Attendance

At Hinde House 3-16 School we understand that good attendance is essential if children are to make good progress at school.

Good attendance is essential to enable every child to make good progress at school.  Over the whole year, the minimum level should be 95% for each pupil.  The aim should be to reach 100%.

Pupil attendance and punctuality is monitored very closely with rewards for good attendance plus additional support and intervention of those below 95%.  Homes are contacted by phone or visits if school do not know the reasons for absence.  If your child is absent for a genuine reason (usually illness or medical appointments) please contact school either by phone or letter.  Parents/carers will be given their child’s attendance print-out each term – please check these and let us know if there seem to be any errors. Schools are unable to authorise holidays during term time unless there is an exceptional reason.  Please make sure that a holiday request form is completed before plans are made, whenever possible.

We are pleased that the attendance of both Phases has improved markedly every year during the last three years.  In 2011-12, Primary Phase attendance was 94% and Secondary attendance 90.6%.  However, both of these averages are still below national expectations and a priority for the school is to improve the levels further.

Please don’t hesitate to speak to staff in school about any issue around attendance.  Together we can find solutions to problems.  Good attendance means that a pupil is much more likely to reach and exceed their subject targets and this is essential, particularly in the present economic situation.

Holidays in term time

Good attendance is the vital foundation for pupil success at school. Incontrovertible national and local evidence shows that good pupil attendance leads to better progress and attainment.  As you are aware, Hinde House 3-16 School wishes to maximise pupil progress and attainment, and work hard to promote and reward good attendance and also to dissuade absence during term time.

Government guidance states that school is only able to grant holidays in term time under very exceptional circumstances.  In addition to this, school not allowed to authorise any absence:

• If the pupil is due to take an examination during the period of the leave of absence.
• The pupil has an attendance record below 95%.
• If the holiday requested is during the first two weeks of September.

Holidays taken in term time for financial reasons or for key family events, whilst understandable, are not considered to be exceptional. However, school will consider compassionate reasons carefully where necessary.

– downloadable document for leave of absence during term time

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