Attendance and Punctuality: FAQs for Parents/Carers

Punctuality

What happens if my child is late?

If your child arrives to school after 8.45am then they will be expected to attend a 30 minute detention after school on the same day.

My child was only a couple of minutes late. It seems harsh that they should get a late mark?

The school must abide by the rules and expectations laid down for all schools. Lateness for school is a failure to arrive on time and will be marked as such. We would encourage students to set off in good time so that any small delay does not cause them to be late.

Our whole family overslept, and it is not my child’s fault that they are late. Will they receive a late mark?

This cannot be taken as an acceptable reason for lateness so a late mark or unauthorised absence would be recorded, depending on the time they arrive.

My child relies on public transport to get to school which is sometimes late. Will they receive a late mark?

Yes. We would advise that the child leaves earlier so that even if the bus is late, they will still arrive on time. If the bus is often late, then it is not a reliable way to ensure arrival in good time.

If your child needs to get an earlier bus/train, Breakfast Club is available to students who arrive early to the school site.

What if I phone up/email to say my child is going to be late? Would they still get a late mark?

Yes, they would still be marked late.

Why has my child been marked as absent for the whole morning when they arrived at 9.30am?

DfE (Department for Education) guidelines state that the register must be closed after a reasonable time in the morning. If arriving after 9.30am, your child will be marked as an unauthorised absence for the morning session.

What do I do if I do not agree with your policy on punctuality?

Much of our attendance policy is designed to satisfy DfE regulation but as always, if you feel an approach is unfair or unreasonable, then you can write to the Headteacher asking for a review. However, whilst any such policy is in place, the school will operate as stated in the policy.

Attendance

My child cannot attend school today, what should I do?

You should contact school using the Classcharts App to inform us of the absence and the reason why, if you are unsure how long the absence will last, a follow up Classcharts message will be needed daily.

Do I have to provide evidence of a medical appointment?

Yes, this can be in the form of the appointment letter, email or text message.

Every effort should be made to avoid non-urgent medical or routine dental appointments during the school day. Where this is not possible, students should attend school before and after the appointment.

I have been told I need medical evidence but I cannot get a GP appointment, or I can only get a phone consultation, what should I do?

• Go to the pharmacy and ask for a consultation or advice and get a note stamped with the date and time, or a receipt of medication with the date on
• Go to a walk-in centre
• Ask the receptionist for a printout of your phone consultation / appointment

My child has sickness and diarrhoea, and I cannot take them to the GP, how can I provide medical evidence?

You need to go to the pharmacy and pick up medication for the symptoms and provide a copy of the receipt to school.

My child has been off for more than 3 days with illness, what should I do?

If your child is off for 3 or more days then medical evidence will be required to authorise the absence.

What is an unauthorised absence?

Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider reasonable and may be subject to legal proceedings by the Local Authority.

What would class as an unauthorised absence?

• Truancy during the school day
• Absence without contact from parents/carers to explain the reason
• Absences which have no acceptable explanation
• Persistent absence due to illness without supporting medical evidence
• Students who arrive late after the registers have closed
• Absence for the purposes of shopping, to look after other children or to celebrate birthdays
• Families keeping children away from school unnecessarily
• Excessive absence due to medical/dental appointments without good reason or evidence
• Passport meetings/appointments
• Optician appointments

Is there any support to help in improving my child’s attendance?

There are occasions where parent/carers will be invited into school to discuss their child’s attendance, here support measures and action plans to improve attendance will be put in place, for example, school based support, support from an external agency, parenting contracts which are formal agreements between parents and the school where targets are set. You may also be offered an Early Help Assessment.

What is an Early Help Assessment?

An Early Help Assessment considers the needs of the family and potential barriers to your child’s attendance, it allows for intensive support to be provided either by the school, local authority, or another partner such as a health professional.