ATTENDANCE

The Importance of Regular Attendance

Regular attendance at school is essential if students are to achieve their full potential. Students must be on site from 8.40 am to make their way to tutor rooms for 8.45 am. The school is open quite early and students may arrive from 8.00 am onwards. To assist students there is a Breakfast Club available from 8.00am as well as a CLC suite open to students. If a student is absent, a note must be sent to the group tutor with thestudent on her/his return, stating the reason for and dates of the absence. A phone call will be made on the first day of absence to the home of the absent pupil unless the school is informed that morning. If a student is absent for more than three days, parents are asked to phone the school on 727 1387 or write a note to the group tutor.

Where no note or message is received or truancy is suspected, an enquiry note will be sent to parents. Students are not allowed to leave the school premises during school hours unless they have written permission to do so.

Attendance checks

Attendance is checked at morning and afternoon registration and at individual lessons. At the end of each term the school will provide parents with an attendance record for their child. It will be sent through the post and will detail all unauthorised attendances in addition to other information concerning the students attendance record.

Parents should bear in mind the following notes from the Department for Education Document 'School Attendance':

• registered pupils of compulsory school age are required by law to be in school;
• whilst it is right that schools should recognise that individual pupils and families have problems, the aim should always be to expect regular attendance;
• lateness should be actively discouraged;
• where a pupil is absent without prior authorisation an explanation is required.
• schools are not obliged to accept parental notes where there is reason to doubt the validity of the explanation offered;
• explanations such as minding the house, looking after other children, or shopping trips within school hours will not normally be acceptable reasons for absence

Dental and Medical appointments

Parents are requested to make such appointments outside school hours whenever possible. Where a visit is necessary in school hours, appointment cards should be shown to the group tutor and students will be credited with their register mark.

Medical Emergencies

The school will contact parents when a student is too ill to remain at school or when it is necessary for a student to go to hospital.