Attendance Expectations
A guide for students, parents and carers.
Why is Attendance important?
Success in school begins with showing up – data shows, students who attend every day achieve higher GCSE results
Regular attendance shapes your child’s academic journey
Good attendance sets students up for success in later life
Every class missed is a lesson lost
Absences add up! Missing just 2 days a month means a child misses 10% of their school year."
Attending schools helps students feel connected to their peers and teachers, fostering a sense of belonging and support
At Dinnington High School we believe that in order for your child to be successful they need to…
Be present, be engaged, and their knowledge will grow
Key Attendance Information
Please see below key contact details for the attendance team Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you have any attendance concerns which you would like support with
Dinnington High School
Email communication: din-attendance@nclt.ac.uk
Telephone communication: 01909 550066 Option 1
Students are expected to:
Attend school on time every day, dressed in full school uniform and equipped to learn
Arrival time:
Parent expectations:
The gates will open at 8.05am and close at 8:25am
Parents/Carers are legally responsible for making sure their children attend school on time and every day, dressed in full uniform and equipped to learn.
To fulfil this responsibility, we expect Parents/Carers to:
Promote 97-100% attendance and punctuality with their child. Ensure their child arrives at the school no later than 8:25am
If your child will be absent or you need to inform the school of a medical appointment please use the contact details below:
By no later than 8.15am on the day of absence
Medical Evidence
Telephone communication: 01909 550066 Option 1
E-mail using the attendance email: din-attendance@nclt.ac.uk
Provide evidence via email the attendance team using E-mail: din-attendance@nclt ac uk
In person – by visiting reception with a signed copy of the medical appointment
As a Trust, we are committed to maximising the achievement and attainment of all students. Attendance is key to ensuring your child has the very best opportunities.
Did you know...
1. Not all absences are authorised.
The school will:
Authorise Absence when:
Recent medical documentation, including appointment information has been provided.
Your child has an Illness that cannot be treated with over-the-counter medication
Your child’s attendance is above 97%, considering patterns of attendance/absence
Your child has a medical and/or dental emergency.
Unauthorise Absence when:
Your child’s attendance is below 97% (unless there is significant medical evidence to support the absence)
Your child is absent due to a family holiday.
Your child is absent due to a non-urgent medical appointment.
Absence, which leads to a student’s attendance falling below 97%, cannot be authorised.
2. The school day is made up of 2 sessions.
AM session – this is the morning registration mark (form time)
PM session – this is the afternoon registration mark (after lunchtime).
This means if your child misses 1 full day – they will receive 2 unauthorised ‘session’ marks.
3. You can be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice for continued absence (FPN):
If your child’s attendance continues to decline you will receive:
A ‘Notice to Improve’ letter – this means no further unauthorised absence for a 6 week period
A fixed penalty notice – this is issued by the local authority and not the school
The FPN threshold is met if your child has had 10 unauthorised sessions (AM / PM) in a rolling 10 school we k period - this is equivalent of 5 full days o sence.
4. If your child is late... this impacts their attendance.
Punctuality to school is extremely important and students should be in school before the main gates are locked at 8:25am
If your child arrives after the gates close, they will need to enter the site via the side gate.
1 Instance: Warning and text message / MCAS message home st
2 Instance: 30 minutes detention nd
Subsequent Incidences and persistent lateness: 30-minute detention each time late, Parental meeting, Targeted report / clocking in card, Pastoral Support Plan, Attendance panel meeting
Legally the school has a statutory responsibility to to mark any child who arrives to the school after 30mins of the school start time using a U code.
This means that:
If your child arrives after 900am they will be issued with a U code this means that the AM session has been marked as unauthorised absence and counts towards 1 of their unauthorised absences.
If your child receives 10 U codes you could receive a ‘Notice to Improve’ and / or ‘FPN’ even if your child is in the building.
5. The school will not authorise holidays during school term time.
What you need to know…
A school year is approximately 188 days per calendar year, leaving plenty of time for family holidays.
Students cannot collect a holiday form from school - must be collected from the school by a parent or carer.
