Our shared academy vision is for excellence in everything.
Excellence is not an act but a habit. By its very nature, excellence is difficult to measure or quantify. Excellence is difficult to achieve and even harder to maintain.
It is often said that we are what we repeatedly do. Therefore, by having habits of excellence we constantly challenge ourselves to be the best that we can be.
The habits of excellence that we develop in our students are:

Present and punctual
Attitude and ambition
Become an expert.
Take action and improve.
Be a leader.

Co-op Academy Manchester is committed to providing a full education to all students that embraces the concept of equal opportunities for all. We provide a welcoming and caring environment where every student feels safe and valued.
Being Co-op is about creating an environment that celebrates difference. Somewhere both students and colleagues feel responsible, valued, empowered, and trusted to do the right thing for each other and our community.
The academy creates a supportive environment which allows students to flourish. Relationships are key to a successful academy. The golden threads our approach to relational practice include:

unconditional positive regard - within education ensures that students are not judged on their previous behaviours, that we expect the best of them and that they are provided with a fresh start following misbehaviours.
deliberate ‘botheredness’ – adults are intentionally interested in all aspects of students' lives so that effective relationships can be developed.
compassionate consistency – High expectations with due regard for additional needs and/or barriers to success. Supporting students to achieve high expectations without lowering the bar.

Co-op Academy Manchester is underpinned by the values of the Co-op and all within the academy aspire to the Ways of Being Co-op These are:

Do what matters most.
Be yourself, always.
Show you care.
Succeed together.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure excellent attendance for all, that maximises student potential.
Regular attendance and excellent punctuality are essential in ensuring students make sustained academic progress and social development.
The academy works in partnership with students and their parents or carers to promote the importance of regular and punctual attendance. Regular and punctual attendance is vital in ensuring that all children have full access to the curriculum, as valuable learning time is lost when students are absent or late.
As an academy, we recognise that regular attendance has a positive impact on the motivation and attainment of students. As such, this policy serves to give clear guidance to all stakeholders on their roles and responsibilities; provide advice and information on statutory duties of parents/ carers and the academy and demonstrate how the academy will work in partnership with families, the local authority and other organisations to support the best possible attendance of all students.

The Importance of Academy Attendance

Regular attendance at the academy is vital to support your child to achieve and help them get the best possible start in life. Good attendance is central to students’ academic achievement and personal development.
Research shows that attending school is directly linked to improved exam performance which should in turn lead to further learning opportunities and better job prospects.
In addition, regular attendance at school helps to develop:

friendships
social skills
team values
life skills
cultural awareness
career pathways

90% of persistent non-attenders do not achieve five or more good GCSEs. Around one third achieve no GCSEs at all. This can result in limited opportunities for post 16 qualifications and/or employment.
Young people who regularly miss school without good reason are also more likely to become isolated from their friends, to underachieve in examinations and/or become involved in anti-social behaviour.
Keeping Children Safe in Education, 2023 makes clear the fact that Children Missing Education are at significant risk of being victims of harm, exploitation or radicalisation, and becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training) later in life.
Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 places a duty on parents/carers to ensure children of compulsory school age receive efficient full-time education suitable to the child’s age, ability and aptitude and to any special needs the child may have. Parents/carers have a legal duty to ensure their child’s regular attendance at the school/academy where they are registered.
A parent/carer who fails to ensure that their child attends school regularly is guilty of an offence under Section 444(1) of the Education Act 1996.

See Appendix 6 for a poster showing the impact of lost learning hours

Legislation and Guidance

This policy meets the requirements of Working Together to Improve School Attendance 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 (2010, 2011, 2013, 2016 amendments)
The Education (Penalty Notices) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013

The policy pays due regard to:

Roles and Responsibilities

AGC (Academy Governing Council)

The AGC is responsible for:

Promoting the importance of academy attendance across the academy
Making sure academy leaders fulfil expectations and statutory duties
Regularly reviewing and challenging attendance data
Monitoring attendance figures for the whole academy
Making sure staff receive adequate training on attendance
Holding the principal to account for the implementation of this policy

The Principal and Senior Leadership Team

The Principal and senior leaders will offer a clear vision for attendance, underpinned by high expectations and core values, which are communicated to and understood by staff, students and families.
Senior leaders will make sure staff, students and families understand that absence from the academy is a potential safeguarding risk and understand their role in keeping children safe in education.
Senior leaders will actively promote excellent attendance at all levels of the organisation to build up a culture of excellent attendance.

To do this, senior leaders will be responsible for:

Implementation of this policy at the academy
Monitoring academy -level absence data and reporting it to governors
Supporting staff with monitoring the attendance of individual students
Monitoring the impact of any implemented attendance strategies
Issuing fixed-penalty notices, where necessary

Strategic Lead for Attendance

The strategic lead for attendance is responsible for leading attendance across the academy, including:

Offering a clear vision for attendance improvement
Evaluating and monitoring expectations and processes
Having an oversight of data analysis
Devising specific strategies to address areas of poor attendance identified through data
Building relationships with parents/carers to discuss and tackle attendance issues
Creating intervention reintegration plans in partnership with students and their parents/carers
Delivering targeted intervention and support to students and families
Comply with the Department for Education Statutory Guidance on Children Missing Education (CME) by informing the local authority of the details of children who are regularly absent, missing from the academy following a leave of absence and prior to removing a child from the roll of the academy

Heads of Year

The Heads of Year for each individual year group are responsible for:

provide regular advice, encouragement, challenge and support to the class as a whole and individually to pupils about the importance of regular attendance and punctuality using the data provided by the attendance team
ensure that the statutory attendance register using the academy’s information recording system is taken at the start of the first session of the academy day and once during the second session. For the purposes of safeguarding, registers should be taken at the beginning of each lesson
ensure pupils’ absence notes or verbal messages related to attendance and punctuality are provided to the attendance team
be alert and deal with any signs of disaffection which could result in poor attendance and punctuality and impact on learning and ensure this is recorded on the academy’s information recording system
identify absence trends or concerns and raise with the relevant member of attendance team

