Attendance Matters
Haygrove School places a high priority on regular attendance and punctuality by our students. As a parent/carer you are committing an offence if you fail to ensure your child attends school regularly and on time.
All students should aim for 100% attendance with 94.5% as a minimum.
Students arriving late after the register has closed will be given an unauthorised mark which counts as an absence. The register opens at 08:40am and closes at 09:10am.
The Government classes all children with 90% attendance or under as being a Persistent Absentee. 90% attendance (10% absence) over 5 school years is the equivalent of half a year off.
As a parent/carer, it is a legal requirement to:
- Ensure your child comes to school every day, on time, fully equipped, in correct uniform and ready to learn.
- Ensure the school has up to date addresses and contact telephone numbers. We will contact you if your child is absent and you have not contacted the school.
- Contact the school on the first day of your child’s absence and for each day of absence thereafter.
- Where possible, ensure that ALL medical appointments are made outside of school time, except in cases of medical emergency.
- Ensure that holidays are not taken in term time. Any Leave of Absence must be applied for in writing and can only be agreed by the Headteacher and only for exceptional circumstances. If Leave of Absence is not agreed, this will be marked as an unauthorised absence.
Things as a parent you can do:
- Parents and carers can help by encouraging the maximum possible attendance at school and by contacting us at the earliest possibility to explain an absence and advising us in writing when your child returns to school.
- Contact your child’s tutor, Head of Year or the Attendance Officer if you are experiencing difficulty in getting your child into school.
- Respond to school letters or phone calls regarding attendance and punctuality.
- Make yourself familiar with the schools Attendance Policy.
Holidays and Planned Absence in Term Time
Holidays taken during term time will not be authorised and other planned absences will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances. Parents need to apply in writing for all planned absence with details of such exceptional circumstances, in advance to the Headteacher for consideration.
If you take leave during term time which is not authorised, a Fixed Penalty Notice of £160 per parent, per child may be issued by the Local Authority if there have been at least 10 sessions (5 days) of unauthorised absence. This will be reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days.
Irregular Attendance
Penalty Notice Fines will be considered where there has been 10 sessions of unauthorised absences in a ten week period. This may not be consecutive and may be across different terms or academic years. As with unauthorised holidays, the cost of the Fine issued by the Local Authority if £160, reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days or for a second offense, £160 with no reduction. After the third offence of irregular attendance the case may be presented straight to Magistrates’ Court. Magistrates fines can be up to £2500 per parent, per child. Cases found guilty in the Magistrates’ court can show on parents’ future DBS certificates due to ‘failure to safeguard a child’s education’.