Each holiday absence request will be discussed with the headteacher or the Senior Attendance Champion
Unapproved absences for holidays, will lead to fines or legal action.
A fine is issued where there has been five days or more unauthorised absence over a rolling period of ten school weeks.
The five days’ unauthorised absence are described as 10 sessions – this is your AM and PM mark
In England, the standard fine for unauthorised absence is £80, rising to £160 if not paid within 28 days
Prosecution: Repeated unauthorised absences, or failure to pay fines can lead to prosecution.
6. The School has an ‘Apply and Try’ method for all illnesses.
We understand that young people are susceptible to day-to-day illness We ask all parents and carers to apply the ‘Apply and Try’ method. This includes:
Issuing your child with Paracetamol before attending the school
Providing the school with over the shelf medication to be issued during the course of the day.
Allowing your child to access the school
The school will support parents / carers in ensuring that your child is well looked after whilst they are on the school site. However, if your child continues to feel unwell / illness worsens throughout the course of the day the school will make contact directly with you to request collection
7. We will support any child who becomes unwell during the school day.
We have effective day-to-day processes to support your child in the event of an illness during the school day
We will:
Assess your child’s illness / need, making a decision as to whether they are fit to remain on site.
Contact you via phone and / or MCAS to notify you of your child’s illness
Make contact via telephone to communicate that your child is no longer fit for school.
Request collection by a supervising adult for any child leaving site due to illness.
If in the event your child contacts you directly and you request that your child leaves site, the Acadschoolemy will:
Request that you arrive at main reception and speak with a member of the senior team.
Request that you confirm your child will be supervised by an appropriate adult.
Log as an unauthorised absence
8. You will need to collect your child for any medical appointments during the school day.
We are aware that medical appointments are difficult to schedule outside of school hours. However, wherever possible we request that these are booked outside of the school day so as not to limit your child’s potential.
In the event that medical appointments do fall within the school day and within the interests of safeguarding your child The school will request collection by an appropriate adult
Collection Process:
Request that any child within KS3 (Y7-Y9) are collected from main reception.
Request that any child within KS4 (Y10 – Y11) are collected from the car park.
9. The school is legally required to undertake home visits – even on day 1 of an absence.
The school has a duty of care with regards to the safeguarding of all young people.
Parents and Carers are responsible for making sure that their child attends school regularly.
If for any reason your child is not in attendance we will:
Make contact via MCAS and / or telephone to ascertain the reason for absence
Conduct home visits daily (from day 1) to support with reintegration back into the school
Home visits will take place even when a reason for absence has been provided.
Home visits will take place on a regular basis and will involve:
Members of the school team visiting the home to speak with both parents / carers and your child.
Discussion with regards to support to re-integrate your child back into the school following a period of absence (if required)
Offer of collection via the mini-bus morning collection service.
10. You can request absence for extra-curricular activities: – but only in exceptional circumstances
All schools are expected to restrict leave of absence to the specific circumstances. These circumstances include Taking part in a regulated performance for example sporting events or performances abroad
As a Parent / Carer you must:
Have in writing from the event co-ordinator a request for leave of absence
Have a licence issued by a local authority or Justice of the Peace or a body of persons approval
In the event of your child requiring authorisation:
We will:
Review current attendance
Only authorise absence where a student’s attendance is above 97% (unless medical evidence has been provided).
Only authorise the absence when the Headteacher has reviewed all legal documentation.
Strategies to Support Excellent Attendance
The school will work alongside parents to provide support for all our young people and parents / carers. The sch will listen, understand and facilitate support to remove barriers to attending school This will include:
Mini-Bus Collection
The school will offer a place to any student who requires support in accessing the school daily The mini-bus collection will work by:
School staff making contact with parents / carers, providing a rational as to why the place has been offered
Parents / carers agreeing to the collection.
An early morning wake-up call for the days of collection.
A specified mini-bus collection point and time for collection.
Promoting and Incentivising Good Attendance
The school encourages and celebrates the success of all its students throughout their educational journey via: Weekly rewards for students.
½ termly rewards for students
Termly rewards for families, parents and carers.