Attendance Manager

The academy attendance manager is responsible for:

Ensuring absence procedures are followed in line with this policy
Ensuring the entering of codes is accurate and keeping the attendance register in line with legislation
Benchmarking attendance data to identify areas of focus for improvement
Providing regular attendance reports to academy staff and reporting concerns about attendance to the designated senior leader responsible for attendance and the principal
Working with the local authority to tackle persistent absence
Working as part of the safeguarding team to report and follow up concerns
monitoring attendance on daily, weekly, half-termly, termly and annual basis, contacting parents/carers of pupils who have been identified as at-risk, to challenge absences and encourage early return to the academy
ensuring data on attendance and punctuality is displayed in prominent places visible to pupils
issuing appropriate consequences and support to pupils for whom attendance and punctuality is a cause for concern
managing the arrangements for pupils who need to attend appointments during academy time
working with the senior leader responsible for attendance to maintain an up-to-date attendance risk register and punctuality risk register of high-risk pupils in designated year groups and contribute towards the Team Around the Academy meetings for each year group
Leading review meetings and develop an action plan involving the student, parent/carer and, where appropriate, other agencies for pupils whose attendance and/or punctuality falls below the expected level
Co-ordinating the support plan for pupils returning to the academy after a prolonged absence
Co-ordinating the collation of all the documentary evidence required by the local authority for issuing a penalty notice or prosecution by the Local Authority for unauthorised absence
At Co-op Academy Manchester, we will visit a student on the third day of unreported absence or where there is a concern and will make subsequent visits. Should there be any safeguarding concerns, the safeguarding team will take responsibility for these home visits.
reporting to the childrens missing in education department, where a pupil has not returned to the academy for ten days after an authorised absence or is absent from the academy without authorisation for twenty consecutive academy days, the student can be removed from the admission register when the academy and the local authority have failed, after jointly making reasonable enquiries, to establish the whereabouts of the child. This only applies if the academy does not have reasonable grounds to believe that the student is unable to attend because of sickness or unavoidable cause
Supporting when a parent notifies the academy in writing that they are home educating, and contacting the Elective home education team. However, where parents orally indicate that they intend to withdraw their child to be home educated, the attendance manager should consider notifying the local authority at the earliest opportunity.

Attendance Officers

The academy attendance officers are responsible for:

monitoring registration on a daily basis and to ensure any missing marks are quickly resolved to ensure pupils are safe
be the first point of contact for parents/carers and relevant academy staff regarding pupil absence and appointments
making first day absence contact via text and follow up calls
collate and issue all attendance and punctuality data on a daily, weekly, half-termly, termly and annual basis to the attendance manager, heads of year and senior leader responsible for attendance
maintain a record of all applications for leave of absence during term time ensuring absence procedures are followed in line with this policy, issuing penalty notice warnings where leave is not authorised or no application for leave received.
Entering codes accurately and keeping the attendance register in line with legislation
Working as part of the safeguarding team to report and follow up concerns
Where pupils are educated off-site, call daily to ensure attendance and follow up absence
As directed by the attendance manager, ensure that pupils are visited in line with the attendance procedures. Liaise with the safeguarding team regarding home visits, if there are safeguarding concerts for the student.
Support the work of the Attendance Manager
where appropriate, home visits and welfare checks will be made in accordance to our safeguarding policy

Teaching Staff

Teaching staff are responsible for:

Recording attendance on a daily basis, within the first five minutes of a lesson or form time, using the correct codes
Recording all attendance, accurately and in a timely manner, on the academy information management system (MIS)
Giving attendance a high profile and emphasising the importance of academy attendance
Making students feel welcome and supporting them after an absence or when late to the academy
Helping students catch up on missed subject content after absences

Office Staff

Academy office staff may be the first point of contact for parents/carers and relevant academy staff regarding pupil absence and appointments
Academy office staff are responsible for taking calls from parents/carers and students about absence on a day-to-day basis and recording it accurately.

They will also transfer calls from parents/carers and students to the correct attendance team staff or make appointments, where possible with pastoral staff or senior leaders, in liaison with the staff members.
Academy office staff work closely with the wider attendance team and safeguarding team.

Parents/carers

Parents/carers are expected to:

Ensure their child arrives at the academy on time, dressed in full uniform and ready and equipped to learn
Be aware that it is an offence for their child to be absent from the academy without a valid reason
Call the academy to report their child’s absence before 8.15am on the day of the absence and each subsequent day of absence, and advise when they are expected to return
Provide the academy with more than 1 emergency contact number for their child
Ensure that, where possible, appointments for their child are made outside of the academy day, and provide evidence of the appointment.
Be aware that only the academy can determine if an absence from the academy is ‘authorised’
Avoid arranging holidays/leave during term time except in exceptional circumstances
Ensure that all requests for leave during term time are made in writing for the attention of the Principal where possible, at least one month in advance
Be aware that for unauthorised absences, the Academy Governing Council reserves the right to apply to the local authority to issue a penalty notice (fine) or remove a child from the roll of the academy
Ensure their child attends all intervention programmes agreed by the academy

Pupils

Pupils are expected to:

Aim to achieve 100% attendance and punctuality by arriving to the academy on time every day
Attend every timetabled session on time
Come to the academy well prepared and with the right mindset; to learn and contribute positively to the academy culture
Call the academy to report their absence before 8.15am on the day of the absence
Be proud of achieving excellent attendance and punctuality
Ensure they are registered for all timetabled lessons and inform the relevant member of staff if they are not able to be registered
Ensure all notes/appointment cards are passed to the relevant member of staff
Speak to the appropriate member of staff if there are any problems that may affect attendance, punctuality and/or learning

Reporting Absence

Parents/Carers will be expected to provide an acceptable reason for every absence and will be able to report an absence on the day by contacting:

The Academy switchboard on 0161 795 305 or send an email to manc-attendance@coopacademies.co.uk before 8:15am by leaving a voicemail message.

