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St Alban's Catholic High School

St Alban's
Catholic High School

Attendance

Attendance

The school day starts at 8.50am. Students must be inside the school grounds ahead of this time so that they are ready for registration at 8.50am.

Please do contact the school on the first day when a student is absent due to illness. Call 01473 726178 and select option 2. Provide the school with regular updates if the absence extends over several days.

Contact the school if you have an absence planned for such as the dentist or doctor. This is very important, otherwise the absence may be treated as unauthorised or, if you are collecting your child, there may be a delay in their release from class. If at all possible, please make appointments outside of school hours.

Term-time holidays are not authorised. Please plan your holidays during the 13 weeks of school holidays. All violations of this policy are referred to the Education Welfare Service and can lead to a fine or Court appearance.

If you must take your child out of school for any reason not covered above then please email or write to our attendance officer directly at least one month before the planned absence.

To contact our Attendance Officer, about any attendance-related issues you can email attendance@st-albans.suffolk.sch.uk or else call on 01473 726178, option 2 is her voicemail.

 A copy of the Our Lady of Walsingham Trust Attendance policy can be found here

Support on school attendance 

There are many different issues which can affect school attendance. Examples include problems with:

  • Bullying
  • Housing or care arrangements
  • Transport to and from school
  • Work and money

If your child starts missing school, there may a problem you are not aware of. Ask your child first and then approach their form tutor.

Support from the school 

The school is the first place to go to discuss any attendance problems. The school will try to agree a plan with you to improve your child’s attendance. If you don’t follow the plan and things don’t improve, the school will take further action.

Support from your local authority 

The local authority can also help if you are struggling to ensure that your child goes to school. Potential forms of support include:

  • Home tuition for children with long term and recurring illnesses, so they do not fall too far behind.
  • Support to help reduce the burden on children where families are in difficulty (for example, if a child is spending a lot of time caring for someone).
  • Working with families and schools to overcome bullying and other serious problems.

Regular school attendance - why it's so important 

Going to school regularly is important to your child’s future. For example, children who miss school frequently can fall behind with their work and do less well in exams.

Good attendance shows potential employers that your child is reliable. Research suggests that children who attend school regularly could also be at less risk of getting involved in antisocial behaviour or crime.

School attendance and absence: the law 

By law, all children of compulsory school age (5 to 16) must receive a suitable full-time education. Once your child is registered at a school, you are legally responsible for making sure they attend regularly. If your child fails to do so, you risk getting a penalty notice or being prosecuted.

School attendance and absence: the law 

 

Preventing your child from missing school: what you can do

You can help prevent your child missing school by:

  • Making sure they understand the importance of good attendance and punctuality.
  • Taking an interest in their education - ask about school work and encourage them to get involved in school activities.
  • Discussing any problems they may have at school - inform their form tutor of anything serious.
  • Not letting them take time off school for minor ailments - particularly those which would not prevent you from going to work.
  • Arranging appointments and outings after school hours, at weekends or during school holidays will help to prevent disruption to your child’s education and to the school. You should not expect the school to agree to your child going on holiday during term time.

 The following link will take you to the local authority website. There you can find out more about support available from the local authority. You will also find contact details for the Educational Welfare Service.

Find out about school absence in Suffolk