Our attendance and Inclusion Manager is Ms Pierce. If you would like to speak to Ms Pierce with regards to attendance then please contact her on 01274 307490 or alternatively email the school office at office@poplarsfarm.bradford.sch.uk
Research proves that there is a very clear relationship between excellent school attendance and academic achievement. Year after year, the learners with the best school attendance achieve the best results. We are passionate about providing learners with the best possible life chances.
All learners at Poplars Farm Primary School are set an attendance target of 96.2% or above.
Learners with 96.2% attendance and above are more likely to:
- Be appointed to a well-paid job.
- Make the best progress in their subjects.
- Develop good habits for work and wider life.
- Achieve higher than average grades in their statutory assessments.
- Secure a place at a college, University or a training course.
- Maintaining strong and sound friendships.
Parents, carers and families are therefore asked to ensure that their young person is in school every day of term.
Start of the School Day
- The school day starts at 8.45am and finishes at 3.15pm for Y3 through to Y6. Who should line up with their class in the car park. They will then be taken into school by the class teacher & vice versa at the end of the day.
- The school day starts at 8.50am and finishes at 3.20pm for Y1 and Y2 who should be dropped off at their classroom doors and will be greeted by the class teacher & vice versa at the end of the day.
- Nursery 8.30am-11.30am 12.15pm-3.15pm, children should be dropped at the Nursery gate with the class teacher.
- Reception 8.45am - 3.15pm children should be dropped at the Reception gate with the class teacher.
If you are arriving with your child out of these times then please take your child to the school office, to be signed in and taken to class.
Unplanned absence
Parents must notify the school on the first day of an unplanned absence and every subsequent day of absence after that – for example, if your child is unable to attend due to ill health as soon as practically possible contact school. This can be done by leaving a telephone message on the school answering machine Tel: 01274 307490 or coming into the school office.
Absence due to illness will be authorised unless the school has a genuine concern about the authenticity of the illness or your child’s attendance is below 90%.
Medical or dental appointments
Missing registration for a medical or dental appointment is counted as an authorised absence; advance notice is required for authorising these absences. Only 1 single registration mark (half a day) will be authorised for a regular medical or dental appointment. To authorise the absence, we must see proof of the appointment, this can be an appointment card, text message appointment or a letter.
We always encourage parents to make medical and dental appointments out of school hours where possible. Where this is not possible, the pupil should be out of school for the minimum amount of time necessary. Please notify the school office before the day of the appointment and show the required proof for authorisation. This can be done in person at the school office or by email to office@poplarsfarm.bradford.sch.uk
Punctuality
If a child arrives late after 9.30 am, it will be recorded as a late absence and counted as an unauthorised absence.
Every minute in school counts, it is very important that your child arrives on time every day. Our superhero motto of ‘Here Everyday Ready’ on Time is a very crucial message.
If a pupil arrives after the close of the register, KS2 – 9.15am and KS1 – 9.20am, then a late mark will be recorded.
If a child arrives late after 9.30 am, it will be recorded as a late absence and counted as an unauthorised absence.
Strategies for promoting attendance
Poplars Farm have their very own attendance superheroes who celebrate and promote the positive attendance at our school.
The class with the highest attendance each week is recognised in the Friday Celebration Assembly as part of the ‘Attendance-opoly’ and Attendance Superheroes strategy. A member of the class is selected to ‘roll the dice’ to identify the class award. The whole school weekly attendance percentage is also shared (and compared to end of year target).
An extra playtime is awarded for any class who achieve over 96.2% for their weekly attendance.
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Extended leave during term time
Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence to pupils during term time unless they consider there to be 'exceptional circumstances'.
The fundamental principles for defining ‘exceptional’ are “rare, significant, unavoidable and short”. By 'unavoidable' we mean an event that could not reasonably be scheduled at another time and should be no longer than 3 days long.
The school considers each application for term-time absence individually, taking into account the specific facts, circumstances and relevant context behind the request. A leave of absence is granted entirely at the headteacher’s discretion.
If you take unauthorised exceptional leave during term time, you may be at risk of a fine from Bradford City Council.
The Penalty Notice is for £60 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days and £120 per parent, per child if paid after this date but within 28 days. The Penalty Notice will be issued by Bradford Children's Services not the school. Children may lose their place at school if they fail to return after 20 days of absence.
An important message from: John Leese Education Safeguarding Service Manager Attendance, Prosecutions and Child Licensing City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
A decision has been made by Bradford Council to change their approach to situations where families take two or more periods of unauthorised leave in a 12-month period, or when a period of four or more weeks of leave is taken. In these instances, Bradford Council will utilise the option to start legal proceedings via the magistrates’ court, instead of issuing a penalty notice. This means that parents may be liable to receive a significantly higher fine (up to £2,500 per child, per parent) if found guilty, as well as receive a criminal record, which may be reportable to employers (for example, via a DBS Check). In rare circumstances, magistrates can consider a custodial sentence for up to 3 months. This change will come into force from 1st April 2023.
I have no wish to deprive families of an extended period of leave away from our school, but my first concern has to be the educational development of your child. Requests for leave during term time are never taken lightly and we will always consider the social, emotional and cultural reasons for the leave, whether the leave is exceptional, as well as your child’s overall level of attendance, academic attainment and the impact any leave may have on your child’s learning during their time away. However, continued absence from school will have a detrimental impact on a child’s academic attainment, therefore I wish to make you aware that for this reason we support the decision of Bradford Council, and it’s important that you are aware of this change so that you can take this information into consideration when deciding whether or not to take a period of unauthorised leave
Should you need to take extended leave in term time then please make an appointment with Mrs J Speak by contacting the school office.