Parents/carers are requested to make contact on each day of absence even where students are absent for consecutive days, unless otherwise agreed with one of the Attendance Officers.
If absence reasons are medical, evidence will need to be provided such as a stamped medical card, hospital letter or prescription in order for the absence to be authorised.
The Academy will mark absence for physical or mental illness as authorised unless we have a concern about the authenticity of the illness.
Where communication is not made with the Academy about the reason for student absence this will be deemed as ‘unauthorised absence’. The parent/carer will receive contact from the Academy to ascertain reasons for absence.
Contact will be made from the beginning of the academy day follow up calls will be completed by 11 am on the same day. Follow up will be based on the following timescales:

If a student is absent without communication, the attendance team will attempt to contact parents. You will receive a text message after morning registration to request that you contact the academy to report the reason for your child’s absence.
If you do not report your child’s absence following this text, you will receive a phone call from a member of the attendance team.
If the attendance team is unable to contact you, you will receive a home visit - even if it is the first day of absence.
When a student is absent for two or more days without the academy being provided with a reason, a member of the attendance team will conduct a further home visit.
Home visits from the attendance team are supportive and intended to establish if any actions need to be put in place in order to support a child’s return to the academy.
If, after home visits and phone calls, the attendance team is still unable to get a reason for absence within 5 days, the attendance team will request the Safeguarding team to carry out a ‘welfare check’ at home.
For extended periods of absence without reason, we will also contact the Child Missing Education Team at the Local Authority and/or sibling primary schools to support with enquiries about the whereabouts of the child.
If a child is absent from the Academy and accrued 10 days of unauthorised absence a 10DN2 referral will be made to the CME department, where it is believed a pupil has left the area, or has failed to return after an extended leave of absence and has accrued 20 days of unauthorised absence and their whereabouts are unknown a 10DN2 referral to the Child Missing Education Team will be made and the child will be removed from roll.
Where students are identified as vulnerable, or we have a safeguarding concern, if communication is not made on day one of absence, procedures will be followed through more swiftly with welfare checks requested on day one if deemed necessary

Reporting and Requesting Planned Absences

Attending a medical or dental appointment will be counted as authorised as long as the student’s parent/carer notifies the academy in advance of the appointment. You will need to show your appointment text or letter to verify your appointment.
However, we encourage parents/carers to make medical and dental appointments out of academy hours where possible.
Where this is not possible, the student should be out of the academy for the minimum amount of time necessary by returning promptly to the academy following their appointment and also attend prior to appointment if not first thing in the morning.
The appointment should be made at the start/end of the academy day to minimise disruption to learning.
The parent/carer must also apply for other types of term-time absence as far in advance as possible of the requested absence.

Recording Absence

Attendance register

All schools must keep an attendance register.
The academy uses an electronic system (MIS) to accurately record attendance and punctuality to every lesson on a daily basis.
There will be a daily tutor session at the start of every day, during which students will receive their morning registration mark.
Any students arriving late to the academy, will be recorded late at student reception and will receive a sanction. The class teacher will record them on the system when they arrive to form.
Afternoon attendance will be recorded during lesson 4.
The attendance register marks whether every students is:

Present
Attending an approved off-site educational activity
Absent
Unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances

Each day, students can access the academy building from 8:15am. Students can access a free breakfast from 7.30am in the main canteen.
Students must begin to join their year group line up at their allocated entrance at 8:20am
They will then attend a tutor period where they will receive their morning mark for 8.30am.
Academy registration closes at 9:00am prompt and any student arriving after this time will lose half a day of attendance and be marked with a U (see appendix 1 for attendance register codes)
Students accruing more than 5 sessions of unauthorised late marks will be issued with statutory warning, this can lead to a penalty notice fine being issued by the local authority, under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003. Each such Penalty Notice incurs a fine of £120 to be paid within 28 days, which is reduced to £60 if paid within 21 days of the notice being served. Failure to pay a Penalty Notice may result in prosecution.
Any amendment to the attendance register will include:

The original entry
The amended entry
The reason for the amendment
The date on which the amendment was made
The name and position of the person who made the amendment

We will also record:

Whether the absence is authorised or not
The nature of the activity if a student is attending an approved educational activity
The nature of circumstances where a student is unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances

Lateness and punctuality

The statutory register of the academy closes at 9:00 am daily. After this point, a student arriving late without prior notice or a reasonable explanation, will receive an unauthorised late absence mark, this is shown as a U code on the register.
A student who arrives late:

Between 8:30am and 9:00am, after the entrance doors have closed, they will enter the academy through student reception where they will be met by SLT and signed in at student services. They will then be escorted to their tutor room.
After 9.00am, they will sign in at student reception.
Students arriving after the register has closed (9am) will be registered with a ‘U’ code as an unauthorised late.

If a student arrives at the academy late, after the register has closed, parents will be contacted by the academy to inform them and ascertain a reason for lateness.

Persistent lateness

In addition to poor attendance, persistently arriving late to the academy results in lost learning time and reduces the chances of students achieving their potential.
Therefore, it is contrary to the academy expectations for students to persistently arrive late to the academy (whether before or after the register has closed) as this not only hinders their progress but also disrupts the learning of others.
The student support and attendance team will monitor late arrivals and follow this up through:

Detentions issued
Letters home

Students need to arrive at the academy on time. If they are late numerous times across the week, the following phone calls will be made:

1 late in a week – phone call home by Attendance Officer
2 lates in a week – Phone call home by Head of Year
3+ lates in a week – Phone call home by Senior leader and parental meeting arranged with Attendance Manager

All lates and conversations with parents will be logged centrally by the academy on the academy system.
If a student is persistently late to the academy, in the first instance the Head Of Year will speak with the student, should the lateness persist a meeting will be requested by the Head of Year or a member of the attendance team with parent/carer and student to discuss what, if any barriers, there are in preventing student from arriving on time. The Academy will also explore implementing a home/academy agreement to be signed by all parties to ensure that parents support punctuality and be at the forefront of any improvement. The Head of Year will work with students and families regarding punctuality and attendance.
To support all students to attend and be punctual, all Co-op Academies run a breakfast club (free to pupil premium students) before the start of the academy day, to ensure that students can start the day positively and be on time. If a student is persistently late, they may be referred to the breakfast club to support punctuality.
If all the above are unsuccessful, the Academy, via the local authority, may exercise its legal powers to improve punctuality and attendance. This could result in statutory actions.

