Attendance

Is my child too ill for school?

The NHS have published guidance to help you decide whether your child is well enough to attend school:

Is my child too ill for school? - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR CHILD IS ABSENT
If a student is absent from school, a parent/carer must inform the school by 8.30am on the day of the absence, by contacting the Attendance Manager on (01326 575016). If a student is absent for more than one day, the Attendance Manager must be contacted on each day of the absence.

MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS
Every effort should be made to arrange appointments outside of school hours. Where students need to attend medical appointments in school hours, please organise them for the afternoon to reduce impact on lessons and notify the Attendance Manager prior to the appointment. If attending the appointment requires students to leave school during the day, they must sign out at Reception and sign back in when they return.

WHAT HAPPENS IF ATTENDANCE IS A CONCERN?
The impact of missing school on students’ achievements is well documented. Students with attendance below 95% make less progress and achieve lower GCSE grades on average than those with high attendance.
Therefore, students with low attendance will monitored closely by the Attendance Manager and our Education Welfare Officer. Letters will be sent home to raise any concerns and, where required, Attendance Concern Meetings will be held to try and resolve any issues. We are committed to ensuring our pupils are not disadvantaged by poor school attendance and in particular as a result of health related absence. Therefore, we are robust in our process which will require parents to work with us and provide medical information and evidence in relation to any frequent health related absence, so that we can ensure we provide access to education that is in line with your child’s health needs.

TERM TIME HOLIDAYS
Headteachers are no longer permitted to authorise holidays in term time. Headteachers are able to authorise a “leave of absence” in exceptional circumstances only. Parents/carers requesting to take their child out of College during term time must complete an application form. Each request is carefully considered and a decision made to authorise the absence or not. Unauthorised absences may result in a penalty notice being issued to parents.

Exceptional Circumstances Leave Request Form Sept 2024.pdf

TPAT PN Letter to Parents.pdf

PUNCTUALITY
Punctuality to School - The first lesson of the day (Tutor Period) starts at 08:45 hrs, so we expect students on-site by 8:40 am at the latest. If students are late, their parents will be informed through the Class Charts app and the students will receive a detention during lunch that day. Parent meetings will be held for students who are regularly late to school.

Punctuality to Lessons - If a student is late to class with no good reason, they will be issued with a behaviour point. Persistent lateness to class will result in a detention and contact home. We make allowances for new students, such as Year 7, until they are familiar with the College site.