At Oasis Academy Benson, we are committed to encouraging pupils to attend school regularly. We will work with parents and pupils to secure this aim.

Miss Virgo is our Academy Attendance Champion. If your child is absent, a member of the attendance team will contact you.

If you require any support, please arrange a meeting to see our Attendance Champion.  

The Importance of School Attendance

Regular school attendance is essential for children to get the most out of their education and reach their full potential. At our Academy, we believe that attending school consistently helps children grow into confident, capable adults who can succeed in life and contribute positively to their community.

However, we understand that some children may find it harder to attend school every day. That’s why we work closely with parents, pupils, and other partners to encourage good attendance and remove any challenges that might get in the way.

Why Attendance Matters

Coming to school every day and on time helps children:
✅ Learn and make good progress
✅ Develop friendships and social skills
✅ Build confidence and resilience
✅ Have the best possible future opportunities

Research shows that good attendance and punctuality lead to greater success in school and beyond.

School Day and Punctuality

Punctuality is just as important as attendance. Arriving late means children miss key learning at the start of the day. Even being a few minutes late each day can add up to lost learning time over the school year.

School Start Time	Morning Routine
🕢 Nursery: 8:30AM 🕗 Reception: 8:50 AM 🕗 Key Stage 1 & Key Stage 2: 8:50 AM	School doors open at 8:40 AM Registration is at 8:50 AM Children arriving after 8:50 AM will be marked as late and given a late sticker by our Late Duty Team.

We kindly ask parents to ensure their children arrive on time every day to make the most of their education.

If a pupil arrives late to school every day, their learning begins to suffer.

📊 Below is a graph showing how being late to school every day over a school year adds up to lost learning time.

Breakfast:

We are committed to ensuring that every child starts their day with a nutritious meal. That’s why we offer all children a hot buttered bagel for breakfast every morning, free of charge. This helps to provide them with the energy and focus they need for a successful day of learning. Breakfast is an important part of a child’s routine, and we encourage all students to take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy a warm and comforting start to their day.

To help every child succeed, we are committed to:

• Creating a welcoming, safe, and stimulating learning environment.
• Ensuring all staff feel happy and motivated to help pupils reach their full potential.
• Listening to parents and pupils to understand any barriers to attendance.
• Building trusting relationships with families so attendance concerns can be discussed openly.
• Maintaining high expectations for both pupils and staff.
• Providing an engaging, broad, and balanced curriculum that meets the needs of all learners.
• Recognising and celebrating achievements in all areas of school life.
• Ensuring equal access to all aspects of school life and the curriculum.
• Delivering high-quality teaching using a variety of strategies to engage all learners.
• Using effective resources to support and challenge learning.
• Offering experiences that develop pupils' spiritual, moral, and cultural understanding.
• Providing support, guidance, and training for staff working with children.
• Strengthening links with our wider community.

Attendance Partnership Expectations

What We Expect from Pupils:

• Attend school regularly.
• Speak to a trusted adult about any issues that make it difficult to attend.
• Share any worries or concerns about attendance.

What We Expect from Parents and Carers:

• Ensure their child attends school regularly and on time.
• Inform the school as soon as possible if their child is unable to attend.
• Communicate with school staff about any challenges preventing their child from attending.

What Parents and Pupils Can Expect from Us:

• Early contact when a pupil is absent without a reason.
• Wellbeing phone calls to check in when needed.
• Accurate attendance records shared with parents.
• A supportive approach to understanding and addressing barriers to attendance.
• Follow-up support when necessary to help improve attendance.

We understand that regular attendance isn’t always easy for every child. Our goal is to work together with families to find solutions and ensure every pupil can make the most of their education. If you have any concerns, please reach out—we’re here to help!

Medical Appointments

We ask parents to schedule medical and dental appointments outside of school hours whenever possible. If your child must attend an appointment during school hours:

• Let us know in advance.
• Only the time needed for the appointment (including travel) will be counted as an authorised absence.
• Your child should return to school as soon as possible after the appointment.
• Please provide a copy of the appointment letter or card.

Strategies for promoting attendance

Parental Involvement

We actively engage parents in promoting regular school attendance. We use a range of strategies to highlight its importance, including:

• Informative attendance leaflets to keep parents updated.
• Positive communication home celebrating improvements in attendance.
• Events and activities that focus on attendance, such as:

- Presentations in assemblies

- Special mentions at parents' evenings

- Coffee mornings and workshops

By involving parents in these ways, we aim to create a strong partnership that supports good attendance habits.

Attendance Information Displays

To keep attendance a priority, we have a whole-school attendance display board that has helped raise awareness and motivation. The display is placed in prominent areas, including the school reception, and includes:

• Whole-school attendance rates
• Class and year group attendance figures
• Key information for parents, including support services and details on Penalty Notices

Additionally, our office has readily available resources for parents seeking guidance on attendance-related concerns.

Morning Clubs

We have partnered with a specialist company to offer a variety of engaging early morning clubs from 8:30 am to 9:00 am. These clubs cater to a wide range of interests, including Fencing and Rhythmic Gymnastics, and serve as an incentive for children with attendance below 95%. By inviting them to these clubs, we encourage punctuality and daily attendance in an exciting way.

Attendance Rewards

We use a variety of rewards and incentives to encourage good attendance and punctuality. These include:

• Individual rewards such as stickers, treats, certificates, and awards
• Pencils and other small prizes as motivational incentives
• Half-termly assemblies to celebrate children with 97% or above attendance

These initiatives help foster a positive culture around attendance, motivating pupils to attend school regularly and on time.

Attendance Rewards System Flow Charts

To encourage good attendance and punctuality, we have introduced the Oasis Academy Benson Shop, where children can exchange raffle tickets for exciting prizes.

Prizes range from scented rubbers (10 tickets) to theme park tickets (100 tickets), making attendance both rewarding and fun!

Here’s how students can earn raffle tickets each week:

• 3 tickets – For attending school every day and on time.
• 2 tickets – For attending every day but arriving late once.

This system motivates pupils to come to school regularly and on time while giving them a sense of achievement. 

Wider Opportunities at Benson

We believe that school should be more than just lessons—it should be a place where children have exciting, memorable experiences that support their social, emotional, and mental well-being.

Throughout the year, we offer a variety of trips, visits, and events that both children and parents can enjoy, such as:

• Christmas and summer fairs
• Special assemblies and celebrations
• Enrichment activities that go beyond the classroom

We also provide pupils with unique learning experiences led by specialist teachers:

• Year 4 pupils learn a musical instrument, with some progressing to private lessons during the school day.
• Year 1 pupils take ballet lessons with professional dancers from the Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB), and some are even awarded scholarships to continue their training.

These opportunities make school an exciting place to be, giving children even more reasons to attend every day.