Attendance Policy (For the year 2015 – 2016)
In keeping with the values and principles of the Edmund Rice Charter, we want to make school and school attendance a pleasant and positive experience. We have designed a range of subjects and programmes and extra-curricular activities to make our school as inclusive as possible, and to enable all students to participate fully and to benefit from their time at school.
It is also important that we keep an accurate and precise control of attendance and that we keep parents informed of their son’s attendance. Students will only be excused from the school with good reason and with their parents’ knowledge and consent.
Attendance is checked and recorded on the electronic attendance system VS Ware. This system allows us to record electronically attendance and punctuality and is administered by each teacher under the guidance and supervision of the Principal and Deputy Principal.
CBS Roscommon believes that regular and punctual attendance is an essential requirement for all students seeking to attain their full potential at the school.
Introduction:
Initial meeting with parents/guardians includes:

  • Introduction to student school journal.
  • Explanation of the Education Welfare Act and the responsibilities of parents in relation to absences.

Guiding Principles:
1. The school day at CBS Roscommon begins at 9am and ends at 3.30pm Monday to Thursday. On Friday school begins at 9am and ends at 3.10pm
2. Students are expected to be at school before 8.55am at the latest, to ensure that students are ready with all the required books and equipment for classes. Students are then expected to be seated in class at 9.00am.
3. Attendance at all timetabled classes is mandatory and requests for any exemption from class/classes must be made in advance, in writing, by parent/guardian and will be duly considered by the school management.
4. Attendance is checked and recorded during the first class of the morning and again during the first class of the afternoon. Teachers keep a record of attendance for each class during the day.
5. A text message is sent to the parent/guardian informing the parent of their son’s absence from school.
6. Absences for each day are available to all teachers through VS Ware. Absences are included in the Christmas and summer reports sent to the parent/guardian.
7. Students, who are absent, are marked absent in the school records to provide the basis for information transfer to the National Education Welfare Board, as required by the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000. A text will be sent home to the parents/guardians of the students whose absence has not been explained. Students who are under 16 and have 20 absences or more will be reported to NEWB in accordance with their reporting provisions.
8. Students who have reached the age of 16 years and completed 3 years post primary education will not be reported unless the student has been suspended or expelled.
9. Students must, at all times, supply the school authorities with a note of explanation provided by the parent/guardian for the absence. Parents/guardians should contact the school office to explain the absence and write a note in the student’s journal when they return to school to explain the absence to teachers.
10. On occasions where students need to leave the school, during the day, for appointments, family reasons, illness or other such reason, the student is required to report to the school authorities and to sign out in the Sign-Out book in the general office. Students will not be allowed to leave without prior communication/note of explanation with the parent/guardian. Where students return to the school following a brief absence on the day they are also required to sign back in.
11. Students who arrive late for class at the start of the school day must attend the general hall where they will register in the late book and receive a late stamp in their journal before being admitted to class. Persistent lateness may involve detention as a sanction.
12. Mitching or playing truant from school is regarded as a very serious offence. The school will make every effort to contact the parents/guardian in the event of a student being absent without explanation.
13. Students who attain full attendance during the school year will be awarded with certification at the end of the year.
Adopted and Ratified by the Board of Management: May 2015
Review Date: May 2016.