Recording Attendance at off site provision / dual registered students

Attendance at alternative provisions is monitored daily by the attendance team. Provisions to make initial contact with parents where students are absent are determined by the roll status of the individual student.
Students will be given a ‘B’ code when they have attended external alternative provision. Any absences will be recorded using the appropriate absence code. In these situations, Co-op Academy Manchester will follow up any absence using the same procedures as a student who attends the academy daily.
Most alternative provisions, as well as managed moves to neighbouring schools, are used on a dual-registration basis. In these cases students will be given a ‘D’ code when they are on roll with the provision for all periods where the student is expected to attend the other provision/school. Absence will be followed up using the host school’s attendance procedures.
Students in receipt of a B or D code will receive daily monitoring by the attendance team who will call their alternative provision to establish attendance.
Students in receipt of a B or D code will be visited weekly to ensure that they are safe and well.
Students in receipt of a B or D code will have their placement reviewed every half term by the Vice Principal. This will include a site visit, attendance and progress monitoring.

Authorised and Unauthorised Absences

Medical and Illness

Students should attend the academy on every possible day they can. Mild illnesses such as colds and coughs should not prevent a student from coming to the academy.
Guidance for academy leaders on authorising absence for mild illnesses, or mild anxiety, from the chief medical officer can be found here and details when parents or carers should make sure students attend.

Approval for term-time absence

The Government’s amendments of the Education Regulations 2006 removed the right of Headteachers to authorise family holidays and extended leave. The academy policy, therefore, reflects this legislation.
The principal will only grant a leave of absence to a student during term time if they consider there to be 'exceptional circumstances'. A leave of absence is granted at the principal’s discretion, including the length of time the student is authorised to be absent for.
The academy considers each application for term-time absence individually, taking into account the specific facts, circumstances and relevant context behind the request. Any request should be submitted as soon as it is anticipated and, where possible, at least 4 weeks before the absence. Leave of absence forms can be requested from the Attendance Manager. (See appendix V) alternatively an online form is available on the academy website.
The principal may require evidence to support any request for leave of absence including plane tickets; medical evidence; letters from authorities.
Valid reasons for authorised absence include:

Illness (including mental illness) and medical/dental appointments
Religious observance – where the day is exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which the student’s parents/carers belong. If necessary, the academy will seek advice from the religious body to confirm whether the day is set apart. The academy authorises up to two days for a religious absence per academic year and one day per religious event
Traveller students travelling for occupational purposes – this covers Roma, English and Welsh Gypsies, Irish and Scottish travellers, showmen (fairground people) and circus people, bargees (occupational boat dwellers) and new travellers. Absence may be authorised only when a traveller family is known to be travelling for occupational purposes and has agreed this with the academy, but it is not known whether the student is attending educational provision

Fines and Sanctions

The academy, via the local authority, may exercise its legal powers to address poor attendance in the academy. These powers include:

Penalty Notices: Section 23 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 allows penalty notices (fines) to be issued to parents/carers. They are an alternative measure to the prosecution of parents/carers who fail to ensure that their child attends the academy. A penalty notice will be issued by the local authority in line with its code of conduct when a child’s absence has not been authorised by the academy. This is issued to any adult with parental responsibility for each child. The penalty is £60 per parent/carer per child if paid within 21 days, increasing to £120 per parent/carer per child if paid between 21 and 28 days. If one or both parents/carers fail to pay the penalty notice in full, then the local authority may decide to prosecute the parents/carers.
Prosecution: If a child fails to attend the academy regularly at which they are registered then the parents/carers may be guilty of an offence and may be prosecuted by the local authority. They have the power to prosecute parents/carers who fail to comply with a school attendance order under section 443 of the Education Act 1996 or fail to ensure their child’s regular attendance at a school under section 444 of the Education Act 1996. The fines available to the courts if the parents/carers are found guilty could be between £1000 and £2500.
the courts can also sentence parents/carers for:- imprisonment for up to 3 months
be served a community based sentence
subject to a parenting order which can be additional to other sentences
costs may be awarded to the council

The academy is obligated to pass information about unauthorised absence to the local authority.
The decision on whether or not to issue a penalty notice may take into account:

The number of unauthorised absences occurring within a rolling academic year
One-off instances of irregular attendance, such as holidays taken in term time without permission
If an excluded student is found in a public place during academy hours without a justifiable reason

Schools must only remove compulsory school aged children from the roll of the school under certain circumstances defined in Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006.
If a student fails to return from a leave of absence and contact with the parents has not been made or received, the academy may take the student off the academy’s role in compliance with the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006. This means that the child will lose their academy place.

Promoting and Supporting Attendance

Co-op Academy Manchester also recognises that some students are more likely to require additional support to achieve excellent attendance, for example, those students with special educational needs, those with physical or mental health needs, and looked after children.
The academy implements a range of strategies to support improved attendance. Strategies
used will include:

Regular communication with home
Offering incentives and rewards
Mentoring
Support plans
Rewards systems
Access to academy counsellor service
Fast Track Initiative
Referral to the Educational Welfare Officer

As a very last resort - and only in exceptional circumstances, the Academy may implement a part time timetable to support regular attendance. This would only be as a very last resort.
Where parents fail or refuse to engage with the support offered and further unauthorised absence occurs, Co-op Academy Manchester will consider the use of legal sanctions.

