GILSON NATIONAL SCHOOL
Statement of Strategy for School Attendance
Name of school
Gilson National School
Address
Church St, Oldcastle, Co. Meath
Roll Number
12488C
The school’s vision and values in relation to attendance
This statement complements the school ethos of nurturing potential in a caring environment where the welfare of each child is paramount. Regular attendance helps to create a stable, learning environment for all pupils. We recognise the clear and direct relationship between regular school attendance and pupil progress. This can be further enhanced where a level of understanding, openness and co-operation exists between pupils, parents/guardians, staff, the Board of Management and the Parents’ Association.
The school’s high expectations around attendance
Gilson NS expects that when children are healthy and well that they should attend school. Regular attendance at school provides routine and stability for children but it is also vital for children to see the importance of this for themselves. This will be of enormous benefit to them as they progress to secondary school, third level and a career in the future. The seeds of regular attendance are sown in primary school and the staff in Gilson NS recognise this and appreciate the importance of it.
How attendance will be monitored
Notes are requested from parents/guardians explaining why their child is absent from school. Notes detailing absences are kept by the class teacher for the school year as part of the pre-referral requirement if needed. Notes are kept in the child’s file.
Each teacher records the roll on Aladdin every morning @ 10.55am. Pupils arriving after this time will be recorded as absent albeit late arrival.
Collective monthly attendances and percentages are available for analysis at the end of the month.
TUSLA forms reporting non-attendance (20 days or more) are collated by the Assistant Principal 2 and returned to TUSLA in October (Period 1/ Optional), Christmas (Mandatory) and end of March (Period 3/ Optional) and End of Year (Mandatory). A letter from the school is also sent to the parents/guardians.
Collective and individual pupil yearly attendances are available for analysis on Aladdin.
The class teacher records arriving late at school on a daily basis. If this becomes persistent, the teacher will inform the Principal who will then speak to the parents/guardians in relation to the matter.
Summary of the main elements of the school’s approach to attendance:
A beginning of the year school Newsletter outlines the importance of attendance and punctuality and gives the school’s percentage rate for attendance in relation to the previous school year. Parents are reminded of their duty to submit notes explaining absences to the class teacher.
From 2016/2017 the annual attendance data will be discussed at the first Board of Management meeting of the school year.
Children’s individual attendances are recorded in the annual school report which is sent home to parents/guardians.
Award certificates are presented to the children with the best attendance in each class, at the awards ceremony at the end of the school year. Certificates are also awarded to pupils with improved attendance. Children with improved attendance are also rewarded during the school year.
However, if there is no co-operation from the parent/guardian and the pupil exceeds 20 or more days without explanation the matter will be referred to TUSLA’s Educational Welfare Officer. When a student exceeds 20 days absence but the school has been provided with a medical certificate explaining some or all of these absences then the school will use its discretion in determining whether the student’s absence warrants referral to the Educational Welfare Officer. (All children who have reached 20 days or more are automatically reported to TUSLA).
A pre-referral checklist will be provided to TUSLA demonstrating the efforts already made to address the attendance problem.
The EWO has meetings with parents/guardians in school or at home to discuss the concerns in relation to attendance.
An individual planned approach may be considered that will involve staff, pupil and parents/guardians together if the needs of the pupil are particularly complex.
School roles in relation to attendance
The Principal, Deputy Principal and Management
Partnership arrangements (parents, students, other schools, youth and community groups)
Parents / Guardians
Parents/guardians can promote good school attendance by;
Children
Communication with other schools
How the Statement of Strategy will be monitored
The school principal, teachers and the Board of Management will monitor this statement as set out in the document.
Review process and date for review
We will review this statement in two years (September 2019) to ascertain if targets have been reached, and set new targets for the next two-year cycle.
