Late/Absence Procedures

Attendance:

Regular, punctual attendance at school is vital to pupil achievement. As a school we expect pupils to be in school every day unless there is a reasonable and genuine reason. Continuity in learning cannot be maintained if frequent absences occur.

We recognise that illnesses will occur and occasional absences are unavoidable. In these instances, it is important that parents/carers report this to us using either office@ajs.efspt.org or by leaving a message on our absence line or via the In-App Arbor messaging facility. This should be communicated to us before 9.00am on the day of absence and your message should detail the pupil name, class and reason for absence, please note that "unwell" is not a satisfactory explanation more detail is required. It is expected that you continue to keep the school informed daily should the absence continue for more than one day. If an absence is more than a couple of days medical evidence will be requested.

Pupils who need to attend medical appointments must provide a copy of the appointment letter or any other medical evidence before being collected by their parents/carers. We will expect evidence for any medical appointment taking place during the day, including if it happens at the end of the school day but requires for your child to be collected before the end of the school day.

Leave of absence requests:

The current law does not give any entitlement to parents to take their child out of school during term time. The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 prohibits Headteachers to grant leave of absence to a pupil except where an application has been made in advance and the Headteacher considers that there are exceptional circumstances relating to the application .

If there are circumstances which require absence from school; parents are required to complete an absence request form which is available below or a hard copy can be obtained from the school office. Parents are required to explain the circumstances and possibly provide evidence which the Head Teacher will consider. Parents may need to attend a meeting to discuss ways in which we can minimise disruption in schooling.

For access to the online leave of absence request form click here:

 Leave of absence request form

This is an online form, upon pressing submit, the office receives notification.

Absence for holidays:

Absence requests for holidays will be unauthorised, unless the circumstances are considered exceptional. Unauthorised absences will be reported on and may result in a penalty notice being sought through the local authority.

Absence for extra-curricular events:

As a school we support the talents and experiences of our pupils. On occasion, we have pupils who require time out of school for such events as:

• Attending a competition
• An exam or musical grading
• An audition or involvement in performing arts

In this instance, parents will need to complete an absence request form, provide evidence of the exam or grading. For repetitive or extended absences you may need to attend a meeting at the school where the child’s current attendance and academic attainment will be discussed prior to a decision being made. All possible attempts should be made for such events to take place outside of school time where possible.

For further information, please consult our school Attendance policy obtained from the school office. 

Punctuality:

Parents are expected to ensure that children are present at registration. School doors open at 8.40am and close by 8.45am. Children arriving between 8.45am and 9.15am are recorded as late and a reason requested and recorded. Children arriving after 9.15am will be recorded as an unauthorised absence for that session.

There are three negative results caused by pupils who constantly arrive late: 

• The loss of learning suffered by the pupil themselves which over a year can add up to a significant proportion of their time in school.
• The disruption to other children in their class as the teacher’s attention is taken from the task at hand.
• Can raise levels of unauthorised absence.

The strategies that the school will use to tackle lateness will include:

• Pupils catch up on lost learning by missing part or all of their playtime if they are frequently late
• Calling parents in to discuss persistent lateness
• Our Education Welfare Office (EWO) being notified in the case of persistent lateness.
• Use of Penalty Notices in cases of unauthorised absence. This decision will be taken by the Headteacher in consultation with our EWO for the school.