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Stanground Academy

Attendance

Pupils are expected to be in school for a minimum of 32.5 hours per week. This includes break time and lunch times, but not extracurricular clubs and opportunities, meaning some pupils may be in school for more than this time.

How to Report an Absence 

Please ensure that you call the absence line if your child is going be absent from school. A call must be made on each day of absence by 8:30am. The absence line is monitored, and all messages (calls or voicemails) will be received and passed on to the relevant year team. This will ensure that your child’s attendance record is accurate. 

We would like to remind parents that when calling, it is important that you give a detailed reason as to why your child is absent. If sufficient detail is not given, you will receive a message to call the school to provide this.

Attendance Officer

It is vitally important that pupils have high levels of attendance. We are determined to work with you to achieve this.

The government expects all pupils to have an attendance figure of at least 96%.  Any pupil absent for ten days or more in a year will miss this target. We know this has a big impact on the progress they make and the results they achieve.

Our Heads of Year will work with our Attendance Officer to support those pupils whose attendance is of concern. Where necessary, we will involve the Education Welfare Service.

The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 have removed the reference to holidays during term time and now provide that a leave of absence during term time will only be granted where an application is made in advance to the school and the school considers that a leave of absence should be granted due to exceptional circumstances relating to that application.

What amounts to 'exceptional circumstances' is a matter of discretion for the Headteacher/Principal and should be judged on a case by case basis, but it is unlikely to amount to an exceptional circumstance if it is merely claimed that a holiday abroad can only be afforded in term time or that a parent is unable to take leave during school holidays.

If your leave of absence has not been authorised by the Academy you may be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice by the Local Authority. This could result in a fine of up to £120 per parent per child.

 

What can parents do?

Ensure your child attends regularly and is on time.

Contact the appropriate Head of Year or Attendance Officer if you need our support (details are on the contact page on this website or ring the main Academy office).

 

Holidays taken during examination time, or in the terms leading up to examinations, will not be authorised. The law states that parents do not have an automatic right to take their child out of school for holidays during term time.

Some absences which are considered unavoidable and may therefore be authorised by the Stanground Academy:

  • Pupil was genuinely ill
  • Pupil was attending a religious festival/ceremony with family
  • Pupil had a medical or dental appointment that could not be made out of Academy hours
  • Pupil was in hospital/having hospital treatment
  • Pupil was attending a funeral with family
  • Pupil was attending an interview for a job or place at college
  • Pupil was taking part in a public performance or examination

Some absences which are considered avoidable will be left unauthorised by the Academy. These include:

  • Trivial illness
  • Minding the house or waiting for workmen/deliveries etc
  • Packing or getting ready for a holiday or trip or collecting relatives from the airport/station
  • Being on holiday
  • Looking after brothers and sisters, including dropping them off at the Academy or nursery
  • Looking after a sick relative
  • Helping with housework or family business
  • Being unhappy or not getting on with others at the Academy

POOR ATTENDANCE = POOR ATTAINMENT!

Attendance

 

Need an appointment with the doctor for your child but can only get it in school hours? A new scheme may be able to help. The GP Hub is open from 1830-2030 in Peterborough Town centre. Please click here to view the GP Hub flyer.