Attendance
We encourage all students to attend school every day and look forward to working with parents to ensure their child's academic success.
Reporting a Student's Absence
To report a child’s absence please call 01243 552055 and select option 1
When a child is absent from school, it is the responsibility of the parents or carers to inform the school. To do this, parents or carers should call the school’s absence line. It is important that parents or carers make contact with the school by 8.40am on the day of their child’s absence. Furthermore, the school expects to receive a phone call from the parent or carer on each day of the child’s absence. This is because the school cannot assume that the child is still unwell without daily parental or carer contact.
It is the responsibility of the parents or carers to keep the school informed about their child’s absence and to provide the necessary information to explain the reason for the absence. Failure to do so may result in the absence being recorded as unauthorised.
Late to Tutor
We expect all students to be in registration at 8.40am every day. Any student who is late without an acceptable reason will be issued with a 20-minute breaktime detention on the day of lateness. Failure to attend will result in further sanctions.
Absence Requests
After returning to school, your child will receive a 'catch up' card and must complete all missed work to a satisfactory standard within a week. The card will be signed by the teacher and Head of Year. Failure to complete the work may result in your child staying after school to catch up.
Requests for absence should be made by completing the ‘Withdrawal from Learning Request form‘ above and returning it to the Attendance Officer (Mrs H Davey – hdavey@sphcs.co.uk) at least two weeks before the planned absence.
Following amendments to the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006, parents may not be granted leave of absence for their children unless there are exceptional circumstances.
If a withdrawal from learning is authorised and you keep your child away for longer than the period agreed, the additional time will normally be treated as unauthorised. Similarly, if you take your child away without prior written permission, this will be recorded as an unauthorised absence.
Absences for all students will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Headteacher. If an absence is unauthorised, you may be liable for a Fixed Penalty Notice.
These rules are in line with the Education (Schools and Further Education) Regulations 1981 and guidance issued by the Department of Education. The goal is to ensure all students receive a quality education with regular attendance.
Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN)
If a request for term-time absence is denied, you will receive a letter stating that the holiday is unauthorised. Accumulating 10 or more unauthorised absences (equivalent to five or more days) may lead to a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN). Each adult with parental responsibility will receive a notice per child and an invoice of £120, with 28 days to pay. If paid within 21 days, the fee reduces to £60. This applies even if no request for absence was made.
If the fine remains unpaid, it could lead to court action being taken. Please note that the West Sussex County Council’s stance on issuing FPNs remains the same, with a minimum of 10 unauthorised school sessions leading to a penalty. Each school day is split into two sessions (morning and afternoon).
Find out more
If you would like to know more about attendance please email: office@sphcs.co.uk
