Behaviour and Attendance

BEHAVIOUR

All children should know the positive effects of good behaviour choices in school. These allow pupils to concentrate on learning, enjoy lessons and feel successful in class. Messaging from staff will be consistent leading to a predictable and safe learning environment. Children are taught what positive behaviour choices look like. These are modelled and explained by all adults. All new staff follow an induction programme and regular staff training takes place ensuring we are consistent in our approach and evidence led.

At Elstow School we:

• Make clear our expectations.

• Promote mutual respect and tolerance.

• Encourage children to take responsibility for their own actions and behaviour.

• Expect our children to listen to and follow adult instructions.

• Set standards through good examples of behaviour.

• Praise good behaviour both privately and publicly.

To encourage the children to make positive choices we use a reward system called ClassDojo. This allows us to award points for specific behaviours and attitudes to learning. Points will be removed as a sanction for yellow/red cards. This is also our primary platform for communication with parents/carers.

Attendance

Elstow School aims to encourage every pupil to achieve the highest possible levels of attendance in order to take full advantage of the learning experiences available to them. This is a successful school and your child plays their part in making it so.

Regular attendance is very important for each child. Parents/carers are asked to ensure that children arrive at school on time, ready to start the school day. Children who arrive late disrupt their own education and that of the other members of the class.

There are strict rules about children’s attendance at school and we have to record all authorised and unauthorised absence. Parents/carers are responsible for ensuring that their child attends school on a regular and punctual basis, properly dressed, equipped and in a fit condition to learn.

If a child is prevented from attending for any reason, parents/carers are requested to notify the school on the first day of absence and every day thereafter. A pupil’s absence from school must be considered unauthorised until a satisfactory explanation is received from the parent/carer. Parents/carers should avoid wherever possible, making medical/dental appointments for their child during school hours.

Authorised absences are mornings or afternoons away from school for a good reason like illness, medical/dental appointments which unavoidably fall in school time, emergencies or other unavoidable causes.

Parents/carers are urged strongly to avoid taking family holidays during term time. Indeed parents/carers do not have the right to take their child out of school for a holiday. Elstow School will not authorise any holiday taken during term time.

Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider reasonable and for which no “leave” has been given. This type of absence can lead to the school using sanctions and/or legal proceedings.

If your child is absent from school, please telephone before  9:00am on the morning of each day of absence. Please make sure that your child has recovered from their illness prior to sending them back to school.