How is your child’s attendance affected every time they are absent?
Please follow this link for our most recent Attendance letter to parents: Attendance Letter September 2019
Attendance: Improving attendance and learning at HDHS
A high level of attendance is important at HDHS and vital to achieving success. It is expected that students attend school every day it is open. Attendance is celebrated and rewarded. Rewards are given every term for those students who significantly improve or achieve excellent attendance. Please see our Attendance Policy for details.
If a child is ill, the parent/carer must contact the school on the first day of school missed and each day after, as long as the absence continues.
Telephone the ‘Student Absence Line’ on 01255 245460 by 8:30am. You have the choice to leave a message or be connected to Student Services should you wish to speak to a member of staff. Parents should contact the school for every day of absence. This is for safeguarding purposes. We will assume that a child will be present unless you inform us otherwise.
The School will attempt to contact the parent of any pupil whose absence has not been established. This may be by phone or an unannounced visit to the home. When a child returns to school following a period of absence he/she must provide the Attendance Office with written confirmation of the reasons for the absence signed by their parent/guardian even after a telephone call.
Medical or similar appointments for your child should, wherever possible be made outside of school hours. If this is impossible, written notification must be sent in and passed to the attendance office. Students who need to sign out during the school day, must sign out at Student Services and they will be provided with a ‘permission to be out of school’ slip and exit via main reception. They must sign back into school at the upon their return, also via main reception. This is vital for safeguarding purposes.
Punctuality
Every morning students are expected to arrive in school by 8.30am and go straight to registration. We expect all pupils to be in registration by 8:35am. Pupils arriving after 8:40am will be marked late and receive a C2 detention from their form tutor.
If there is a legitimate reason for being late, parents/carers/guardians must phone or send a signed note in with the student; they should sign in at the main reception. In these instances they will be given a late slip so that they do not receive a C2 sanction from their teacher.
Persistent lateness, that is unauthorised, will be dealt with by our attendance staff and can be treated in exactly the same way as if the student had been absent for the whole session.
What the law says?
The parent is legally responsible for ensuring that their child receives a suitable education. (Section 7, Education Act 1996). Failure to ensure that their child attends school punctually and regularly could lead to legal action being taken against the parent. This could result in each parent receiving a fine of up to £2,500 for each time or up to 3 months imprisonment. Local Education Authorities are required by law to enforce school attendance. By law, only the School can approve absence, not the parent.
Leave of Absence during term time:
The School complies with government legislation, which states that term time leave of absence can only be taken in ‘exceptional circumstances’. For example: Forces personnel on leave from a foreign posting or significant family events or circumstances. If this is the case, a ‘Leave of Absence’ request form must be completed; this can be obtained from the Attendance Office. When returned to the Attendance Office, it should be accompanied by a letter of explanation. If the School considers an application has not justified ‘Exceptional Circumstances’, approval will not be given. This is a school decision. If the leave of absence is then taken regardless, the school may seek to apply for a Penalty Notice in accordance with Education (Penalty Notices) Regulations 2004. The LEA will impose fines and prosecute parents for unauthorised holidays and prolonged unauthorised absence. There is a fine of £60 per parent, per child for authorised leave of absence.
If you have any questions relating to attendance in the school please contact:
Mrs Janice O’Neill, Attendance Officer
01255 245460, extn 2256
The HDHS Attendance Protocols can be downloaded here: Attendance Protocols 2019-2020