Attendance & Reporting Absence
This is a successful school and your child plays their part in making it so.
We aim for an environment which enables and encourages all members of the community to reach out for excellence. For our students to gain the greatest benefit from their education it is vital that they attend regularly and your child should be at school, on time, every day the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable.
It is very important therefore that you make sure that your child attends regularly and this Policy sets out how together we will achieve this.
How to Report My Child Absent - Due to Illness
On each day of absence, you must contact our Attendance Officer. You are able to do this by telephone or email.
Telephone
Please contact school by telephone before 9.00am on 01582 415791 and press 1 for the Absence line. Due to the high volume of messages received, your voicemail will not be acknowledged.
Please leave a message on the answer system clearly stating:
1. Student Name
2. Form Group
3. Reason for Absence
Upon a student's return to school a note from the parent/carer and/or a medical certificate confirming the date/s and reason for absence must be provided.
Please email attendance@putteridgehigh.org before 9.00am on the day of your child’s absence.
Should the absence be over 5 days a medical certificate confirming the date/s and reason for absence must be provided.
Not all absences are authorised and are considered on individual circumstances.
How to Report My Child Absent - Medical Appointments
Should your child require time off during the school day for an unavoidable medical appointment, it is your responsibility to ensure:
Please report the medical appointment before the date via email or telephone. You will need to forward a copy or proof of the appointment to our Attendance Office via email. It is your child’s responsibility to remember they have an appointment and they should come to Reception in order to sign out, prior to leaving. Your child will NOT be collected from a lesson. An appointment letter/screen shot of the appointment is required and can be sent via email.
Students should come into school before and after an appointment.
Requests for Leave of Absence
Our policy is to decline all requests for holidays and family visits that overlap with the school term. If this is absolutely unavoidable please expect these absences to be unauthorised and for enforcement procedures such as a fine to follow.
To complete our Leave of Absence Form please click here.
Why Regular Attendance is so important
Any absence affects the pattern of a child’s schooling and regular absence will seriously affect their learning. Any pupil’s absence disrupts teaching routines so may affect the learning of others in the same class.
Ensuring your child’s regular attendance at school is your legal responsibility and permitting absence from school without a good reason creates an offence in law and may result in prosecution.
Promoting Regular Attendance
Helping to create a pattern of regular attendance is everybody’s responsibility - parents, pupils and all members of school staff.
To help us all to focus on this we will:
- Report to you on how your child is performing in school, what their attendance and punctuality rate is and how this relates to their attainments;
- Celebrate good attendance by displaying individual and class achievements;
- Reward good or improving attendance through class competitions, certificates and outings/events.
To view our Attendance Policy please click here.