The Roundhill Academy is proudly recognised as an Inclusive Attendance school. Our unwavering commitment to attendance centres around child-centric actions, evidence-informed practices, and a shared understanding of everyone’s roles and collective responsibilities to promote exceptional attendance.
At The Roundhill Academy, we are driven by an unwavering commitment to making school attendance a top priority, fully integrated with every aspect of school improvement.
Regular school attendance is a key factor to support children and young people’s educational, economic, and social outcomes. Schools can help create positive peer relationships, which contributes to better mental health and wellbeing. Good attendance at school is crucial to prepare children for successful transition to secondary school, further education and adulthood, and to support their longer term economic and social participation in society. Children with the highest attendance throughout their school time gain the best SATS, GCSE and A level results. Research found that pupils who performed better, both at the end of primary and secondary school, missed fewer days than those who didn’t perform as well.
Children who are registered at a school but regularly fail to turn up are officially referred to as being ‘persistently’ or ‘severely’ absent. The school day is split into two sessions – one session counts as a morning or afternoon spent in school. Pupils who have missed more than 10% of school sessions (which equates to 1 day per fortnight across an academic year) are considered persistently absent, while children who have missed more than 50% of school sessions are referred to as severely absent, (which equates to missing 5 days per fortnight across an academic year).
Why attendance is so important at The Roundhill Academy.
As you are aware, the school follows this structure for the day:
| Time | Event |
| 8:35 | Arrive at School |
| 8:40-9:05 | Tutor Time |
| 9:05-10:20 | Lesson 1 |
| 10:20-10:40 | Break |
| 10:40-11:55 | Lesson 2 |
| 12:00 - 13:15 | Lesson 3 |
| 13:15-13:55 | Lunch |
| 13:55 - 15:10 | Lesson 4 |
| 15:10 | End of school day |
The day comprises of 4 x 75 minute lessons. During these lessons, a significant amount of content is covered in great depth. Each lesson builds sequentially to ensure pupils have the necessary knowledge and understanding to make progress. Therefore, a child’s attendance plays a crucial role in their ability to engage with their curriculum and ultimately their outcomes. We believe in setting high standards of attendance for each child because we believe this is the standard that a child should meet to give them the very best chance of success.
Multi-Tiered System of Support
To guarantee a comprehensive approach to attendance, we implement a Multi-Tiered System of Support. A Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) for school attendance involves three tiers of intervention, with roles for teachers, the school, children, parents, and external agencies – including the Local Authority. Data-driven decision-making and training requirements are pivotal to the implementation of the system. The system aligns with the Department for Education’s (DFE) “Working Together to Improve School Attendance” guidelines.
Tier 1 – Universal Approach: Establishing a baseline universal attendance approach that benefits all children.
Tier 2 – Individualised Strategies and Early Help Support: Tailoring strategies to individual needs and providing early help support for persistent attendance challenges.
Tier 3 – Higher Needs Strategies Support: Furnishing specialised support for children, young people, and families with complex attendance requirements, including access to external agency support when necessary
Absences
Absences fall into two categories:
Authorised – there is a valid reason for the absence.
Unauthorised – no valid reason for the absence has been provided or the reason provided is not valid and is not considered an acceptable reason.
Examples of unacceptable reasons (not an exhaustive list):
- Attending events such as concerts or shows.
- Caring for a family member.
- Parent illness.
- Shopping trips to celebrate events such as birthdays.
- Persistent lateness due to transport issues (arrival after register is closed).
We know that sometimes children cannot come to school because they are really unwell – and that’s the right thing to do for them and other pupils. However, medical advice is clear that children with a mild illness will often be well enough to attend – for example if they have a cough or cold without a temperature. The NHS guidance Is my child too ill for school? – NHS is designed to support parents/carers in their decision making about mild illness.
Where possible please organise medical appointments out of school hours. However, we appreciate that parents will have limited choices when offered appointments. Please notify the school in advance of any medical/dental appointments and aim to return your child to school as soon as the appointment is completed. Your child must come to the main school reception on arrival so that they can be signed in.
Holidays taken during term time will not be authorised. Parents who choose to take their child on holiday during term time may be issued a fixed penalty notice.
f you need to report that your child is absent, please follow the instructions below:
Call and leave a voicemail on 0116 269 3896
Press 1 for Student Absence
Should your child contact you using their mobile phone, please contact the main reception, we will check on your child and contact you. Please do not organise to pick up your child without notifying us.
.The school day starts at 8.40am and pupils are expected to be on site at 8.35am. Pupils who arrive after 8.40am to school will be logged as late. If a pupil arrives after 9.10am this will be recorded as ‘late after register closes’ this will be recorded as an unauthorised absence if a valid reason is not provided. A break or lunchtime detention will be issued for unexplained lateness
We fully understand that parents face very challenging decisions when their child is ill. We have put together some frequently asked questions and answers to hopefully aid your decision when deciding if to send your child into school.
Why is attendance so important?
Good school attendance gives your child a high chance of success. By attending each day, you ensure that your child will learn all the content required, they will form good habits and most importantly they are safe. Attending each day will not guarantee success, but if your child displays a good attitude to learning to their school life studies along with good attendance, they have every chance of reaching their full potential.
How does attendance affect the outcomes for my child?
Pupils who have good attendance generally settle well in school, this is because they practice the routines and build resilience daily. A third of pupils who have an attendance between 90-80% go on to get a GCSE pass in English and Maths. Three quarters of pupils who have an attendance above 90% will secure a pass in English and Maths, according to national statistics.
Frequently Asked Questions
My child has a mild cold? What do I do?
Colds and similar viruses will occur throughout the year, you can still send your child into school with mild cold symptoms.
My child has a minor injury? What do I do?
Notify the school, we will plan to support your child through the school day.
My child has contacted me using their mobile phone telling me they are unwell, what do I do?
Please contact the main reception, we will check on your child and contact you. Please do not organise to pick up your child without notifying us.
My child is feeling better this afternoon. What should I do?
Please send your child in. Each lesson is 100 minutes and therefore they will receive the benefits of attending school.
My child is refusing to come into school I know/ don’t know the reason.
Contact reception and ask to speak to your child’s Head of Year. In this situation we will want to support your child quickly and provide the necessary advice.
My child has a Medical or Dental appointment.
Where possible please organise medical appointments out of school hours. However, we appreciate that parents will have limited choices when offered appointments. Please notify the school in advance of any medical/dental appointments and aim to return your child to school as soon as the appointment is completed. Your child must come to the main school reception on arrival so that they can be signed in.
I want to take my child on holiday during term time.
Holidays taken during term time will not be authorised. There may exceptional circumstances when authorised absence will be granted but this is at the discretion of the Headteacher and will considered alongside DFE and Trust guidelines. Parents who choose to take their child on holiday during term time may be issued a fixed penalty notice.
My child has had a sickness bug, when can I send them in?
You can send your child in as soon as you feel confident that the sickness has passed and that they are well enough to return. You do not need to wait 48hrs since the last time your child was sick.
Useful links for Parents:
Leicestershire LA Attendance Guidance
Working together to improve school attendance