject to the restrictions of the Data Protection Act attendance, behaviour and academic records of children who transfer to another primary school will be passed to the Principal of the school, by post, as soon as we receive written notification of transfer. Attendance, behaviour and academic records of children who transfer from another primary school will be sought directly from the previous school.
Attendance, behaviour and academic records of pupils transferring to a second level school will be sent to the school, if requested, once enrolment has been confirmed.
Local NEWB Office Details
EDUCATIONAL WELFARE SERVICES, LONGFORD
NEWB, 1, Little Water Street, Longford, Ireland.
Telephone: 043 3346413
Fax: 043 3346490
Website: www.newb.ie
Ratified by Board of Management
