At Chamberlayne College for the Arts attendance is a serious matter. We are all working together to ensure students reach their academic potential and it is a well-established fact that poor attendance can have a negative effect on academic progress. We expect all children’s attendance to be above 96%. It is absolutely paramount that all students attend school every day and that they only have time off on the very rare occasion that they are genuinely too ill to attend school.  

 

By law, all children of compulsory school age (normally five to 16) must receive a suitable full-time education. As a parent, you have a legal responsibility to make sure this happens – either by registering your child at a school or by making other arrangements to give them a suitable, full-time education. Once your child is registered at a school, you are legally expected to send your child to school daily.

 

The attendance team alongside our allocated police officers conduct visits to families where communication regarding absence has not occurred. The police now have the authority to escort your child to school in the police car should this be deemed a necessary intervention.

 

If your child has attendance below 90% they are classed as Persistently Absent (PA) by the Department of Education and as a result will receive support and challenge from the school, Education Welfare and other agencies such as Social Care to ensure your child attends school regularly.

 

90% attendance = ½ a day missed every week.

90% attendance over 1 year = 4 missed weeks.

90% attendance over 5 years = ½ a year missed!

 

All students should arrive at school by 8.25am, ready for learning. Any pupil arriving on school site after 9am will be marked as an unauthorised late, incurring an absence mark for the morning and adversely affecting their overall attendance rating. If your child is unable to attend school it is vital that you call and report the absence, leaving a clear message detailing your child’s name, year group and the reason for absence.

 

Call: 023 80 447820 - Option 1
Alternatively email: lisa.griffiths@chamberlayne.org
Before 8.30am

 

You can support your child’s attendance by:

• Ensuring your child leaves for school on time every day – they must be on site by 8.25am. They must be equipped and ready to learn.

• Sending your child to school even if they’re feeling a little under the weather. We will arrange for them to come home if we need to.

• Providing a written explanation for your child’s absence from school.

• Booking all medical appointments after 2:50pm. If the only appointment available is during the school day, please bring them to school before and straight after.

• Not taking family holidays during term time. This may result in a fixed penalty notice being issued.

• Avoiding trivial absences such as, ‘buying new shoes’ and birthdays. This would not be accepted as a reasonable absence.

• Immediately contacting your child’s tutor or Head of Character and Culture if there is a reason that your child does not want to come to school.

Year 7 – Mrs Adams – rachael.adams@chamberlayne.org

Year 8 – Mr Cheeseman – david.cheeseman@chamberlayne.org

Year 9 and 10 – Mr Wilding – david.wilding@chamberlayne.org

• Being sure of INSET Days. The school calendar is published in advance, information is also available on the school website.

• Ensuring the school has up-to-date addresses and telephone numbers.

 

We will support you child by:

• Recognising and rewarding good attendance.

• Regularly reporting your child’s attendance.

• Informing you if your child’s attendance drops below 96%.

• Informing you via our messaging service if your child is not in school and we have not heard from you.

• Investigating poor attendance. Absence due to sickness for more than 3 days should be followed with a note from your Doctor.

• Meeting with parents of students with poor attendance and supporting you and them to make the necessary improvements.

• Involving the Educational Welfare Officer should your child’s attendance drop below 90% and not show improvement following contact by the school.

 

If you have any questions regarding attendance, please do contact Mrs Griffiths or Dr Church.