Date the Statement of Strategy was approved by the Board of Management
18th October 2017
Date the Statement of Strategy submitted to Tusla
19th October 2017
Annual Attendance Report 2017/2018
TUSLA Annual Attendance Report
2017/2018
01/09/2017 to 27/06/2018, All classes
1. Total number of days lost through student absence in the entire school year up to and including the date the school closes. 2701
2. Total number of students who were absent for 20 days or more during the school year. 32
3. Total number of students expelled in respect of whom all appeal processes have been exhausted or not availed of during the school year. 0
4. Total number of students who were suspended during the school year. 0
Statement of Strategy for School Attendance
Name of school
Gilson National School
Address
Church St, Oldcastle, Co. Meath
Roll Number
12488C
The school’s vision and values in relation to attendance
This statement complements the school ethos of nurturing potential in a caring environment where the welfare of each child is paramount. Regular attendance helps to create a stable, learning environment for all pupils. We recognise the clear and direct relationship between regular school attendance and pupil progress. This can be further enhanced where a level of understanding, openness and co-operation exists between pupils, parents/guardians, staff, the Board of Management and the Parents’ Association.
The school’s high expectations around attendance
Gilson NS expects that when children are healthy and well that they should attend school. Regular attendance at school provides routine and stability for children but it is also vital for children to see the importance of this for themselves. This will be of enormous benefit to them as they progress to secondary school, third level and a career in the future. The seeds of regular attendance are sown in primary school and the staff in Gilson NS recognise this and appreciate the importance of it.
How attendance will be monitored
Notes are requested from parents/guardians explaining why their child is absent from school. Notes detailing absences are kept by the class teacher for the school year as part of the pre-referral requirement if needed. Notes are kept in the child’s file.
Each teacher records the roll on Aladdin every morning @ 10.55am. Pupils arriving after this time will be recorded as absent albeit late arrival.
Collective monthly attendances and percentages are available for analysis at the end of the month.
TUSLA forms reporting non-attendance (20 days or more) are collated by the Assistant Principal 2 and returned to TUSLA in October (Period 1/ Optional), Christmas (Mandatory) and end of March (Period 3/ Optional) and End of Year (Mandatory). A letter from the school is also sent to the parents/guardians.
Collective and individual pupil yearly attendances are available for analysis on Aladdin.
The class teacher records arriving late at school on a daily basis. If this becomes persistent, the teacher will inform the Principal who will then speak to the parents/guardians in relation to the matter.
Summary of the main elements of the school’s approach to attendance:
- Target setting and targets
- The whole-school approach
- Promoting good attendance
- Responding to poor attendance
- Target setting and targets. The average attendance for the 2016/17 school year was 93.9%. We aim to improve this to 95% for the 2017/18 school year and to 96% for the 2018/19 school year.
- The whole-school approach to promote attendance. Gilson NS endeavours to create a safe, welcoming environment for our pupils and their parents/guardians. New entrants are, invited to an induction day through which school policy and procedure in relation to attendance are explained by the principal. There is a focus on the value of regular attendance and on the importance of developing good attendance habits from Junior Infants onwards. The school’s obligations to TUSLA are explicably explained in the Parents’ Information Booklet.
A beginning of the year school Newsletter outlines the importance of attendance and punctuality and gives the school’s percentage rate for attendance in relation to the previous school year. Parents are reminded of their duty to submit notes explaining absences to the class teacher.
From 2016/2017 the annual attendance data will be discussed at the first Board of Management meeting of the school year.
Children’s individual attendances are recorded in the annual school report which is sent home to parents/guardians.
Award certificates are presented to the children with the best attendance in each class, at the awards ceremony at the end of the school year. Certificates are also awarded to pupils with improved attendance. Children with improved attendance are also rewarded during the school year.
- Responding to poor attendance; At the beginning of the school year the principal will alert teachers about pupils where there has been concerns about attendance.
However, if there is no co-operation from the parent/guardian and the pupil exceeds 20 or more days without explanation the matter will be referred to TUSLA’s Educational Welfare Officer. When a student exceeds 20 days absence but the school has been provided with a medical certificate explaining some or all of these absences then the school will use its discretion in determining whether the student’s absence warrants referral to the Educational Welfare Officer. (All children who have reached 20 days or more are automatically reported to TUSLA).
