Attendance & Absence

The school day starts at 8.50am (line up bell sounds at 8:45am). School finishes at 3.30pm.

We expect pupils to arrive on time each day. Anyone arriving after registers close, at 9am, must report to reception to be registered.

Every Day Counts! It is vital that pupils attend school, on time, every day in order to gain the greatest benefit from their education.

95% – 100% (less than 10 days absence in a year) is good attendance.
95% is the national average attendance rate for a child.

There is no automatic entitlement in law to time off in school time.

All requests for a leave of absence must be made in advance by completion of the school form; ‘Application for leave’. Absence requests are only authorised in exceptional circumstances.

Request for leave – Click Here

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a good attendance percentage?
   95 – 100% (less than 10 days absence in a year) is good attendance. 95% is the national average attendance rate for a child.
2. What is poor attendance?
   Anything below 95% attendance is a concern. It makes it harder for the child to progress if they are missing key learning opportunities.
3. What will happen if my child’s attendance falls below 95%?
   Schools monitor pupil attendance every week. You will be notified if your child drops below 90% attendance - this makes your child a Persistent Absentee.  We monitor daily anyone on the Persistent Absentee list.
4. What is meant by genuine medical reasons to be absent?
   Diarrhoea, sickness, childhood ailments e.g. measles, chicken pox, extremely high temperatures are genuine illness. Pupils should not stay home if they have minor coughs, colds, tummy aches and headaches. If your child is too poorly to remain at the school, the school will contact you. Please remember that even absence due to genuine medical reasons still affect a child’s attendance.
5. What if my child has a Medical Appointment? Please ensure that you supply the school with medical evidence for all appointments e.g apt cards/prescriptions (we do not expect you to incur a cost for this).
6. What should I do if my child is absent?
   You are required to compete the on-line absence form daily, before 9am where possible. This MUST be completed each day your child is absent. REPORTING ABSENCE FORM

We share all attendance information with High Schools during transitions.

REMEMBER EVERY SCHOOL DAY COUNTS TOWARDS YOUR CHILD’S SUCCESS