Co-op Points

Achievement points are used to reward positive behaviours, including attendance and punctuality. Behaviour points are used as a sanction for unacceptable behaviours such as lateness.
Students will be rewarded with achievement points each time they demonstrate our Ways of Being.
Students will be sanctioned with behaviour points each time they commit a disruptive and/or red line behaviour.
Negative behaviour points will be deducted from achievement points to give overall Co-op points.
Co-op points contribute to the Ways of Being Award.

Daily rewards

Daily rewards support a culture of positivity.
Each teacher will praise students for meeting expectations, following the behaviour routines and demonstrating our Ways of Being and being punctual.
Achievement points will be awarded to students for demonstrating the Ways of Being throughout the day:

Each form tutor will aim to award at least 1 student with achievement points during tutor time which can include regular attendance .
Each class teacher will aim to award at least 3 students within the lesson which may include improvements in punctuality.
Each head of year will aim to award at least 5 students from their year group during social times and for attendance/punctuality.
The top 10 students with the highest number of Co-op points in each year group will receive a positive text message home per day.

Weekly rewards

Positive postcards will be sent home by the Head of Year acknowledging when a student has reached the following Achievement Point thresholds: 50, 100, 150, 200 etc.
Attendance staff may send a postcard for a particularly noteworthy effort or improvement in attendance and/or punctuality.
The top 10 students with the highest number of Co-op points in each year group will receive a positive text message home weekly.
The student with the highest number of Co-op points in each year group will be named the Student of the Week. Their names will be displayed on screens around the academy and social media, where appropriate, to celebrate success.
The attendance team will present a visual league table of form attendance to provide healthy competition in each year group.

Half-termly rewards

Half-termly rewards celebrate students who exemplify our Ways of Being over a sustained period of time.
Students with 100% attendance each half term will be awarded with a certificate in a special assembly. A letter to the student’s parents/carers will also be sent home congratulating their student for the achievement.
Students with the most improved attendance over a half term will be awarded with a certificate in a special assembly. A letter to the student’s parents/carers will also be sent home congratulating their student for the achievement.
A Co-op hero is a student who has 100% attendance, 100% punctuality and zero behaviour incidents. They will receive a free experience during academy hours. Parents/carers will receive a letter home congratulating their student for this achievement. There will also be a roll of honour of Co-op heroes displayed in each tutor group.
Co-op Heroes will be invited to attend a free Co-op Heroes reward experience, such as a trip to the local cinema, bowling etc. The Academy can amend the criteria for ‘Co-op Heroes’ depending upon context and must communicate that to parents/carers in advance of the rewards experiences.

Ways of Being Award

Ways of Being Award is a points-based system, rewarded through achievement points for excellent attendance, behaviour and service to the community.
The Ways of Being Award ABC Model is applied to categorise achievement and determine the level of reward gained.
Leaders will launch the Ways of Being Award at an assembly in the autumn term and revisit it at each expectations assembly at the start of term..
Each year, a Ways of Being Award ceremony will take place for each year group.
A roll of honour will be displayed in each tutor group.

Legal Intervention

The law requires parents to ensure that their child attends the academy regularly. The academy has a primary responsibility in dealing with the issue of attendance, in partnership with parents and students.
The majority of attendance issues will be dealt with by the academy, with intervention and support from the relevant departments in the academy.
Schools have to regularly inform the Local Authority of any students who are regularly absent from school, have irregular attendance, or have missed 10 school days or more without the school's permission. Schools also have a safeguarding duty, under section 175 Education Act 2002, to investigate any unexplained absences.
If a student is missing school without good reason and support options have been exhausted without improvement/engagement, schools can refer to the Local Authority for legal intervention. This is likely to result in the student case file being referred for consideration in the Magistrates Court.
Local Authorities and schools can use various legal powers if a child is missing school without a good reason and when other methods of support and challenge have not worked. This action can include:

a Parenting Order
an Education Supervision Order
a School Attendance Order
a Fixed Penalty Notice up to £2500
a community based sentence
Three months imprisonment
costs may be awarded to the council

Attendance Monitoring

The academy will monitor attendance and absence data weekly, half-termly, termly and yearly across the academy and at an individual student level. Through this analysis we will Identify whether or not there are particular groups of children whose absences may be a cause for concern
Pupil-level absence data will be collected each term and published at national and local authority level through the DfE's school absence national statistics releases. The underlying academy-level absence data is published alongside the national statistics. The academy will compare attendance data to the national average, and share this with the academy governing council and Regional Director.

Analysing attendance

The academy will analyse attendance and absence data regularly to identify students or cohorts that need additional support with their attendance, and use this analysis to provide targeted support to these students and their families.
We will look at historic and emerging patterns of attendance and absence, and then develop strategies to address these patterns.

Using data to improve attendance

Data is produced weekly, to ensure that all staff recognise attendance as an important area of academy improvement and that all staff are responsible for promoting and ensuring good attendance through effective systems.
Data is broken down into cohorts by vulnerability. Comparisons are made with whole academy data and national benchmarks to enable us to take into consideration the potential barriers to attendance and ensure that the correct support package is in place for the relevant student.
Data produced is compared with previous academic years to look for trends in relation to national and local data

Identifying and supporting Persistent and Severely Absent Pupils

Persistent absence is where a student misses 10% or more of school, and severe absence is where a student misses 50% or more of school. The academy will work with parents/carers, staff, agencies and students to prevent children from falling into either of these categories.
The academy will use attendance data to find patterns and trends of persistent and severe absence. We will hold regular meetings with the parents/carers of students and all adults who are listed as holding parental responsibility, who the academy (and/or local authority) considers to be vulnerable, or are persistently or severely absent, to discuss attendance and engagement at the academy. We will provide access to wider support services to remove the barriers to attendance.
Pupils with attendance of less than 90% will be identified by the attendance team and referred to the Attendance Manager for more intensive casework. Preventative intervention work will be done to avoid students reaching PA status.
In order to prevent students from falling into Persistent Absence category, the following strategy will ensure:

Early contact once pattern of absence starts to appear , conversation with student and parent /carer to identify barriers to attendance, first warning letter issued.
Continued absence meeting with parent/carer to identify barriers to attendance including relevant staff to support in the meeting, member of SEN, HOY, Family Liaison officer, Action support plan to be discussed and agreed with parent /carer with clear expectations discussed 3 week monitoring period second warning letter issued .
Continued absence will lead to early warning penalty notice letters issued with a 3 week monitoring period.
Leave in term time without authorisation is referred to the LEA legal team for statutory action.