A pre-referral checklist will be provided to TUSLA demonstrating the efforts already made to address the attendance problem.
The EWO has meetings with parents/guardians in school or at home to discuss the concerns in relation to attendance.
An individual planned approach may be considered that will involve staff, pupil and parents/guardians together if the needs of the pupil are particularly complex.
School roles in relation to attendance
The Principal, Deputy Principal and Management
- The principal and the deputy principal have overall responsibility for school attendance.
- The Board of Management provide support by reviewing school attendance figures and targets and ensuring it is placed as an agenda item at the beginning of each school year.
- To enable our school to record and monitor attendance in a consistent way we will adhere to the guidance provided in the Department of Education Circulars and The Education Welfare Act 2000.
- Management will lead on the review and implementation of the school’s Attendance Strategy and closely monitor progress and evaluation.
- Teachers should bring any concerns regarding school attendance to the principals attention whenever they have a concern.
- Teaching staff regularly monitor the attendance and punctuality of pupils by ensuring that attendance is recorded at morning registration by 10:55 am.
Partnership arrangements (parents, students, other schools, youth and community groups)
Parents / Guardians
- Parents are obliged to explain their child’s absences either by note or by phone call.
- Reasons will be recorded in Aladdin and notes will be retained in each child’s file.
- When the child returns to school after an absence, parents/guardians 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.
- These notes will form a record, which may be inspected by the Education Welfare Officer on a visit to the school.
- Parents are required to backup illness / medical related absences with medical certs/appointment cards .
- Teachers will record as unexplained on Aladdin if an absence is not explained .
- Teachers will not assign work and standardised tests will not be repeated for children who are absent from school because of holidays.
- The principal cannot authorise a child’s absence for holidays during school time.
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 they, as parents, support consistent school attendance.
- Discussing planned absences with the school.
- Refraining, if possible, from taking term-time holidays.
- Showing an interest in their children’s school day and their children’s homework.
- Encouraging their children 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 self-worth.
- Informing the school in writing of the reasons for absence from school.
- Contacting the school immediately, if they have concerns about absence or other related school matters.
- Notifying, the school if their child/children, are to be collected by someone not known to the teacher.
Children
- Children are responsible for promptly passing on absence notes from parents to their class teacher.
- Children should inform staff if there is a problem that may lead to their absence.
- Children are responsible for passing school correspondence to their parents, on the specified day.
Communication with other schools
- Under Section 20 of the Education (Welfare) Act (2000), the principal of a child’s current school must notify the principal of the child’s previous school that the child is now registered in their school.
- We work closely with secondary schools and, in particular, with our own local secondary school (St. Oliver PP). All pupils transferring to secondary school do so with an Education Passport. Any issues relating to attendance are discussed with the secondary school in question.
How the Statement of Strategy will be monitored
The school principal, teachers and the Board of Management will monitor this statement as set out in the document.
Review process and date for review
We will review this statement in two years (September 2019) to ascertain if targets have been reached, and set new targets for the next two-year cycle.
Date the Statement of Strategy was approved by the Board of Management
18th October 2017
Date the Statement of Strategy submitted to Tusla
19th October 2017
Annual Attendance Report 2017/2018
TUSLA Annual Attendance Report
2017/2018
01/09/2017 to 27/06/2018, All classes
1. Total number of days lost through student absence in the entire school year up to and including the date the school closes. 2701
2. Total number of students who were absent for 20 days or more during the school year. 32
3. Total number of students expelled in respect of whom all appeal processes have been exhausted or not availed of during the school year. 0
4. Total number of students who were suspended during the school year. 0
- 32 children absent for 20 or more days down from 48 in 2016/17
- Average attendance for this year is 94.4% slightly up on the 2016/17 figure of 93.9%.