Coláiste Éanna Policy On Late-coming

Consistent with its Mission Statement, Coláiste Éanna endeavours to cultivate positive, beneficial and respectful practices among its student body – practices and qualities that will enhance  employability and make a significant contribution to successful and meaningful participation  in society. Punctuality is one of these practices.

Lack of punctuality is unacceptable and disrespectful behaviour. In the school context, late arrival interrupts the instructional rhythm of the teacher and the concentration of students. On both an individual and collective level, the degree of time-wastage is highly significant – to the teacher, the class grouping and the late student(s).  Lack of punctuality establishes in students a frivolous regard for effective time management, an attitude that militates against success in the workplace. In addition, responding to serious and persistent late-coming consumes large amount of valuable administrative time and effort.

Management and staff take late-coming very seriously and will respond to it with appropriate sanction, in accordance with this policy, agreed between all the partners in the educational process – teaching staff, students, parents and Board of Management.

 

Aim:

 

The aim of this policy is to cultivate among our students good qualities of time-keeping and respect for others. These qualities lend themselves to successful participation in workplaces and communities and foster conditions of mutual respect.

 

Expectations from Students:

Students are expected to arrive to class on time each morning and afternoon. Students who arrive late will not be permitted into class without their late arrival being formally recorded in the `Late Register`. Only in cases where the student can furnish a valid reason for being late, acceptable to the Registrar, will their names not be recorded on the Register. Students on the Register will serve a detention period on the day they are late. Only in rare and exceptional circumstances may a student defer a detention and this must always be done with the prior consent of the Punctuality Co-ordinator or in his/her absence, the Deputy Principal/Principal

 

Procedures:

  1. Students who arrive late to school without a valid and acceptable explanation from a parent/guardian must have their Journal stamped `Late for School`. This will be done at the Bursar’s Office or, depending on particular circumstances at any given time, in another appropriate location within the school. Their names will then be entered into the Late Register for that particular day and they must serve an after-school detention period of 30 minutes that afternoon, from 4.00 pm to 4.30 pm.
  2. Parents/guardians will be informed by text message of detentions on the day the detention will take place. It is incumbent on parents/guardians to ensure that the mobile details that they supplied to the school are correct. Parents/guardians will be asked to acknowledge receipt of these text notices by telephone or text message back to the school. Where it has not been possible to receive a text acknowledgement, every effort will be made to notify the parents by telephone.
  3. Where students are late both in the morning and afternoon, they must serve 2 detention periods – one that afternoon and another the following afternoon.
  4. Only in exceptional circumstances will a student be able to defer a detention. Attendance at training for sport or some other after-school activity is not acceptable reason. Lining out for a school team is only acceptable with the expressed permission of the relevant coach, in consultation with the Punctuality Co-ordinator or, in his/her absence, the Deputy Principal/Principal. These conditions apply also to events and activities not directly connected with Coláiste Éanna.
  5. Where a student fails to attend for after-school detention, he will serve that detention on the following afternoon, along with an additional penalty detention on Friday afternoon, which will be 45 minutes in duration. If the student misses this second detention, he will meet with the Deputy Principal/Principal to clarify his position in relation to this policy – all outstanding detentions must still be served. Parents will be informed, in advance, of these penalty detentions.
  6. Failure to attend for a `Friday Detention`, as in 5 above, will result in the student serving a `Saturday Morning Detention` of one hour duration. Students are expected to be in full school uniform for these detentions. Parents will be informed by letter from the Punctuality Co-ordinator in advance of these Saturday detentions
  7. Failure to attend for a `Saturday Morning Detention` without a valid and reasonable explanatory note from parents/guardians will result in the student serving a one day suspension. The parent(s)/guardian(s) must accompany the student on his return to school from such a suspension and meet with the Deputy Principal/Principal to discuss a strategy for improving his time-keeping and his attitude to school policy. In cases where a valid and reasonable explanatory note is provided by the parent/guardian, the detention may be deferred to the next Saturday detention.

 

Rules for Detention Periods:

 

  1. Students must be on time for detention periods. This policy extends to being on time for these periods and being late here is subject to the same sanction as outlined in the policy.
  2. Constructive penalty exercises will be completed by students during after-school and Saturday detention periods. Under no circumstances are students permitted to attend to homework or study on such occasions.
  3. Students are not permitted to use mobile phones, i-pods or other electronic devices during these detention periods.
  4. Students are not permitted to eat or drink in the detention centre.
  5. Normal school rules as per the Code of Behaviour apply during detention periods.
  6. Students must ensure that their journals are stamped with the `Detention Served` stamp at the end of their detention period. It is only when this is done that their names may be removed from the `Late Register`.

Parents/guardians and students are reminded that it is standard practice for employers to query the punctuality standards of potential employees through the schools they attend, even for casual employment. In the interests of all of our students, Coláiste Éanna responds to such queries with total honesty.