Absence Procedures

Attendance and Punctuality

“Parents can be fined for taking their child on holiday during term time without consent from the school.” (DfE website)

Attendance 

At Seahouses we believe that excellent attendance and punctuality leads to better outcomes for pupils. This is also backed up by research that shows pupils who have excellent attendance make better progress than those who do not. If your child is absent due to illness, please call the school office by 9.00am (01665 720444) to leave a message, on each morning of the absence. If we consider the level of attendance to be of concern we will request medical evidence for each absence in order to avoid each missed session being marked as unauthorised. If we are not contacted, we will phone the numbers on our contact list until we are able to find out where your child is and why they are not at school.

Punctuality

The school day starts at 8:55am, and pupils will be in their classroom, ready to begin lessons at this time. Therefore, pupils will be expected to be on the school site by 8:45am. Open register starts at 8:45am.  Doors close at 8:55am. Pupils will have a morning break at 10:45am, which will last until 11:00am, and a lunch break at 12:15pm, which will last until 1.15pm – pupils will be expected to have returned from each break and be ready to recommence learning at the stated times.

Registers will be taken as follows throughout the school day:

• The morning register will be marked by 9:00am. Pupils will receive a late mark if they are not in their classroom by 9:20am. Pupils attending after this time will receive a mark to show that they were on site, but this will count as a late mark.
• The morning register will close at 9:30am. Pupils will receive a mark of absence if they do not attend school before this time.
• The afternoon register will be marked by 1:20pm. Pupils will receive a late mark if they are not in their classroom by this time.
• The afternoon register will close at 1:25pm. Pupils will receive a mark of absence if they are not present.

 Anyone arriving late due to a medical or other appointment must be signed in at the school reception.

It is most important that the children are able to begin their day calmly and on time. Registration takes place immediately when pupils have entered the classroom. This is often the time when teachers give notices and information. We thank all those parents whose children are on time. If your child is late, their lateness may be marked as unauthorised for that session. The school tracks any late arrivals to check for patterns of poor punctuality; those families causing concern will be contacted to arrange a formal meeting.

Persistent absence from school is a serious problem. Research quoted on the DfE website shows that:

• Of pupils who miss more than 50 per cent of school, only three per cent manage to achieve five A* to Cs including English and maths.
• Of pupils who miss between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of school, only 35 per cent manage to achieve five A* to C GCSEs including English and maths.
• Of pupils who miss less than five per cent of school, 73 per cent achieve five A* to Cs including English and maths

Appointments

We encourage parents to make medical appointments for outside of the school day but understand that sometimes it is unavoidable. If you need to collect your child for an appointment, you will need to sign them out at the main office and show evidence of the appointment otherwise it will be marked as unauthorised. Children will not be allowed to leave the school premises by themselves during the school day.

Term Time Leave

School attendance is a school priority so we do not advocate term time holidays. All holidays and family visits should take place during the school holiday period. If you wish to request a leave of absence during term time, a Leave of Absence Form must be completed in advance.  Please note that in line with Government guidance and the Alnwick Partnership of Schools, no holidays will be authorised in term time and only in exceptional circumstances e.g. bereavement and deployment will time away during term time be authorised. Parents will need to write to the Headteacher to request leave of absence using the Leave of Absence Request Form. If holidays are taken during term time without permission, this may result in a penalty notice and parents may be fined. 

Please download and complete a Request for Leave of Absence form and hand into the main office.