AtteNdance

We employ an Attendance Officer (Mrs Cadman). Year Leaders also monitor, support and challenge attendance as a major part of their daily work. The role of the Tutor as a daily contact to your child is also important. Individual class teachers may also raise and share concerns about attendance. Pupil Support Services are a daily contact point for reporting an absence or they will contact parents to come and collect a child who has become more unwell.

For additional guidance on general school attendance management please visit the Hampshire County Council website:

ATTENDANCE GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS/CARERS

https://www.hants.gov.uk/educationandlearning/behaviour-attendance-parents 

Parental attitude has a key influence on a child's school attendance and parents/carers can do much to encourage even reluctant pupils to attend.

The school recognises that sometimes there are genuine reasons for absence that mean a pupil may not be able to attend school for a period of time. 

Reasons for Absence:

· Lack of Sleep - Please still send your child into School with a note, when possible.

· Absent, but able to Learn - Please contact the school to request work or login to Classcharts to find relevant learning. We can make a number of adaptations to get pupils back into school sooner than might be expected if recovering from an operation or injury.

· Ongoing Medical Absence - It may be necessary for us to request medical evidence* advising that the pupil is unfit to attend. This must also state how long this will be for.

*Please note that the Education Act 1996 places the responsibility on parents/carers to provide medical evidence when requested by the school. There is an ‘Information Sharing Consent Form’ available from GP practice where a parent can give consent for the GP to share information about their child.*

Appointments - Medical and dental appointments should be made outside of the school day wherever possible. As a school, we only authorise a maximum of half a day for a single medical appointment; there are exceptions to this if a pupil is having longer or specialist medical treatment and evidence will be requested in the form of an appointment confirmation message, letter, booking slip or similar.

Child contacts their parent - If your child contacts you using their mobile phone to pick them up, instead advise them to go to the Year Office or Medical so they can be assessed. If this process is not followed and your child is collected this absence will be unauthorised.

Absence either side of a school holiday - We do not authorise absences either side of school holidays unless evidence is provided of genuine and exceptional reasons for absence. Unauthorised absences could result in prosecution.

Absence of siblings - The absence or illness of a pupil should not affect the education of their siblings. If a Pupil has an appointment (particularly at the beginning or end of the school day) arrangements should be made to ensure that the other sibling is either dropped off or collected on time.

Absence for Holiday:

School holiday dates are published well in advance on the school website.

Holidays in term time will NOT be authorised. Requests for absence may be authorised if there are exceptional circumstances but the length of time authorised is likely to be limited.

Home Visits:

As a School, we have a policy that when a pupil’s attendance is low, no reason is given for absence, or we are repeatedly told they are unwell without details or medical evidence, we will seek further clarification of these reasons. We may carry out home visits to do this. We may conduct a home visit at any stage of an absence, without the previously outlined circumstances being applicable, to help support a pupil coming back into School and an absence extending to more days. These visits will be either organised with the parents or unannounced depending on the context of the absence.