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Buxton Community School

Buxton Community School

Attendance

Raise your child’s attendance – Raise their chances!

At Buxton Community School excellent attendance and punctuality is our aim for every student. Full attendance maximises learning opportunities and parents/carers have a vital role in promoting good attitudes towards attendance. We ask for support from parents/carers to ensure that their children are present at every opportunity, to arrive on time and to avoid allowing children to stay at home unnecessarily, or taking them out of school without authorisation. Evidence shows that students who attend school regularly make better progress both academically and socially.

We monitor student’s attendance closely and will follow up unexplained absence with parents/carers, by telephone and/or by letter. Where a student’s attendance record reaches a concerning level, we will contact parents/ carers to discuss ways in which the school can support you and your child.

Our school attendance target of 96% is the minimum that we expect for all students. Every lesson counts and it is this commitment to learning that will have a positive effect on student’s examinations and their futures.

Persistent Absence

Persistent Absence is a serious problem for students. Much of the work children miss when they are off school is never made up, leaving these students at a considerable disadvantage.

A student defined as a ‘Persistent Absentee’ is one who misses 10% or more of school. The Department for Education reduced this threshold from September 2015 from 15% previously.

Schools are challenged by the Government to address the problem of persistent absenteeism. The government has strengthened schools’ ability to respond by increasing Fixed Penalty Notices (fines) to £60 if paid within 21 days and £120 if paid between 21 and 28 days.

Reporting Absence

What to do if your child is ill: 

If your child is too ill to attend the school, parents/carers should contact the Attendance Officer as soon as possible:

  • by telephone on 01298 23122 Option 2 or Extension 2175. The telephone system allows callers to leave a message 24 hours a day.
  • by email on tim.shaw@buxton.derbyshire.sch.uk
  • Please give us your child’s name, Year Group, the reason for the absence, and how long you expect the absence to last. We ask that you contact us each day that your child is absent unless you have given us an indication of how long the absence will last.

What to do if your child has an appointment: 

All routine medical and other appointments should be arranged out of school time. In exceptional circumstances, where an urgent appointment is required or for hospital clinic appointments that operate during the day only, we require sight of an appointment card or letter in order to authorise any absence from school.

Automated calls to parents/carers: 

We take our safeguarding responsibility seriously and automated texts and calls are made daily to the contact numbers of parents/carers if a student is absent from Period 1 (8.50am to 9.50am),where the Attendance Officer has received no reason for absence. Texts are made on a daily basis, even where your child has been absent due to illness on previous days. We cannot assume that your child is still ill unless you have notified us. We would not wish to put your child at risk by failing to contact you.

NOTE: Please ensure your child realises the importance of attending registration on time and getting their present mark. Parents/carers can also help by ensuring that we hold up to date contact numbers.

Punctuality 

All students are expected to arrive on time at school, ready for lessons. Students should arrive for 8. 40am when the first bell goes. Students are expected to be at their first lesson by 8.50am ready to start learning.

Any student arriving late must sign in at Student Services. After 8.50am, students will be marked as late unless they have a genuine reason. Reasons such as missing the bus, stuck in traffic, oversleeping or poor weather are not considered to be acceptable reasons for lateness.

We would be grateful for your support in ensuring that your child arrives on time.

Leave of Absence (including term-time holidays) 

Amendments came into force in September 2013 and the Education (Pupil Registration)(England) Regulations 2006 now state that Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.

There is a common misconception that any child is allowed to take 10 days’ holiday per year. This is not true. The government strongly urges parents/carers to avoid taking their children out of school for family holidays as this will disrupt their education.

Absence will not be authorised for reasons such as shopping for uniform, birthdays, day trips, weekends away etc.

Only exceptional circumstances warrant an authorised leave of absence. Parents/carers should make any request well in advance and in writing. Requests for absence for reasons such as compassionate leave, special family events, sporting or musical competitions, etc., should be made in the same way.

All requests are considered individually, taking into account the circumstances of the request. Other factors will be taken into account, such as:

  • the time of year the student will be absent
  • the attendance record of the student
  • the number of previous requests for leave of absence
  • the student’s ability to catch up

Parents will be notified of the School's decision either by telephone or in writing.

Where a parental request has been refused, and parents continue to take their child out of school, this absence will be recorded as unauthorised. We reserve the right to apply to the Local Authority to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003. This is a fine of £60 per parent for each child if paid within 21 days, rising to £120 per parent for each child if paid between 21 and 28 days. Failure to pay can result in prosecution in the Magistrates Court.

Gov.uk Press Release 22 February 2015 – “Short breaks damage young people’s futures”

Support for Attendance 

We monitor students’ attendance and punctuality very closely. We follow up unexplained absence with parents/carers by telephone and/ or by letter.

Where a student’s attendance reaches a concerning level, we will contact you by letter, telephone, or home visit to discuss ways in which we can work together to support you and your child. We may invite you to a meeting in school to discuss your child’s attendance and how the School can support you to improve this.

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