Attendance

My name is Sally Beasley and I am the attendance consultant employed by Instill-Excellence LTD at St. Mark’s Catholic Primary School. Instill-Excellence LTD are an education consultancy who provide attendance support to schools in the West Midlands.

My role is to provide support to any family at St. Mark’s who may be experiencing issues in ensuring regular school attendance for their child/ren. I perform this role by attending meetings in school, carrying out home visits and liaising with school staff and other agencies as appropriate.

In school I analyse attendance data regularly and use this information to identify any families who may benefit from support. I also attend new intake meetings, carry out attendance assemblies and assist school with attendance awards and incentives.

As we are aware, regular attendance is vital for every pupil to reach their full potential. Irregular attendance, even during a child’s earliest years in education can have a negative impact not only on their learning but also on their confidence, social relationships and life skills.

Therefore, it is important that children are only absent from school in unavoidable circumstances such as illness. Parents are encouraged to avoid taking their children out of school for term time holidays, shopping, visiting relatives, birthdays and other avoidable reasons. Children are often able to attend school with minor ailments and guidance can be provided to families on this matter.

Finally, as mentioned above support is available for any family who are experiencing issues with ensuring regular attendance and are encouraged to contact St. Mark’s school office if any such issues are present.

Also read our Attendance and Punctuality Policy on our Policy and Documents page.