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 9.15am (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

We urge all parents to ensure your child is present inside school by 9.00am. The school doors open at around 8.45am. Anyone arriving later than 9.00am will be recorded into a 'late book'. 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. You will then meet a member of the Senior Leadership Team to discuss your request. Please note that in line with 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/email the Headteacher to request leave. If holidays are taken during term time without permission, this will result in a penalty notice and parents will be fined. Fines will be given for any absence of 5 days or more.

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