Attendance & Absence

Attendance

At Ossett Academy, we believe that every day counts in pupil’s education. Regular attendance is essential for young people to achieve their maximum potential.

Pupils should attend the Academy each day and on time in order to ensure that they have a regular routine to support their learning. This focus also prepares pupils for the world of work, where attendance and punctuality are crucial. We want all pupils to take advantage of the opportunities provided by Ossett Academy. Evidence shows that there is a link between poor attendance and underachievement. We want all pupils to fulfil their individual potential and in order for this to happen, we need parent/carer co-operation and support in ensuring that we have full attendance and excellent levels of punctuality.

Each Year Group has a different start and finish time as outlined below.

Good attendance and punctuality are part of the regular discussions between form tutors and pupils and they play a significant role in our Positive Recognition and Attitude to Learning strategies.

Signing In/Out Procedure

For Health and Safety and Safeguarding reasons all pupils who need to leave site during the day need to sign-out out reception. Pupils will need to have a letter from parents/carers, which has also been signed by a member of teaching or pastoral staff – pupils must ensure they sign back in on their return.

If pupils arrive late for school for any reason (even if authorised / pre-agreed) the pupil must be signed in at the main entrance gates.

Our Attendance Policy should be read in conjunction with the Behaviour Policy and our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy.

Absence Procedure

Inform the academy on the first day of your child’s absence from school, and again on any subsequent days.  To safeguard your child, we need parental confirmation for every day of absence.

To report an absence

Call: 01924 232832 alternatively please email attendance@ossett.accordmat.org

Our Attendance Coordinator and Education Welfare Officer undertake regular visits to the homes of absent pupils to offer support and to confirm that absences are genuine. Please contact our Attendance Coordinator on 01924 232832 if you require any support with your child’s attendance.

Appointments

We ask that where possible, appointments are arranged outside of school hours but understand that this is not always possible.  We will allow pupils to attend appointments but ask that they attend school before or after the appointment.  Please notify the attendance team on 01924 232832 of any upcoming appointments and provide a note or an appointment letter/card to confirm the appointment.

Truancy Reporting

Ossett Academy uses an automated absence notification system which uses text messaging and MCAS messaging to advise parents/carers if pupils are absent from the Academy without notice.

We send out a message to parents during the course of the morning who can then reply by text message, MCAS message or voice message whichever is appropriate. This ‘First Day Response’ is done for any pupil expected to be in the Academy but has not been marked as present.

This messaging system is NOT an alternative to parents advising the Academy that their child will be absent. All parents/carers are still required to inform the Academy of pupil absences on the first day by ringing the absence line.

Holidays

Parents should ensure that they do not take their children out of school on holiday during term time. If this is unavoidable then a “special leave of absence agreement” must be obtained in advance from the school – please see our ‘Holidays in Term Time’ page for full information

Attendance & Absence

Free school meal support during child absence

If your child already receives free school meals and is absent from school due to Covid or for an extended period of time, please contact Ossett Academy for continued support during their absence, if needed – enquiries@ossett.accordmat.org
Vouchers may continue to be provided in some circumstances.
If your child does not receive free school meals, but your financial circumstances have recently changed – please use this link to see if your child/children are eligible for this support: https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/schools-and-children/free-school-meals

Attendance Action Alliance

Members of the Attendance Action Alliance have worked with the Department for Education to develop a short school attendance guide, which helps parents understand how they can work with their school and local authority to support their children to attend school and get the right support. It can also be found on both the Office of the Children’s Commissioner page for parents and page for schools
small trust logo
small trust logo

The Accord Multi Academy Trust is an educational charity established in September 2016 that is currently made up of four academies who were the founding members of the Trust. In September 2016 Horbury Academy and Ossett Academy & Sixth Form College came together, moving away from their stand-alone Trust status and were joined in December 2016 by Horbury Primary Academy and Middlestown Primary Academy.

The overarching vision for the Trust is to work in one ‘Accord – celebrating the differences of each academy through strong collaboration in order to inspire all members of our learning community to be the best that they can be.

Trust Website

Our Academies