Attendance

Good attendance and punctuality are essential if you are to succeed in school,  in fact research shows that there is a direct link between good attendance and academic progress and achievement.

Our whole school target is 97% - 100% attendance

All students must make every effort to attend school every day. However we accept that some students may become ill or have other genuine reasons for absence.  If you are absent the school must be notified on the first day. Please note that the school  will not authorise holidays taken during term times.

What to do if your child is late, ill or has an appointment

Registers are marked from 8.50am to 9:00am and all students will receive a late mark if they arrive after 9, but before 9:15am. If they arrive after 9:15am  In accordance with legal regulations, if a child arrives after that time they will receive a mark that shows them to be on site, but this will not count as a present mark and it will mean they have an unauthorised absence. 

Late

Children who are late should come to the main school reception where they will need to be signed in by the adult bringing them to school. They must be brought to the school office by an accompanying adult who will be asked to complete the late register on screen . 

Illness

If your child is ill, please telephone or email the school on the first day of absence and each day following. These absences will be recorded as Authorised. Once the registers have closed office staff will look at the absences and if we do not have a reason we will contact the parent.

Appointments

A request for a child to leave school to attend an appointment will be granted. Where possible appointments should always be made outside of school hours. Children who need to leave the school during the school day for an appointment must be collected from the main entrance by a responsible adult and have evidence of the appointment. 

Absence and holidays during term time

In line with Statutory Guidance, permission for holidays during term time will not be granted as a general rule. 

Holidays requested at the beginning of any new term or during SATs periods can not be authorised for any reason. This follows the Local Authority Policy on attendance in school. Where unauthorised absence is taken, a fixed penalty notice of £60 per parent per child can be issued (Section 444(a) of the Education Act 1996 empowers the local authority to issue Penalty Notices to parents/carers)

Attendance Records Monitoring

Regular attendance and punctuality are very important and we are required to keep detailed records of all aspects of attendance. The attendance records are checked regularly. If there is cause for concern, he/she may make a home visit or invite you into school to discuss the matter. 

For more information regarding attendance and term time holidays please refer to our attendance policy below. 

We will send regular letters informing you of your child's attendance and if we can support you in any way. We want to help and support you in your child's attendance,  If parents do not engage or attendance does not improve we request support from the Hertfordshire County Council or may result in a fixed penalty notice.