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Attendance and Holidays in Term Time / Under Exceptional Circumstances

Gordano School is committed to providing high quality inclusive learning opportunities for all students.  We believe that if students are to reach their full potential, then excellent attendance is crucial.  Any problems that impede full attendance will be identified and addressed as quickly as possible.  Gordano School follows the Government’s Guidance on the Education (Student Registration – England) Regulations 2006.  Click on the link below to see the LSP Policy and Gordano Guidelines.

Attendance Policy 2023-24

Leave of Absence Form 

Attendance Leaflet 

If there are problems which affect a student’s attendance we will investigate, identify and strive, in partnership with parents, students and Education Welfare Services to resolve those problems as quickly and efficiently as possible.  It is true that some students will consciously avoid attending school without a valid reason.  We need to know when this is happening so we can provide our support to avoid a pattern of truancy which is easily established and often hard to break, now and in later life.

We adopt a clearly focused approach aimed at returning the student to full attendance at all times. Good attendance constitutes 95% and above.

ATTENDANCE PERCENTAGES

90% in a test is a good score; 90% attendance is not – it’s the same as having nearly 4 weeks off school in a year! The grid below shows the approximate figures for weeks, days, hours and lessons of learning time missed in an academic year:

 

 Attendance   percentage

Approximate DAYS of learning missed

Approximate WEEKS of learning missed

Equivalent number of LESSONS missed in an academic year.

Approximate HOURS of learning missed

100%

0

0

0

0

99%

1.9

0.4

11

9

98%

3.8

0.75

22

18

97%

5.7

1

33

28

96%

7.6

1.5

44

37

95%

9.5

2

55

46

94%

11.4

2.3

66

55

93%

13.3

2.5

77

64

92%

15.2

3

88

73

91%

17.1

3.5

99

83

90%

19

4

110

92

85%

28.5

6

165

138

80%

38

7.5

220

183

 

FIRST DAY CONTACT 

First day contact is an integral part of our Attendance Policy.  Parents and students must realise that whenever possible a student’s absence will be noted and acted upon swiftly.  First day contact sends a clear message that attendance is very important and enables us to quickly determine that a student who is absent is genuinely ill and safely at home.

Parents should contact the school by 9.30am on the first morning that their child is away.  The school has a dedicated attendance phone line Tel: 01275 841374 Years 7-11 ONLY (01275 841380 for Sixth Form) with a 24hr answer machine.  Reasons for the child’s absence should be given.  Alternatively parents can email the Attendance Team directly hereYou are asked to contact us on every following morning unless you have informed us in writing in advance.

ATTENDANCE MONITORING

Our Attendance Officer meets every second week with each Head of House and every student whose attendance is below 95% is evaluated and necessary support discussed.

We strongly believe a dialogue and partnership between home and school is vital and if you have any concerns or need general advice you can contact your child’s Head of House or Mrs Shauna Roberts, Attendance Officer, by phoning the school or emailing smroberts@gordanoschool.org.uk

HOLIDAYS / LEAVE OF ABSENCE IN TERM TIME 

With effect from the 1st September 2013, the law no longer gives any entitlement to parents to take their child on holiday during term time and Headteachers can no longer grant any extended leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.  

If you are going to request a leave of absence under exceptional circumstances you are asked to complete a Leave of Absence Under Exceptional Circumstances Form and return it to the Attendance Officer. Please refer to Gordano Attendance Guidelines for more detailed information regarding taking holidays in term time.  

On occasions, parents have reported their child as ill when, in fact, they have been on a family holiday.  When we have reason to believe this may be the case, we will follow this up so we encourage your honesty in these matters to save putting families in an embarrassing situation.

If the Headteacher does not authorise an absence, but the child is still absent, then the absence will be recorded as unauthorised and may result in a Penalty Notice Fine being issued.