Attendance
Attendance, Punctuality and First Day Response
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
It is vital to personal academic progress that pupils attend school regularly. Research shows high attendance rates go hand-in-hand with good examination results.
If a pupil is absent from the school the parents/carer should contact the Attendance Office by 9.15am on the first morning of the pupil’s absence by telephoning 0845 357 0159, this number is free to use, although a small number of mobile contract providers may apply a charge. or text 07943107152. A message can also be left on the Absence Reporting Section on Parentmail.
If the school has not heard from home, parents/carers will be contacted by phone to explain the child’s absence.
We will ascertain the reason for the pupil absence and ask for a date of expected return. If a pupil is absent for more than FIVE continuous days, a doctor’s certificate may be required.
Any unauthorised absence will be followed up and you may be referred to the Access and Inclusion Service.
Medical appointments should, wherever possible, be arranged out of school hours. If this cannot be avoided, written evidence must be provided, e.g. appointment card, or a letter from the doctor. These appointments are recorded as an absence. Failure to provide evidence could result in an unauthorised absence being recorded on the pupil’s attendance record. Pupils must sign out at reception.
Parents/Carers may be liable for a Fixed Penalty Notice if pupils fail to attend school regularly. Government targets suggest that pupils should attend school for a minimum of 95%.
If parents/carers wish a child to have a leave of absence for something other than sickness, they should email the Attendance Officer, on dallen@linsladeac.co.uk at least four weeks in advance where possible. The school is only able to authorise absence in exceptional circumstances. Holidays in term time can no longer be authorised. Parents/Carers are asked to take this into account when booking holidays. Holidays over 5 days are liable to a penalty fine. Likewise, please do not take your child out of school early e.g. for an appointment other than their own, unless there is a sudden emergency. For their own safety pupils must not leave the premises during the day unless in the company of a responsible adult. We appreciate everyone’s openness in these matters.
Pupils have both a morning and afternoon registration session with their form tutors.
Each form takes part in the inter-form attendance leagues, with monthly Prizes awarded to the form with the best attendance.
We celebrate pupils’ individual attendance termly by awarding certificates for 100% attendance.
The school has an Attendance Officer who will contact you if your child is absent. Our Attendance Officer works closely with the Education Welfare Officer to ensure that pupils are in school, and learning. We encourage medical appointments to be booked outside of school hours where possible to minimise disruption to learning.
The school does not authorise any time off for holidays, or extended visits out of the country. Again, this is to ensure that pupils learning potential is maximised, as is their achievement.
Illness
If a pupil is taken ill during the day he/she should go to the School Office where a note of their visit will be recorded. If a pupil continues to feel unwell a parent/carer will be called and asked to collect them. In an emergency we will ring for an ambulance as well as informing a parent/carer. Please ensure your emergency contacts are kept up to date (just in case!!)
If a pupil suffers from sickness and/or diarrhoea they should be kept off school for 48 hours after he/she has stopped being ill.
Please see the Attendance policy for details.
Punctuality
Parents/carers are also responsible for ensuring that their son/daughter arrives at school punctually.
School starts at 8.45am each day and students are late if they are not in their classroom by 8.50am, any arrival after this time will incur an unauthorised absence. We will contact you if we have concerns about punctuality (3 lates or more in a half term) and ask that you support our procedures and that we work together to improve punctuality.
Good attendance means being in school at least 95% of the time or 180-190 days.
Did you know? A two week holiday in term time means that the highest attendance you can achieve is 94.5%.
