Reporting Absences

You must report your child’s absence on every day that they are absent, using Parent Gateway (our preferred method) or by calling 01452 338400 and selecting Option 5 to leave a message, stating the pupil’s full name and form.

We aim for 100% attendance from pupils, and our average attendance figure is around 97%. It is, of course, important for pupils to attend school at every opportunity to maximise their potential.

Parent Gateway

If your son/daughter is unable to attend school for any reason, you must notify us as soon as possible on the first day of absence. This should then be followed up by letter/email explaining the full absence on pupil’s return.

Pupils who arrive at School after the Form Registration period are marked as a code 'U' in the register, which counts as an unauthorised absence until a valid authorisation has been given.

If we don’t receive a notification via Parent Gateway or telephone, we will contact you to confirm the absence and to ensure your child has not gone missing.

The impact of absenteeism upon education his highlighted by the Department for Education: ‘…. pupils with no absence are around 10.2 times more likely to achieve the English Baccalaureate than pupils missing 15 – 20% of KS4 lessons.’

The government is keen to improve pupils’ attendance in all schools, and they have set a figure for a Persistent Absentee to be 90% attendance or less. For example, any one pupil who has eight days away from school in the Autumn Term will be classed as a Persistent Absentee and the Local Authority will be notified. In the light of this, it is critical that all absences are accounted for.

Requests for leave of absence for exceptional circumstances should be addressed to the Headmaster, in writing with as much notice as possible, via his PA Mrs Morton, [email protected].