Attendance
How do I report an absence?
Please report unexpected absences by 8:30am to the Attendance Officers using one of the following methods: call 01795 427449, email tss-attendance@swale.at or complete the absence form below with all details relating to the absence. Sixth Form students and their parents should email tss-post16office@swale.at or call 07810 607 159. Unexplained absences will be recorded as unauthorised.
Absence Form
What do I do if my child refuses to come to school?
If your child is refusing to attend school, you should let us know immediately so that we can work together to put a plan in place to get your child into school. The best way to inform us that your child is struggling with attending school is to email us - tss-attendance@swale.at
The longer school refusal goes on the more difficult it is to address and more likely it is that they will not return to school which will result in action from outside agencies.
What does the law say?
It is a legal requirement for schools to keep a record of attendance and the reasons for any
absences. Parents and carers must provide reasons for absences to enable the school to decide whether or not to authorise the absence based on government guidelines.
Failure to ensure that your child attends school regularly without good reason is an offence.
What is unauthorised absence?
Parents and carers of children with unauthorised absences may be subject to a fixed penalty notice or legal action. Some examples of unauthorised absence include: looking after a sibling, time off for birthday celebrations, a family holiday or oversleeping.
Why is it important that my child arrives at school by 8:35am each day?
Students arriving after 8:35am receive a same-day 30-minute after school detention. If a pupil arrives after the register closes their morning mark is recorded as an unauthorised absence. Late arrivals also add up over time – being 10 minutes late each day adds up to two weeks (60 lessons) of lost learning time over the whole school year.
What about medical appointments?
We understand that pupils need to attend medical and dental appointments and that it is not always possible to arrange them outside of school time. However, we request that any non-emergency appointments take place outside of the school day where possible.
Why won’t the school authorise absence for a family holiday?
We recognise that family vacations during the school holidays can be expensive and that booking a cheaper term-time holiday might be tempting. However, headteachers can only authorise leave during term time if there are exceptional circumstances, even if your child has an excellent attendance record.
How does occasional absence affect my child?
Missing occasional days from school may seem unimportant at the time, however this has a significant impact on your child in the long term.
The graph above is real data taken from our previous Year 11 results.
As you can see, pupils with above 95% attendance leave with higher average grades than those with lower attendance, allowing them a broader choice of opportunities Post 16.