Good attendance is essential if pupils are to take full advantage of school and gain the appropriate skills, which will equip them for life.  It remains a fundamental prerequisite of an effective school.

At Barton St Peter's we aim to maximise our attendance rates by operating an attendance policy within which Governors, Staff, Pupils, Parents and the Education Welfare Service can work together in a fruitful partnership.  The deputy headteacher and pastoral officer will monitor attendance and ensure that there is early intervention for our families if an attendance concern is identified, so that appropriate support can be given to improve attendance quickly. 

The members of staff with responsibility for attendance are:

Mr Rob Wilson (Deputy Headteacher) and Miss Emma Sandon (Pastoral Manager). 

For the academic year 2021-2022, our overall attendance figures were the following:

Whole-school attendance: 94.3%

Attendance of children in receipt of Pupil Premium: 93.9%

Attendance of children on the school SEND register: 93.2%

Authorised absences: 4.83

Unauthorised absences : 0.85

Late before register closed: 0.43%

Late after register closed: 0.05%

PA at 10%: 14%

PA at 15%: 0.3%

Our target for 2022-2023 is to return our attendance figures to above 97%, particularly for vulnerable groups, such as those pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding or those on the SEND register. 

As with good behaviour and academic success, regular attendance will be seen as an achievement in its own right and recognised as such by the school.  There will be rewards for 100% attendance throughout the year.  Every Friday all children with 100% will be entered into a prize draw. At the end of each half term children with 100% will receive a treat. At the end of each term certificates for 100% will be presented in worship and all of these children will be entered into a prize draw.

Each class has an attendance display so the children can see how well they are doing.

The attendance policy is based upon the premise of equal opportunities for all within the school community, so there is every chance for all to benefit from it, regardless of the differences that may exist between pupils. 

While we acknowledge the importance of attendance, we will view individual cases with compassion. Cases where 100% attendance would have been achieved but for scheduled hospital visits for example will be included in the reward as we recognise that these are special circumstances.