Attendance
Students are expected to achieve full attendance and punctuality to registration and to all lessons. Regular and punctual attendance are vital determinants of progress and wellbeing. We want our students in school so that we can support them and nurture their growth. We notice when they are not here, and we urge that they make every effort to attend.
School commences at 8.40 a.m. with morning registration. Lesson registers are taken throughout the day.
Lateness
If you know your child is going to be late, please phone the office on 01245 256030. Any student arriving after 8.40am is late. Students arriving after 8.40am should sign in at the Attendance Office. A late stamp will be issued unless your child is late due to a medical appointment or other exceptional circumstances. Parents will be notified daily via text message when their child is late to school.
Illness
Parents and carers are requested to call the office on 01245 256030 by 8.30 a.m. on each day of their child’s absence.
Your message should include the following:
- Student’s full name
- Form
- Reason for absence
- Name and contact telephone number of the person leaving the message
If no contact is made you will be sent an absence message via text. Absence notes will only be requested from parents who have not contacted school about a student absence. All unexplained absences are unauthorised and will be recorded as such on the student’s record.
Medical Appointments
If your child will be late or absent due to a medical appointment, please inform the Attendance Officer and make a note in the planner. Early notification of absence/lateness will help avoid receiving unnecessary absence notifications from school.
Authorised Absences
Leave of absence may only be granted by a person authorised in that behalf by the proprietor of the school. As from 1st September 2013, the Education (Student Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 amended Regulation 7 to prohibit the proprietor of a maintained school from granting leave of absence to a student, except where an advance application has been made by the parent with whom the student normally resides, and the proprietor considers that there are exceptional circumstances relating to the application.
Taking your child out of school during term time could be detrimental to their educational progress. There is no entitlement to parents to take their child out of school during term time; however, you may apply to the school for leave of absence if you believe there are exceptional circumstances.
If the absence is not authorised and the holiday is taken, the case will be referred to the Local Authority who may issue a Penalty Notice for £80 if paid within 21 days or £160 if paid later to each parent for each child taken out of school.
In order for your application to be considered, please print the form found in the link below and return it to the school with a covering letter detailing the reason for your request.
| Term time leave of absence request form.pdf |  |
Education Welfare Interventions
Currently the level of attendance expected by the Department for Education is 95% or above. Anyone that falls below 90% is considered to be a persistent absentee and in such cases the school will seek to support children and families with the aid of relevant agencies.
The school's efforts to promote positive attendance are informed by DFE - Working together to improve attendance. In accordance with DFE - Children Missing Education, reasonable enquiries to determine the reason for unauthorised absence may include a visit to the home.
