Absence Reporting and Attendance

The school is open from 8:05am and students should not be on site before this.

YOUR CHILD SHOULD BE ON THE SCHOOL SITE AT 8:20 am ready for Advisory to start at 8:25am.

If you drop off or collect your child by car at the start or end of the school day, please do not come onto the school site and stay away from the school entrance to avoid congestion.

Research has proven that students who do not regularly attend school do not reach their potential. The law also requires all parents to ensure their child regularly attends school.

The school deems that regular attendance should be 100%. Good attendance is above 96%. Everything else is classed as poor attendance and the Government class students with attendance below 90% as ‘persistently absent’.

In the case of notification by telephone, a written supporting explanation should be sent to the college team that your child is in. This is a reliable way of ensuring the absence is genuine.

All appointments need to be supported with a copy/screen shot of the appointment card, letter or text in order to be authorised.

In cases where absences remain unexplained, parents will be contacted by text, phone, or letter, or may receive a visit from either the school college team or the local authority Education School Liaison Officer.

The school has an automated messaging system which will inform you if your child is absent from school and you have not informed us of this. Please make sure you contact the school when receiving this message to let us know the reason why your child is not present.  Please note that parental replies are free of charge.

Important Information

If your child is absent, contact us EVERY MORNING DURING THE ABSENCE BY 8:00am and provide a justifiable reason for the absence: 

Telephone: 01732 353544

Email:

In the case of notification by telephone, a written supporting explanation should be sent to the attendance team. Evidence of any appointments must be included.

The Attendance Team

  • Cindy O’Hare (Angelou)
  • Marie Fitzgerald (Attenborough)
  • Emma Pedder (Coe)
  • Wendy Pike (Sixth form)

Illness During the School Day

If a student feels unwell during the day then they will be referred to a first aider. Students should not make contact with parents/carers directly when feeling unwell.

No medication of any sort can be given to child. The first aider will take a view on whether the student should be sent home or is well enough to return to their lesson.

Parents/carers must ensure we have an emergency telephone number on which they, or another responsible adult, can be contacted.

The school’s medical room is intended for first aid treatment, a place to rest for a short period (not prolonged stays), or a place for students awaiting collection who have consent from the first aider to go home. 

Any accident or emergency will be dealt with by an appointed first aider in a customary way. Should it be necessary to call an ambulance, every effort will be made to contact parents immediately but, failing this, a first aider or another member of staff will normally accompany the ambulance to the hospital. 

NO MEDICATION WILL BE GIVEN WITHOUT THE WRITTEN AUTHORITY OF THE PARENT/GUARDIAN.

Students using prescribed inhalers for asthma may, of course, keep these with them. If your child needs to take medication during the day, this should be left in the first aid room, in its original packaging and in a named bag for safekeeping. 

Lateness

For all students, the school day starts at 8:25am. After 8:30am, latecomers should report to Reception. If a student is late to other lessons during the school day, they will receive a sanction as per our behaviour and attitudes policy.

For those who are persistently late without a valid reason and contact with parents is not resulting in any improvement, the Local Authority will become involved. 

Family Holidays

Family holidays will not be authorised during term time except in exceptional circumstances. Unauthorised holidays will be reported to the School Liaison Officer and will result in a parental fine for all of the priority contacts on our database.

Medical & Dental Appointments

We encourage parents/carers to make medical and dental appointments outside of school hours. Where this is not possible, the pupil should be out of school for the minimum amount of time necessary. Attending a medical or dental appointment will be counted as authorised as long as the pupil’s parent/carer notifies the school in advance of the appointment by email and provides evidence in the form of a copy/screenshot of the appointment card, letter or text.

Access To Period Products:

Having periods should not be a barrier to anyone coming to school. Period products, such as pads and tampons, are available in school for all who need them and when they need them. 

If you need pads or tampons, they are available from the Medical Room (open every break and lunchtime) or the College Offices.