Attendance policy

Rationale

Hope is an integrated service which combines both Surrey County Council and Surrey and Borders Partnership National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust Policies and Procedures. As issues arise the response process to be followed will be that of the most appropriate organisation. The Service Manager for Hope is to be contacted in the first instance and will direct the query to ensure the appropriate application of Policies and Procedures of each organisation.

Background

The Hope Service is a short-term crisis intervention service which works with young people aged 11 to 18 who have been referred into the service through Social Care or Children and Community Mental Health Services. Young people access the day programme provision for between one and four days a week but remain on roll at their current substantive educational placement.

The young people who access the day programme are highly vulnerable and at the point of acceptance into the day programme may be:

• At risk of a placement breakdown
• At risk of psychiatric hospital admission
• Currently in hospital
• At risk of permanent exclusion from school or college
• Not attending school or college

Aims

Regular attendance in the day programme is a significant contributory factor towards each young person making progress and being successful. Staff place great emphasis on encouraging and supporting good attendance by:

• Fostering positive relationships with all young people and their parents and carers
• Supporting parents and carers to ensure their children attend on their allocated days
• Providing access to a personalised day programme which caters for each young person's specific needs
• Promoting the importance of good attendance and celebrating success
• Acting early to address patterns of absence

Legislation and guidance

This policy meets the requirements of the school attendance guidance from the Department for Education (DfE), and refers to the DfE's statutory guidance on school attendance parental responsibility measures. These documents are drawn from the following legislation setting out the legal powers and duties that govern school attendance:

• Part 6 of The Education Act 1996
• Part 3 of The Education Act 2002
• Part 7 of The Education and Inspections Act 2006
• The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 (and 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016 amendments)

This policy also takes into account the following Department for Education guidance:

• Working Together to Improve Attendance (May 2022)
• Summary of Responsibilities Where a Mental Health Issue is Affecting Attendance (Feb 2023)

Roles and responsibilities

The Hope Management Committee (HMC)

The HMC is responsible for monitoring the attendance figures for the day programme across both sites on a termly basis. It holds the Teacher in Charge to account for the implementation of this policy. Specifically the HMC will:

• Promote the importance of school attendance through ethos and policies.
• Ensure statutory duties and expectations are fulfilled.
• Review attendance data and ensure attendance improvement efforts are targeted where necessary.
• Ensure staff receive adequate training.
• Take an active role in attendance including setting high expectations for staff, young people (with a range of varying needs) and parents/carers.
• Recognise that attendance forms part of wider improvement strategies connected to attainment, behaviour, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), wellbeing and safeguarding.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of processes to ensure needs are met as barriers to attendance and experiences evolve.

The Teacher in Charge

The Teacher in Charge is responsible for:

• Undertaking the strategic approach for attendance at Hope
• The implementation of this policy in the day programme
• Tracking the attendance data for all young people and groups of young people and reporting this to the relevant professional networks
• Updating the Coordinators with attendance data for their young people each term
• Liaison with the allocated Inclusion Officer for each Hope site.

The Administration Coordinator

The Administration Coordinator on each site is responsible for:

• Receiving calls from parents and carers about any absences and recording this on the day programme system
• Liaising with taxi companies where there are concerns around frequent late arrivals of young people into the day programme
• Completing the attendance register each day
• Contacting parents and carers of any young person who has not attended that day, where there has been no prior warning

Recording attendance

An attendance register is completed by the start of the first session of each day and again by the end for the final session of the day (See appendix 1 for the Department for Education attendance codes).

Young people are expected to arrive for 9.30am and the register is kept open until 10am.

Unplanned absence

The parent or carer must notify the Hope Service via the Administration Co-ordinators on the main number, on the first day of an unplanned absence by 9.30am or as soon as practically possible. Absence due to illness (physical or mental health) will be recorded as authorised unless there is a genuine concern about the authenticity of the illness.

If the authenticity of the illness is in doubt, we may ask the young person's parent or carer to provide medical evidence, such as a doctor's note, prescription, appointment card or other appropriate form of evidence.

We will not ask for medical evidence unnecessarily.

If we are not satisfied about the authenticity of the illness, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised, and parents and carers will be notified of this.

Planned absence

Attending a medical or dental appointment will be counted as authorised as long as the young person's parent or carer notifies the Hope Service in advance of the appointment.

As far as possible we encourage parents and carers to make medical and dental appointments out of day programme hours.

Leave of absence

A request for a leave of absence will be considered by the Team Manager and the Teacher in Charge only in exceptional circumstances, taking into account the specific facts and circumstances and relevant background context behind the request.

This will be balanced against the impact of the day programme sessions (for example therapy and education) that will be missed. Further advice may be sought with the young person's Social Worker or Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Consultant before a decision is reached.

Recording Covid-19 related absence

It is no longer recommended that children and young people are tested for COVID-19 unless directed to by a health professional. As COVID-19 presents a low risk to children and young people, combined with high vaccination rates in the population, there are no longer specific rules relating to it in education settings.

Children and young people with mild symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, who are otherwise well, can continue to go to school, college or childcare.

However, those who are unwell and have a high temperature should stay at home and avoid contact with other people where they can. They can return to Hope and resume normal activities when they no longer have a high temperature, and they are well enough to attend.

Reporting to parents

Attendance is reported on the termly education report that is sent to parents and carers. Attendance is also Red, Amber, Green (RAG) rated on the report as follows:

• Red: 0-79%
• Amber: 80-89%
• Green: 90-100%

Procedures

• Parents and carers are advised that they should call Hope Guildford or Hope Epsom by 9.30am if their young person is unable to attend.
• A register of attendance is taken every morning and at the end of the day by the day programme staff and returned to the office so that the Administration Coordinator can update the attendance sheet.
• The first register is completed by 10am and the second is completed at the end of the day before the young people leave the site.
• Any young person arriving after 10am must report to the Administration Coordinator or member of staff on In-service Support duty, on arrival. The register will then be updated accordingly.
• If a young person has failed to arrive by 10am and no call has been received, a member of the Day Programme staff or the Administration Coordinator will phone their home. If the reason is not sickness or they have any concerns they will contact the young person's allocated Key Worker or Care Coordinator who will follow this up with either a phone call or a home visit.
• If there is no response to the initial phone call the allocated Care Coordinator will be notified that day and will follow this up within 24 hours.
• The Hope Service will comply with the 'memorandum of understanding' for children that go missing in Surrey Schools.
• The Hope Service will work collaboratively with professional networks, including the designated inclusion officer to work intensively with young people who are persistently (missing 10% of school) or severely (missing 50% of school) absent to develop a personalised plan for the young person.

Penalty Notices

The Hope Service will take account of the Department for Education (DfE) penalty notice updated guidance (August 2024) for both low attendance and unauthorised leave of absence, but will only consider issuing notices where this would be in the best interest of both the young person and the family.

Monitoring arrangements

This policy will be reviewed as guidance from the local authority or Department for Education (DfE) is updated, and as a minimum every three years.

This policy links to the following policies:

• Safeguarding and Child Protection policy
• Behaviour policy

Appendix 1: attendance codes

Table 1. The following codes are taken from the Department for Education's (DfE's) guidance on school attendance.

Table 2. The next table demonstrates codes used following the DfE's guidance for authorised absence.

Table 3. The next table demonstrates codes used following the DfE's guidance for unauthorised absence.

Reviewed: March 2022

Next review: March 2025

Key person: J Roberts