Attendance
From the first day of term to the last, the small moments in a school day make a real difference to your child. #AttendanceCounts
The link between attendance and attainment is clear
It’s never too late to benefit from good attendance
Regular school attendance can facilitate positive peer relationships
Is my child too ill for school? – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Please see our attendance policy for details here.
Guidance on infection control in schools
Changes to fines for term time holidays
Punctuality brings efficiency and keeps us on track.
Gates open at 08:35 and close at 08:40. We want to help our children start each day feeling ready and prepared, setting them off to a good start. Our pastoral team and attendance officer are here to help and support.
Attendance Officer: Miss R Davis
Absence Line Contact: 01702 478379 opt 1 or 01708 509205
If you arrive after the gate has closed, the attendance officer, will record the name of your child, their class and reason for lateness.
Lateness will be monitored and the attendance officer will work with families to combat morning challenges.
To advise your child will be absent from school or late, please contact us by 09:30 by telephone – 01702 509205.
Please feel free to contact Miss Davis in the office if you have any morning challenges that you wish to discuss and together we can improve punctuality and attendance.
Being late really matters
| Minutes late per day during the school year | Equals days’ worth of teaching lost in a year |
| 5 minutes | 3.4 Days |
| 10 minutes | 6.9 Days |
| 15 minutes | 10.3 Days |
| 20 minutes | 13.8 Days |
| 30 minutes | 20.7 Days |
We are legally obliged to maintain records of absence. In order to keep our records up to date, on the first day of absence, or before if it is appropriate, we expect parents/carers to inform school as to the reasons for a child’s absence using one of the following methods:
Our school operates a first day response to absence and will make telephone contact with parents or other listed adults on the first day of absence, unless parents have telephoned beforehand.
Academy procedures for addressing poor attendance
Family holidays in school time
Children are expected to attend every session available to them throughout the school year.
Under section 7 of the Education Act 1996, there is no entitlement for you to take your child on holiday during term-time. You may be fined for taking you child on holiday during term-time without consent of the Academy.
Should parents wish to make an application for a child’s absence, they should complete this form, explaining the reason for the intended absence and details of the exceptional circumstances. Exceptional circumstances are defined as “rare, significant unavoidable and short”. The Principal will consider the circumstances for absence and confirm where the absence will be marked as authorised or unauthorised on the student’s attendance record. Each request will be judged on a case-by-case basis. If an event can be reasonably scheduled outside of term-time, then it would not be normal to authorise absence for such an event. Holidays are therefore not considered ‘exceptional circumstances.’
Should the absence be unauthorised, and you choose to take the unauthorised leave from school, then the case may be referred to the Local Authority. They may choose to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice.
Should parents wish to make an application for a child’s absence, they should complete an absence request form, available from the main office. This must be accompanied by a letter of to explain the reason for the intended absence and details of the exceptional circumstances.
Exceptional circumstances are defined as “rare, significant, unavoidable and short”. The Principal will consider the circumstances for absence and confirm in writing whether the absence will be marked authorised or unauthorised on the student’s attendance record. Each request will be judged on a case by case basis. If an event can be reasonably scheduled outside of term-time then it would not be normal to authorise absence for such an event – holidays are therefore not considered ‘exceptional circumstances’.
Punctuality
Should your child arrive to school after 8.40am then they will receive a “late” mark on their attendance record for morning registration.
If your child arrives after 09:20am they will be marked with a “U” code showing that they arrived after the start of the first lesson. The “U” code is an unauthorised absence code and will be used unless sufficient evidence is received regarding the absence i.e. medical evidence. This code will affect your child’s overall attendance percentage.
Should you require any assistance or advice regarding attendance, our Attendance Officer is available in the office between 8.00am and 4.00pm and can also be contacted by telephone and email:
Telephone: 01702 509205
Email: missdavis@darlinghurstacademy.org.uk
