Unless you are at school, you cannot learn from your teachers. If is therefore very important that you try not to miss a day from school. If you have to be off, it must be for a very serious reason such as illness.
If you have to be absent from school, your parent/carer should phone the school office (see contact us for details), who will pass a message to your Pastoral Care teacher. When you return, you must bring a note for your Pastoral Care teacher, explaining the reason for your absence. The note should:
- your full name and class
- the date of the first day of your absence,
- the last date of your absence and;
- it must be signes by your parent/carer.
Pastoral Care staff will enquire about and investigate any absence which does not seem to be justified, and if necessary will involve the help of the Depute Headteacher and the School Attendance service. If you have problems coming to scholl, or in school, talk to your Pastoral Care teacher or another member of staff as soon as you can.
The number of times you are late or absent will be included on your report card – if you have a very good attendance, this will be noted in a special way.
Pupils are registered for attendance every period. Any discrepancies in attendance during the day will be investigated.
If a pupil’s attendance is unsatisfactory, and for any pupil that would be less than 95% (only serious illness should produce more that ten days absence over the year) the school may ask an Educational Liason Officer to call, and may, in very serious cases refer the matter to the Attendance Committee or the Reporter, or the Children’s Panel. Fortunately very few cases finish in this way as, if a pupil’s attendance is causing concern, the school would normally contact parents/carers to offer support in resolving the difficulty if possible.
Under no circumstances should you go home during the school day without permission. If you have an accident, or feel ill, tell your teacher and you will be taken to the school nurse or first aider. If it is decided that your require further help, or that you should go home, your family will be contacted before you are allowed to leave the school. For this reason it is vital that we have up to date emergency contacts.
