Langley Mill Academy is part of Djanogly Learning Trust.
Information about the Trust can be found atwww.djanogly.org

Langley Mill Academy

Attendance 

Our support for Good Attendance 

At Langley Mill Academy we believe in an inclusive approach to improve school attendance. Attendance is high profile and all our responsibilities. 

We work collaboratively with our families to improve attendance. We are mindful of pupils absent from school due to mental or physical ill health or their special educational needs and/or disabilities, and we will provide them with appropriate, additional support when required.

We have thought carefully about our strategies to support good school attendance:

  • Foster an inclusive culture where all individuals understand their roles and responsibilities in enhancing attendance outcomes. This includes pupils, school staff, parents, carers and families. 
  • Provide continuous Professional Development to all staff.
  • Re-establish the culture and expectations following the pandemic.
  • Emphasise actions that prioritise the well-being of children and families to enhance attendance outcomes.
  • Develop our attendance model into effective educational practices such as sharing learning and personal development opportunities and visits and visitors with our community. 
  • Create environments that cultivate a strong sense of belonging for all children by fostering intrinsic school values and sharing the achievements and successes of our community. 

We know that some children will experience normal but difficult emotions that make them nervous about attending school, such as worries about friendships, schoolwork, or variable moods. It is important to note that these pupils are still expected to attend school regularly and that we will provide pastoral and special educational need support to achieve this. Regular attendance and routine may serve to help with the underlying issue and help .

Parents play a pivotal role in supporting children to arrive on time every day so they are calm, focused and ready to learn. Our school Pastoral Team, including Miss Robb, Family Support Worker, are available to work sensitively with all families to secure good school attendance.

Mrs Naylor, our Pastoral Assistant Head, is our Senior Attendance Champion and Mrs Bignell,  is our Attendance Officer. 

Promoting, Praising & Awarding Attendance

Our school values are used to promote good school attendance and we want all our pupils to leave Langley Mill Academy with the aspiration to achieve their very best in their education. We incentivise good and improving attendance through a variety of strategies:

  • Celebrating good attendance through weekly, termly and annual awards for achieving good attendance. This includes a weekly prize draw in our Values Awards Assembly, termly awards including Dojo Shop Prixes, Easter eggs and book prizes, and a final special recognition at the end of the school year for pupils achieving good attendance. 
  • Sharing whole school attendance information with children so that all children know what good attendance is. 
  • Teachers sharing attendance information at Parents' Consultations and annual school reports. 
  • Whole school attendance update through our weekly newsletter and individual monthly parent / carer attendance updates recognising good attendance.
  • Recognising improving attendance for families on an attendance improvement plan or families working in partnership with our Family Support Worker.

At Langley Mill we continually strive to enhance our curriculum and enrichment offer with visits, visitors and clubs: we know that opportunities, visits and enjoying school ultimately ensure good school attendance. Please take a look at Langley Mill Academy - Enrichment: Our Clubs & Langley Mill Academy - Our Cultural Capital

 

 

Well enough to attend school 

Absence in Term Time

  • In August 2024 the School Attendance Regulations 2024 came into force. These regulations make it clear that Headteachers should not grant approval for any leave of absence during term-time, including holidays, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

  • A holiday is generally not considered an exceptional circumstance. You cannot usually take your child away during term time. "Generally, the DfE does not consider a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation to be an exceptional circumstance".

  • Any requests should be on an official school absence request form and handed into the school office for consideration prior to any holiday/leave arrangements being made - at least 10 school days before the holiday is planned.

  • A Penalty Notice will be issued should leave be taken which is not authorised.  This will be issued from the Local Education Authority Education Welfare Service.

First time Penalty Notices are currently £80.00 per child per parent if paid within 21 days or £160.00 per child per parent if paid after 30 days.

attendance letter.pdf

 

 Registers 

To help children achieve their very best in school it is important that they are both good attenders and punctual. 

Teachers greet pupils into the classroom at 8.20am and registers are taken at our start time of 8.30am every day. Registers remain open for 15 minutes after the official start time. Pupils are marked as late (L) if they arrive after the official start time (8:30am) but before the registers close. Pupils arriving after 8:45am will be marked as absent with code N (no reason for absence yet established) until the reason for absence is ascertained. 

Every School Day Counts: Derbyshire County Council Advice for Parents and Carers