Attendance

Parent Information – Reporting your child’s absence

It is the parent/guardian/carers LEGAL responsibility to notify school of a pupil’s absence on the FIRST day of absence and every day thereafter.

ALL absences must be reported on 01332 557032 (Option 1) BEFORE 9am.

State the pupil’s name, year group, reason for absence and your relationship to the pupil.

If a parent fails to notify school or their child’s absence, the following process will be implemented immediately.

Reporting your child's absence

ALL absences must be reported on 01332 557032 (Option 1) BEFORE 9am.

Day 1

  • The School will send an Absence text requesting the reason for the pupil’s absence.
  • Pastoral Support will follow up with a telephone call home for all unexplained absence.

Day 2

  • The School will send an Absence text requesting the reason for the pupil’s absence.
  • Pastoral Support will follow up with a telephone call home for all unexplained absence.

Day 3

  • The school will send an Absence text requesting the reason for the pupil’s absence.
  • Pastoral Support will follow up with a telephone call Home for all unexplained absence.
  • The Education Welfare Officer will complete a home visit.

Day 5

  • The school will send an Absence text requesting the reason for the pupil’s absence.
  • Pastoral Support will follow up with a telephone call home for all unexplained absence.
  • If school have not been notified of the pupil’s absence by Day 5 a Referral to Social Care and a Police safe and well check will be requested by the Education Welfare Officer.

Day 7

  • The School will send an Absence text requesting the reason for the pupil’s absence.
  • Pastoral Support will follow up with a telephone call home for all unexplained absence.
  • The Education Welfare Officer will complete a home visit.

Day 10

  • The School will send an Absence text requesting the reason for the pupil’s absence.
  • Pastoral Support will follow up with a telephone call home for all unexplained absence.
  • In accordance with the Department of Educations Regulation for Children Missing Education (CME – 2016) – School will begin the process of reporting the pupil missing.

Day 15

  • Unauthorised absence will be reported to the Local Education Authority.
  • School may at this point make a formal request for a Penalty Notice to be issued.
  • If school have not been notified of the pupil’s absence by Day 10 a Referral to Social Care and a Police safe and well check will be requested by the Education Welfare Officer.

Parent Information – Attendance Expectations

We expect pupils to attend school and lessons on time and every day that the school is open.

Pupils are expected to achieve 100% attendance.

Pupil attendance will be monitored from the start of the academic year.  If your child’s attendance falls below 97%, please see the attendance process below.

Stage 1

  • If a pupil’s attendance falls below 97%, you will receive a telephone call from the year office Pastoral Team.
  • The Parent/Guardian/Carer will receive a letter confirming school’s concerns with regards to attendance stating that improvement is required.

Stage 2

  • If a Pupil’s attendance falls below 93%, you will receive a telephone call from the Head of Year.
  • The Parent/Guardian/Carer will receive a letter from the Head of Year, confirming school’s concerns with regards to attendance stating that improvement is required.

Stage 3

  • If a pupil’s attendance falls below 90%, you will receive a telephone call advising that the pupil’s persistent absence has been referred to the Education Welfare Officer.
  • The Parent/Guardian/Carer will receive a letter confirming that a referral has been made to the Education Welfare Officer, from the Head of Year.

Stage 4

  • Parent/Guardian/Carer will receive an invitation to an Absence review meeting from the Education Welfare Officer.
  • During this meeting, a formal Fast Track Contract will be issued.
  • For the duration of the contract – the expectation is to achieve 100% attendance.  Medical evidence will be required for all sickness absence.
  • Any unauthorised absence will result in failure of the Fast Track contract.

Stage 5

  • Failure of the Fast Track Contract  – you will receive a letter from the Education Welfare Officer, informing you that a request to process a Penalty Notice has been made.

Parent Information – Late Arrival to School and Lessons

We expect pupils to arrive in school on time and be present in Tutor time at 8.40am every day that school is open.

Late Arrival to School and/or Lessons

Pupils arriving late to school MUST sign in at the Main Reception, Elmwood on Duffield Road.

Pupils arriving late to school BEFORE the register has closed at 9.20am will be recorded as late (L code).

Pupils arriving late to school AFTER the register has closed at 9.20am (and the school is not satisfied with the reason given), will be recorded as unauthorised absence (U code).

Pupils who are late to school if they have been delayed by the school bus will not be marked late.

Pupils who are late due to medical appointments MUST provide a letter showing proof of their appointment.

ALL late arrivals to School and/or Lessons will be monitored.

Pupils who are persistently late to school will be investigated, parents will be contacted for an explanation and will be advised that continued lateness after the register has closed may result in the issuing of a Penalty Notice.
Fines per parent will be capped to two fines within any three-year period. Once this limit has been reached, other action like a parenting order or prosecution will be considered.
 From August 2024, the fine for school absences across the country will be as follows,
  •  1st Penalty Notice – £80 if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid within 28 days.
  •  2nd Penalty Notice – In the case of repeated fines, if a parent receives a second fine for the same child within any three-year period, this will be charged at the higher rate of £160.
  • If you’re prosecuted and attend court because your child hasn’t been attending school, you could get a fine of up to £2,500.

To download the information shown above, please see the documents listed below.

2024 25 Parent Late Arrival Information

2024 25 . Parent Attendance Process

2024 2025 Parent Absence Process

Leave of absence during term time

Parent’s/carers who wish to take their child/children out of school during term time are required to complete a Request for Leave of Absence form.
Leave of Absence forms can be downloaded (please see below), alternatively the forms are available for collection from Saint Benedict’s Main reception located at the School entrance on Duffield Road.
Please note that all Leave of absence requests for the purpose of holidays or recreation purposes will be unauthorised unless deemed to be an exceptional circumstance.