Attendance
All children aged between 5 and 16 are required by law to receive an education, and it is the duty of parents and carers to ensure that they are supported to do so.
Encouraging regular school attendance is one of the most powerful ways you can prepare your child for success—both in school and in life. When you make school attendance a priority, you help your child to develop healthy life habits and social skills, feel more connected with the school community, avoid risk-taking and anti-social behaviour and reach their academic potential.
Children who frequently miss school often fall behind. There is a strong link between good school attendance and achieving good results. For example, only 12% of students with below 80% school attendance achieve five or more GCSEs at a ‘good pass’ or above (grades 4-9) including English and Mathematics, compared to 68% for students with attendance greater than 95%.
Across the Trust, the target for attendance for all students is at least 97%. This will be promoted with students through assemblies and form periods. Students will be made aware of their current attendance and how they can improve it.
We aim for every student to attend school every day. Parents are key to ensuring that their children attend school and we expect them to support the Academy in this.
The table below details the number of days and lessons of invaluable learning missed over a year with attendance at different levels
Ensuring excellent attendance requires partnership between the school, student and parent/carer, with each having clear roles and responsibilities:
South Axholme Academy will:
- Promote good attendance and punctuality and will investigate any unexplained and/or unjustified absence.
- Work closely with parents/carers where student’s absence is cause for concern. Should you have a concern about your child’s attendance, please contact us to talk through how we can work together.
- Support students to achieve good attendance and punctuality.
- Support students returning to school after prolonged absence.
A South Axholme student must:
- Attend regularly and on time.
- Be punctual to all lessons.
- Ensure that they register for all timetabled lessons and inform the Attendance Office (School/Reception) where appropriate if they are not able to be registered.
- Ensure all messages and notes from parents/carers are taken to the appropriate place.
A South Axholme parent/carer should:
- Ensure your child attends the school on those days it is open, dressed in full uniform and equipped to learn.
- Ensure your child attends every day school is open unless they are too ill to do so.
- Avoid keeping your child away from South Axholme for any reason other than illness or other authorised explanation.
- Avoid arranging holidays during term time.
- Immediately inform the Academy Attendance Office if your child is unable to attend (by 8.40 am where possible), including the reason for the absence and expected date of return.
- If no indication of a return date has been given, parents/carers should contact the Academy on each day of absence.
If you have any questions or would like further support with your child's attendance, please do not hesitate to get in contact with a member of the Academy team.
- Mrs C Loose – Attendance & Welfare Officer
- Mr C Barnes – Vice Principal
We understand that children are sometimes ill. If your child is ill, please let us know as soon as possible on the morning of the first day of absence that your child will not be at academy and ideally no later than 8:40am. We operate a 'first contact' system and will contact you if whaven't heard why your child is not present. This is to help us know that all our students are safe and accounted for.
Please repeat this process on each day of absence. If absences are not reported then Academy staff will contact you and may decide to conduct a home visit.
There are two possible types of absence - authorised and unauthorised. Absence is authorised in the case of illness, agreed religious observances and exceptional circumstances. If we are not given any reason for the absence, we cannot authorise it.
Leave of Absence
The Principal has the discretion to grant leave, but only under exceptional circumstances. As a guide, exceptional circumstances are considered to be those which are unlikely to happen again during the time that a child is at the Academy. In such circumstances a leave of absence form must be completed, giving details and supporting evidence, prior to the absence, and at least 10 working days before the required leave. Retrospective consent will not be given. An application form for leave of absence can be obtained using the link below or from the office prior to the absence.
Leave of absence will not be granted for the purpose of a family holiday.
Any absence taken without the permission of the Principal will be recorded as unauthorised in the Academy register, which is a legal document. Penalty notices will be used under section 23 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 as an alternative to prosecution, for failing to ensure your child's regular attendance at the academy, and may be issued to parents/carers by the Local Authority where a student has at least 10 academy sessions (half days) recorded as unauthorised absence due to taking leave of absence in academy term time.
Please use the visual below to help understand the penalty notice system and what impact this may have should your child receive repeated unauthorised absences.
Leave of absence will not be granted for the purpose of a family holiday.
Punctuality
Students are expected to be on site for 08:35 am in time for registration at 08:40 am.
Lack of punctuality affects learning and behaviour not only of the student who is late, but it has an impact on all other learners as the teacher is required to recap on missed learning for those who arrive late. Punctuality is also a key workplace skill which must be learnt at school and adhered to.
South Axholme closes its gates at 8.38am and students arriving after this time are deemed to be late and should sign in at Reception giving their reason for being late. Lateness will result in behaviour sanctions as outline in our behaviour policy.
Useful Links:
Should my child go to school today?
School Attendance and Leave of Absence in term time
Application Form for Leave of AbsenceTerm Dates & Term Academy Day