The Department of Education believes that daily attendance is a critical factor in student academic and social success.  Students who attend school regularly are more successful academically, socially and emotionally; are more likely to seek a post-secondary education and less likely to drop out of school. Therefore, the Department of Education is committed to ensure that every student attends school every day and on time and that immediate actions or interventions for students who demonstrate patterns of excessive unexcused absences are enforced.

At Francis Patton Primary we live by the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and the 4 Core Rules: Be Responsible, Be Respectful, Be Safe and Be Ready to Learn. Arriving to school daily and on time means that we are demonstrating responsibility and are ready to learn.

As outlined by the Education Act 1996- it is an expectation of Bermuda Department of Education that all students of compulsory school age, between 5 and 18 years…attend school every day of the 180 day school year.  Students should arrive to school and depart on time.  Parents, guardians or other persons having control or charge of students are responsible for the students’ attendance in school in accordance with Sections 42 and 44 of the Act.

Francis Patton Primary’s doors open promptly at 8:00am.  Every child is required to bring a reading book each day to school.  The school day officially starts at 8:30am.

• September 2018- Attendance Goal – 95% of students will be at school by 8:30am and be ready to learn.

The average attendance for Francis Patton Primary for the school year 2017-2018 was 93.68%.

ATTENDANCE LANGUAGE:

Tardy –Attendance will be recorded within the first ten minutes at the beginning of the day and immediately after lunch. Students arriving after 8:40am at Francis Patton Primary School will be cited as tardy.

Unexcused Absence or Truant - A student is considered truant when he or she and/or their parent/guardian purposely keeps the student away from school without a valid excuse.

Unexcused Absences: Student has missed school without parent notification.  They will be marked as such. 

ATTENDANCE INFRACTIONS:

Level 1 Infraction-                                                                                                                                                                              After a student has accumulated ten (10) unexcused absences and/or tardies, a letter will be sent to the parent/guardian.

Level 2 Infraction-                                                                                                                                                                        After a student has accumulated twenty (20) unexcused absences and/or tardies, a letter will be sent to the parent/guardian and a request for a team meeting with school administration.

Level 3 Infraction-                                                                                                                                                                After a student has accumulated thirty (30) or more unexcused absences and/or tardies, a letter will be sent to the parent/guardian, along with a copy of the student’s attendance report, a request for a team meeting with school administration and the Attendance Officer.  The outcome of this meeting can result in a referral to The Department of Child and Family Services.

Excused Absences      A student is excused for reasons such as:

Illness, critical illness of an immediate family member, death of an immediate family member,

Quarantine for contagious disease, permission granted by the principal, religious observance.

Parents are required to call the school in order to inform us of your child’s absence. 

AttenDance: At the end of each semester all students who meet the semester goals of being to school by 8:30 a.m. and are ready to learn will be invited to a school wide AttenDance celebration.