If student attendance falls between 71 and 90%,

Home visits or meetings in the academy discuss action plans discussing what barriers there are to students attending the academy,including relevant staff to support in the meeting, members of SEN, HOY, Family Liaison officer, Safeguarding officer. Action support plan to be discussed and agreed with parent /carer with clear expectations discussed,penalty notice warning letter issued with clear 3 weeks monitoring.

If, after all the above processes are unsuccessful and student attendance drops below 70%, SLT will discuss students at the Team around the academy meeting and will plan actions of support for any high tariff students falling below 70%.
We always aim to work with families to improve attendance and through all of the interventions in place. Where families are not engaging with the support we will have to take more punitive actions including:

Fast Track Initiative
Formal Casework
Referral to educational welfare officers
Referral to Local Authority

Reintegration after significant absences

Every effort will be made to re-integrate students successfully back into the Academy following long periods of absence. This might include:

Phased returns and reduced timetables, in exceptional circumstances
Mentoring from the pastoral team
An attendance support plan agreed with students and Parents

Identifying and supporting Children Missing in Education

We recognise that a child going missing from education is a potential indicator of abuse or neglect.
A student is counted to be ‘Missing in Education’ if they have been absent for 20 consecutive days from the academy (with no reason for absence given) or if they have not returned for 10 consecutive academy days after returning from an authorised absence.
Where a child is identified as missing education we will comply with our statutory duty to inform the local authority of any student who falls within the reporting notification requirements outlined in Children Missing Education – Statutory guidance for local authorities (DfE September 2016)
All schools (including academies and Independent Schools) must notify the LA school admissions team of a child’s name and home details before removing a child from roll. The schools and the LA have an agreed process and timescale to share such information and this is contained within the school process, CME and ‘off rolling ‘guidance to schools.

Within 20 working days of the referral being assigned to the CME officer, within the school admissions team, the officer will begin/continue their enquiries following the CME process document. (As the CME team will have already contacted the last known school attended it may not be necessary to contact the school again. Further contact with the school may, however, be necessary if further, more detailed background information is required).

It is expected that a minimum of a home visit (if safe to do so) / letter to last known address/phone calls to last known numbers are made within the 20 days by the school, if this has not already been undertaken.

The CME team will liaise with other LA departments, external agencies and other Local Authorities when investigating a case. The team will record all discussions and action taken on the Manchester LA database.

Children who are absent, abscond or go missing during the academy day are vulnerable and at potential risk of abuse, neglect, CSE or CCE including involvement in county lines.
Academy staff members must follow the academy’s procedures for dealing with students who are absent/go missing, particularly on repeat occasions, to help identify the risk of abuse and neglect including sexual abuse or exploitation and to help prevent the risks of going missing in future.

Links with other Policies

This policy links to the following policies:

Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy
Behaviour & Relationships Policy
Exclusions Policy

Appendix 1 - Coding

The following codes are taken from the DfE’s guidance on school attendance.

Present Codes

Code	Definition	Scenario
/	Present (am)	Pupil is present at morning registration
\	Present (pm)	Pupil is present at afternoon registration
L	Late arrival	Pupil arrives late before register has closed
B	Off-site educational activity	Pupil is at a supervised off-site educational activity approved by the school
D	Dual registered	Pupil is attending a session at another setting where they are also registered
J	Interview	Pupil has an interview with a prospective employer/educational establishment
P	Sporting activity	Pupil is participating in a supervised sporting activity approved by the school
V	Educational trip or visit	Pupil is on an educational visit/trip organised, or approved, by the school
W	Work experience	Pupil is on a work experience placement

Absence Codes

Code	Definition	Scenario
Authorised absence
C	Authorised leave of absence	Pupil has been granted a leave of absence due to exceptional circumstances
E	Excluded	Pupil has been excluded but no alternative provision has been made
H	Authorised holiday	Pupil has been allowed to go on holiday due to exceptional circumstances
I	Illness	School has been notified that a student will be absent due to illness
M	Medical/dental appointment	Pupil is at a medical or dental appointment
R	Religious observance	Pupil is taking part in a day of religious observance
S	Study leave	Year 11 student is on study leave during their public examinations, used until the end of the exams.
T	Gypsy, Roma and traveller absence	Pupil from a traveller community is travelling, as agreed with the school
Unauthorised absence
G	Unauthorised holiday	Pupil is on a holiday that was not approved by the school
N	Reason not provided	Pupil is absent for an unknown reason (this code should be amended when the reason emerges, or replaced with code O if no reason for absence has been provided after a reasonable amount of time)
O	Unauthorised absence	School is not satisfied with reason for student's absence
U	Arrival after registration	Pupil arrived at school after the register closed

Code	Definition	Scenario
X	Not required to be in school	Pupil of non-compulsory school age is not required to attend
Y	Unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances	School site is closed, there is disruption to travel as a result of a local/national emergency, or student is in custody
Z	Pupil not on admission register	Register set up but student has not yet joined the school
#	Planned school closure	Whole or partial school closure due to half-term/bank holiday/INSET day.

Appendix 2 - Reporting

🏅 Attendance rewards

You will be rewarded for good attendance: by earning Co-op points and will also, providing your behaviour is excellent, be able to attend an end of year attendance trips and reward events.

📞 How do my parents report my absence

They can report an absence on the day by contacting the academy switchboard and leaving a message with the Attendance Office: or on the absence line, or via text message. The academy must be contacted on each day of absence even where students are absent for consecutive days.

