What to do if your child has an appointment
We ask that, where possible, you make routine medical and other appointments out of school time. If this is not possible, we require notification in advance. Please telephone or provide a note from home or appointment letter/card to confirm the appointment. In most cases, your child should attend school before the appointment and return to school afterwards wherever possible. Pupils should bring a note from home to the attendance office when it is time for them to sign out and sign back in on their return.
Leave of absence
Absence will not be authorised for reasons such as shopping for uniform, birthdays, day trips, etc.
If parents/carers wish their child to be absent for other reasons, such as compassionate leave, special family events, or to participate in sporting or musical competitions, application should be made in writing, in advance where possible (please use this Leave of Absence form).
It may be necessary for parents to apply for a performance license in such circumstances.
Please avoid communicating with tutors or individual members of staff as we cannot guarantee the information will be passed onto the attendance team.
The Government strongly urges parents/carers to avoid taking their children out of school for family holidays as this will disrupt their education. Whilst we understand the difficulties parents/carers may have in organising holidays during the school holidays and the benefits to be had from cheaper term-time holidays, this type of absence is detrimental to a child’s education. A penalty notice maybe issued.
For more absence related information, please refer to our Attendance Policy.
All pupils are expected to arrive to school on time and be ready and punctual to lessons. We would be grateful for your support in ensuring that your child arrives on time.
As per school policy, each week parents will receive a notification (by text) informing them if their child has been late on two or more occasions. This message can be replied to via text. Please be aware, this shares both morning and afternoon register marks so may be up to 10 occasions. Whilst we are aware buses and traffic may sometimes be a problem, detentions will be issued for persistent lateness. We thank you in anticipation of your support.
Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA) can be used to describe children and young people who do not attend school due to emotional factors. This absence can often lead to long periods of time away from school. EBSA is different from absence for physical illness and truancy. Most young people experiencing EBSA can be highly anxious and show significant distress about attending school. In many instances, they remain engaged with education and want to return to school even though they feel unable to do so. Often, the young person’s anxiety will reduce during weekends or school holidays. If your child is showing signs of EBSA you should act now to support your child. Advice can be found for both parents and pupils from the links below: