School Attendance and the Law

By law all children of compulsory school age must receive an appropriate full-time education.  Parents have a legal duty to ensure their child attends school regularly.

The Federation of SGASA recognises that positive behaviour and good attendance are essential in order to raise standards of pupil attainment and to give every child/young person the best educational experience possible. For our children to gain the greatest benefit from their education it is vital that they attend regularly and be at school, on time every day, that the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable. It is a rule of this school that pupils must attend every day, unless there are exceptional circumstances and it is the Executive Headteacher, not the parent, who can authorise the absence.

If the school is closed for a reason such as snow, this will be advertised on the website and will not have a detrimental effect on a pupils attendance.

Absence Reporting Procedure

If a child is absent from school the parent/carer must follow the following procedures:

• Contact the school on the first day of absence before 9.20am. The school uses the Studybugs app for absence reporting  (get the app or register now at https://studybugs.com/about/parents). Alternatively, contact the school by phone on 01371 850220  
• Contact the school on every further day of absence, again before 9.20am
• Ensure that your child returns to school as soon as possible and you provide any medical evidence if requested to support the absence.

If your child is absent we will:

• Telephone or text you on the first day of absence if we have not heard from you however it is your responsibility to contact us
• Write to you if your child’s attendance is below 95%
• Invite you in to school to discuss the situation with our School Welfare Officer, Child and Family Support Worker or Headteacher if absences persist
• Refer the matter to the Local Authority for relevant sanctions if attendance deteriorates following the above actions

Leave of Absence in Term Time

It is a rule of our school’s that a leave of absence shall not be granted in term time unless there are reasons considered to be exceptional by the Executive Headteacher, irrespective of the child’s overall attendance.  Only the Executive Headteacher or her Deputy Executive Headteacher (not the local authority) may authorise such a request and all applications for a leave of absence must be made in writing on the school prescribed form:

Lateness

Poor punctuality is not acceptable. If a child misses the start of the day they can miss work and do not spend time with their class teacher getting vital information and news for the day. Late arriving pupils also disrupt lessons, can be embarrassing for the child and can also encourage absence. Good time-keeping is a vital life skill which will help our children as they progress through their school life and out into the wider world.

How we manage lateness:

The school day starts at 8.40am when children can begin to come into school.  Registers are taken at 8.50am and your child will receive a late mark ‘L’ if they are not in by that time.  Children arriving after 8.50am are required  to come in to school via the school office if accompanied by a parent or carer, the parent/carer will sign them into our ‘Late Book’ and provide a reason for their lateness which is recorded. The school may send home ‘late notes’ in order to keep parents and carers informed.  From time to time the Child and Family Support Worker, Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher will undertake a ‘Late Gate’ check, greeting late arrivals at the main entrance to the school.   

At 9.20am the registers will be closed. In accordance with the Regulations, if your child arrives after that time they will receive a mark that shows them to be on site ‘U’, but this will not count as a present mark and it will mean they have an unauthorised absence. This may mean that you could face the possibility of being issued with a Penalty Notice if the problem persists. If your child has a persistent late record you will be asked to meet with the School Welfare Officer and/or Child and Family Support Worker, but you can approach us at any time if you are having problems getting your child to school on time.  We expect parents and staff to encourage good punctuality by being good role models to our children and celebrate good class and individual punctuality.

Attendance Policy

To view our most up to date Attendance Policy, visit our Policies & Procedures page on our Federation website page: