Attendance

We take attendance seriously. Report after report has shown a tangible link between attendance in school and good outcomes. For students to do well in their exams they need to be in school habitually and ready to learn. We reward good attendance regularly, particularly for the children who might feel a little bit under the weather but battle through in order to avoid missing valuable contact time and excellent learning opportunities with their teachers.

Late arrival and absences

If a student arrives after 8:35am, they must register at the student office. Please note that students who receive two or more lates in one school day will be issued with a late detention. If your child is going to be absent, then please call the absence line before 8.30am on 01706 813558 stating the name, form and reason for absence.

Wherever possible, we ask that medical and dental appointments be made out of school time. We do appreciate that there are exceptions so if your child does need to come out of school for an appointment, we respectfully ask that you provide a copy of their appointment card or letter for our records.

It is important for parents/carers to note that the school can no longer legally authorise holidays taken during the school term time. Amendments came into force in September 2013 and the Education (Pupil Registration England) Regulations 2006 now state that Headteacher’s may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. There is a common misconception that any child is allowed to take 10 days holiday per year. This is not true. The government strongly urges parents/carers to avoid taking their children out of school for family holidays as this will disrupt their education. If you do not ask permission in advance, or you are not given permission and you take your child out of school anyway, this will be recorded as an unauthorised absence.

The Headteacher may authorise an absence from school during term time if there are exceptional circumstances. Exceptional circumstances may include;

• the death or terminal illness of a person in the immediate family
• service personnel and other employees who cannot take leave outside term time at any point in the academic year.

If your child is absent from school without advance permission (except where he or she is unwell), you can be fined or even prosecuted, this could involve a fixed penalty notice of £60 within 21 days, or £120 within 28 days. Failure to pay can result in prosecution in the Magistrates Court. Missing two weeks of school for a holiday might not seem like very much, but it can have a big impact on your child’s education. For any attendance related queries, please contact Miss Clark-Hutchinson on n.clark-hutchinson@todhigh.co.uk.