❌ What is unauthorised absence?

Any absence that doesn't fall into the following: Absence due to illness or other avoidable cause; an absence for religious observance sanctioned by the religious body to which the parent/carer belongs; holidays that have been approved by the academy due to exceptional circumstances; any other situation where the academy has authorised a fixed period of absence.

✅ What should my attendance look like?

Every student should be aiming for 96% or above attendance. Anything below 96% can have a severe impact on your outcomes. It has been proven that attendance below 96% is like losing a whole grade at GCSE.

😢 What is persistent absence?

This is when you have less than 90% attendance. The academy will work with parents/carers, staff, agencies and students to prevent children from falling into this category. Students with attendance of less than 90% will be identified by the attendance team and referred to the Academy Attendance Improvements Officers for more intensive case workfall stop prevent sensitive intervention work will be done to avoid student reading PA status.

Appendix 3 - Recognition and Rewards

In line with our Behaviour and Relationships Policy, students who receive 100% attendance and punctuality receive an end of half term reward. This can include trips, internal academy experiences, certificates and positive praise postcards.

We also highlight Students of the Week around the academy, where we recognise students who have 100% attendance and the best attended tutor group.

Individual point awards are also issued to students whose attendance has improved.

Appendix 4 - Thresholds and Interventions

Students on 99-100% attendance are on Level 0. There is no need to list these students.
Students on 97-99% attendance are on Level 1. There is no need to list these students
Students on 95-97% attendance are on Level 2. These students should be listed and discussed at Team Around School (TAS) from January onwards, if their attendance is reducing or there is a concerning pattern worthy of discussion. Outcomes recorded on the overall TAS action tracker.
Students on 90-95% attendance are on Level 3. These students should be listed. After January, these students need to be listed and monitored closely and discussed as part of the TAS meeting. Outcomes recorded on the overall TAS action tracker.
Students below 90% attendance are on Level 4. They need a half-termly 'pastoral review meeting' with parents, a letter home expressing concern and discussed at TAS meeting,outcomes recorded on the risk management plan.

Appendix 5: Attendance Distributed Leadership Model

The academy is a warm, welcoming environment for learning to take place. Students are happy and feel safe. There are clear links between regular attendance and educational outcomes for students.; therefore, we ensure attendance is a responsibility shared by all academy staff.

Parents/carers and students are supported by caring staff. We strive to ensure all our students’ health and emotional well-being needs are met.

ATTENDANCE

99% - 100%

Students whose attendance is within these parameters should be congratulated and receive positive encouragement to maintain high levels of attendance. Actions at this level are the responsibility of the tutor/teacher, who will inform students each week of their current attendance level & lates data as provided by the data manager. Good attendance is celebrated and rewarded.

Each week we celebrate the winning Tutor Group / Family Group / Year Group.
Celebration breakfast to be awarded to the winning Tutor Group each week.
End of term celebration trip to be awarded to the winning Family Group.
Verbal praise to children to celebrate individual achievements from the Tutor and Heads of Year.
Co-op Points given automatically each week and each term for 100% good attendance.
Certificate of achievement presented each term for 100% attendance.
Celebration of attendance included with the Principal’s Excellence Award.

ATTENDANCE

97% - 98%

Attendance at this level is beginning to cause concern. Early intervention is a preventative measure.
Weekly attendance meetings between Heads of Year and Attendance Manager will highlight students who are a concern at this stage.
Heads of Year / SENCO to provide advice and support to ensure the student’s needs in the academy are met.
Support and advice from School Health.
Heads of Year to meet fortnightly with SLT link to discuss attendance issues.
Form Tutor to speak to the student about reasons for absence.
Heads of Year to speak to parent/carer about attendance concerns. All meetings and minutes to be logged.
Attendance Manager to set short term achievable individual attendance targets.
Heads of Year to consider assigning a mentor (if appropriate).
Students with SEN needs to discuss with SENCO whether additional booster class/1:1 tuition, peer support or Teaching Assistant support is appropriate.
Seek School Nurse support if applicable

ATTENDANCE

96% & BELOW

There are serious concerns over attendance at this level and the student is at risk of becoming Persistently Absent (PA) once their attendance has fallen to 90%.
A more formal approach will be required. The Attendance Manager will have considered the issuing of a penalty notice or possible legal intervention to ensure parents/carers accept their legal responsibilities to support their child.
A key member of staff is allocated to ensure support is available. This member of staff will have a relevant area of expertise e.g. SEN, safeguarding.
Attendance Manager to select member of staff to as a key contact in the academy for students and their parents/carers.
Heads of Year / Attendance Manager to review & co-ordinate resources to support the student. This may include a review of the curriculum and an offer of an alternative if possible.
Attendance Lead to liaise with the SENCO to consider if a CAF is appropriate. Are there any Child Protection concerns?
Look at alternative provision

Appendix 6: Lost Learning Hours Poster

Appendix 7 - Template for Leave of Absence Request

Requesting Leave in Term Time

Before requesting leave in term time you need to think about:

The lessons your child will miss
The difficulty your child will have in catching up
The effect it will have on your child’s friendship groups
The effect it will have on how well your child performs in school

1.What is/are the name(s) of your child(ren)

2. Which is your child(ren)'s Year Group and Tutor (if known)

3. What is the start date of the absence from school

Date

4. What is the date your child will be returning to school

Date

5.Please provide a DETAILED reason why the leave MUST be taken during term time

Parent/carer name

Parent/carer email address

For your information:

Amendments have been made to the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 which took effect from 1 September 2013. From this date schools will not be permitted to grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.
All term time holiday/leave requests must be submitted to the Headteacher with the exceptional circumstances fully explained. In order to make the decision whether to authorise leave or not, parents/carers may be asked to provide evidence supporting their circumstances.
We class `exceptional circumstances’ as an event which cannot reasonably have been predicted or foreseen. While family holidays are enriching experiences, the school year is designed to give families the opportunity for these breaks without having to disrupt the children’s education.
Parents/carers need to be aware that Penalty Notices can be issued per parent, per child for unauthorised absence from school, for unauthorised leave taken in term time and/or for pupils stopped during a
Truancy Patrol (£60 if paid within 21 days; £120 if paid within 28 days as at 1st September 2013) in line with the Education (Penalty Notice Regulations) England 2013.
Manchester LEA have advised schools that any unauthorised absence above 4 days (for holiday) will be issued with a Penalty Notice.

