Attendance

Absence from school

It is your responsibility as a parent/carer to ensure that your child attends school.  If they fail to attend you are required to provide the school with “reasonable justification” for this (Education Act 1996) at the time of absence.

If you know in advance that you child will be away from school, please let us know as soon as you are able to.  Also please advise us of any lateness or appointments. 

If your child is unwell and not able to attend school, you should use the online Absence Notification Form to inform the school:

Absence Notification Form

The online form must be completed each day that your child is absent.

The school always follows up unexplained absences.  If a child is absent from school for an event that has not been authorised, details are passed to the Educational Welfare Service who may impose a fixed penalty.

Work is not normally set for students that are away from school.  Our priority is that they get well and return back to school as soon as they are able. 

Attendance and Absence

There is strong evidence to show that those students whose attendance is 96% or higher not only do much better in their learning and make greater progress but they also to be much happier and more settled in school.  However, as soon as it starts to drop below this figure, their absence begins to have a damaging effect across all areas of their school life – a damaging effect that increases as their attendance rate falls.

Poor attendance (below 96%) is one of the single biggest blocks to student achievement as they start to fall behind in their learning.  Then when they return they can find themselves struggling with the work and behind their peers which will often have a further negative impact – this time not only on their learning, but also their happiness and wellbeing as anxiety levels about their progress.  This is the case whether absence is due to term-time holidays, illnesses or truancy - not being present in school disadvantages children.

To find out more information about the implications of ‘poor attendance’ (i.e. any figure below 96% attendance) please click here.

To find out more about how we encourage student attendance and support and challenge those students that have ‘weak’ attendance, please read our Attendance Policy.

Attendance

Attendance is formally recorded twice each day – in the morning at 8.50am during tutor period and at 12.30pm at the start of Period 4.  It is important that students are ready to start tutor period at 8.50am and are punctual to each lesson after that. 

It is a legal requirement to take registers in a timely fashion and there are consequences for lateness.  After registration closes pupils will be marked as late.  Pupils arriving after 9.20am will receive an unauthorised ‘U’ mark. 

Where a student is absent without reason we will notify parents/carers as soon as possible if their child has not arrived at school in the morning.  Parent/carers are requested to ensure that contact numbers and details are current at all times and inform school of any changes so we can quickly get in touch with you when required

Attendance is also marked electronically in each and every lesson so that we can identify any internal truancy issues and comply with safeguarding regulations.

Students who arrive late or who leave the site for any reason during the school day must sign in or out.  A letter from a parent must be provided if they are leaving during the day.

Wherever possible, medical appointments should be made out of school times. Evidence of medical appointments must be provided at all times. 

It is vital that no student leaves the Academy site without permission from staff.

Students are not permitted to telephone, text or otherwise message parents directly to ask to be collected in the event of illness – they MUST report to the Pupil Secretary.  (See below)

Absence Requests (inc holiday requests)

Under the Education (Pupil Registrations) Regulations 2006:
”Headteachers may not authorise leave during term time except where the circumstances are exceptional.”

For circumstances to be deemed exceptional they must be: ‘rare, significant, unavoidable and of short duration'.

To request an absence from school, please complete the School Absence Request (Devon School) which can be downloaded from here.
(IMPORTANT - Holidays during term time will not usually be considered as exceptional circumstances. See the Uffculme School Absence Policy, Appendix E for more details.)

If my child becomes unwell during the school day

The School will make all reasonable efforts to provide immediate care for students who are either injured or start to feel ill during the school day.  However, the School is limited in what it can do to look after students who unwell. 

If your child becomes unwell during the day and is unable to attend lessons they should report to the Pupil Secretary’s Office where they will be assessed and where appropriate their parent/carer will be contacted and asked to collect them.

Students are not permitted to telephone, text or otherwise message parents directly to ask to be collected in the event of illness – they MUST report to the Pupil Secretary who will get in contact with their parent/carer as required

Please help us to do this efficiently by ensuring we always have up-to-date contact information. 

Drop-Off / Collection Arrangements - in the school day

If you need to drop your child/ren to school during school hours, please ensure they enter through the main entrance and sign in with Mrs Alford.

If you need to collect your child/ren during school hours, please ensure you always come into Reception to advise that you are here.  Reception will then contact Mrs Alford who will ensure they are correctly signed out.

Morning Drop Off Arrangements – start of the school day

Students may be dropped off at school from 8.20am.  They should not arrive until this time (at the earliest) as staff will not be available to supervise them until this time.

For student safety, we ask that all parents and visitors use the following process for dropping off students in the morning.  Please enter the school via the lower gate and follow the single lane driveway turning right at the junction by the Sports Hall.  Do not drop off your child at this point but follow the road down towards the exit gate and the signposted drop-off area.

Please ensure your child only leaves your vehicle on this exit lane and that they immediately follow the pathway and zebra crossing to the main school.  There should be no exiting of vehicles on the coach park.

Students should not be dropped off from the visitors car park at the front of the school unless it is after 9am.

Collection Arrangements - end of the school day

At the end of the school day the school site is very busy with buses and students moving around.  In order to make this time as safe as possible, please would all parents and carers coming to collect students at the end of the day, delay coming on to the site until 3.45pm where possible. 

When coming to collect your child(ren) please always use the rear car park to collect them and not the front one.  Students know to wait in the rear car park, making it easier to meet with them, and we have a one-way system in operation to facilitate movement through the site.