What happens after I complete the online form?

On receipt of your request for absence within term time, I as Head will review the information contained in the form, I will also consider the Trafford guidance and will share the outcome of my decision with one of the following three statements:

I can confirm that, following the above guidance from Manchester that after careful consideration of your request:

1. Leave not authorised - Penalty notice not to be issued on this occasion

2. Leave not authorised - Consideration will be given to issuing Penalty notice if

leave taken

3. Leave authorised

Many thanks for your support and cooperation

Appendix 8 - Definitions

Session

A term related to the recording of absence data - every school day must have two ‘sessions’ (morning and afternoon), divided by a break, for which attendance must be recorded.

Authorised absence

This means that the school has either given approval in advance for a pupil of compulsory school age to be away or has accepted an explanation offered afterwards as justification for absence.

Unauthorised absence

Where the school is not satisfied with the reasons given for an absence.

Fine

Your local council can give each parent a fine of £60, which rises to £120 each if you do not pay within 21 days. If you do not pay the fine after 28 days you may be prosecuted for your child’s absence from school.

Prosecution

You could get a fine of up to £2,500, a community order or a jail sentence up to 3 months. The court also gives you a Parenting Order.

Education Supervision Order

If the council thinks you need support getting your child to go to school but you’re not co-operating, they can apply to a court for an Education Supervision Order.

A supervisor will be appointed to help you get your child into education. The local council can do this instead of prosecuting you, or as well.

Parenting Order

This means you have to go to parenting classes. You’ll also have to do what the court says to improve your child’s school attendance.

Appendix 9 - Templates Letters and Texts

Example Nudge Letter

Attendance matters – and you can help!

Dear {Parent/Carer Name}

I am writing to you because {Student Name} has missed more school than other students this year.

{Student Name} has been absent for {#.#} days so far this year which is a percentage of {##.##%} The average attendance of the students at Co-op Academy Manchester in {Y#} is {##.##%} which means your child has missed more school than most other students.

When students miss school they fall behind. Just missing five days a year of school could decrease your child’s chances of achieving well, whether the absence is authorised or unauthorised.

Our purpose is to support every child in achieving the best outcome. We know that students who are in school, every day, have a better chance at making progress and reaching their full potential.

You could have a big impact on {Student’s Name} attendance and we appreciate your support and help.

Yours sincerely

Example Text Messages

1. falling below 95% / below average / declining

Dear parent, we are just letting you know that your child has missed x days of learning this year. This is more than the average for the school which is x. Please contact x if you would like to discuss your child's attendance. We know this could have a big impact.

2. Ascending attendance

Dear parent, your child's attendance has improved! This will have a big impact on their learning. Thank you for ensuring x is in school as much as possible. We appreciate your support.

Example Absence Letter

Dear Parent/Carer

RE: Your Child’s Attendance Matters to Us

Your child’s attendance is x %

This means they have missed x school days

This was xxxxx lessons

This year, xxxxx has missed over 11 days of learning. Our aim is for all students to have 100% attendance. This would mean missing no days of school. Our minimum expectation of 96% means that we would expect children to miss no more than two days per term (or 6 in a year).

We know that when students miss school they fall behind. Just missing five days a year of school could decrease your child’s chances of achieving well by 10% – whether the absence is authorised or unauthorised. Pupils who attend school regularly on average also feel better connected, develop superior social skills and have higher self-esteem and confidence. Not being in school means your child is missing out on the essentials they need to be successful.

Our purpose is to support every child to achieve their very best. In order to do this, we would like you to ensure xxxxx attends school on every day possible so that they can achieve better attendance this year and therefore maximise their chances of success. An extra 6 days of school could make all the difference.

If you need any support regarding your child’s attendance please contact the school to speak to a member of the pastoral team. We are here to help and want to see xxxxx in school, every day.

Thank you for supporting xxxx’s progress by ensuring they are in school, every day and on time. You could have a big impact on their attendance.

Yours sincerely

Principal

Example Invitation to Panel Letter

Dear Parent/carer of ______________________________________________________________

RE: Attendance Panel Meeting

Attendance

Unauthorised Absence

Authorised Absence

Target

Number of Lates

number days

I am writing because the academy has ongoing concerns about ____________________________ attendance and punctuality. The average number of missed days of school for a student at Co-op Academy Manchester is xxx. Your child has missed more days than most students.

I would like to invite you to an Attendance Panel Hearing to discuss this matter in full. The meeting will be held at Co-op Academy Manchester on ___________________________________, at _____________. A Parenting Contract may be offered at the meeting; this is a plan that is agreed between you and Co-op Academy Manchester and includes actions and targets to improve ____________________________ attendance. If you wish, you may bring a friend or other representative along to the meeting.

Staff are working at Co-op Academy Manchester to support you to improve______________________’s attendance, but it is important that you understand that we are required to consider legal proceedings where a parent/carer fails to ensure the regular school attendance of their child/children. However, this is only considered when all plans to improve matters have failed. My initial role will be to try and support you in ensuring ____________________________ attendance and punctuality improves.

We need to remind you of your legal responsibility to ensure your child attends school regularly, under Section 444 of the 1996 Education Act. Failure to ensure regular school attendance can result in a fine of up to £2,500 and/or 3 months in prison.

Please don’t ignore this letter. If for any reason this appointment is not convenient, please contact the academy on 0161 795 3005.

Yours Sincerely