Attendance
We encourage all students to attend school every day and look forward to working with parents to ensure their child's academic success.
Attendance
We know that if students attend school everyday they are happier, healthier and achieve academically. Every day, every lesson counts.
Attendance at SPH
We strongly believe that the highest possible attendance is absolutely critical for students at St Philip Howard. High attendance is 98% and over. That is the equivalent to 4 days off in a school year. If students are absent they miss out on learning, extra-curricular opportunities and valued social moments that school brings. Every day, every lesson counts.
90% Attendance is one day off a fortnight. At the end of year 11 that is the equivalent to missing ½ a year of schooling.
98% Attendance is one day off a week. At the end of year 11 that is the equivalent to missing a whole school.
We always want to work with and support our students and families so if you are having any difficulties with attendance please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Head of Year who will be able to support your child in becoming the people God calls us to be.
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.
APPOINTMENTS
Medical or dental appointments should always be made after school or in the school holidays when possible. If appointments are unavoidable during school hours, parents/carers should contact Attendance or the absence line to make us aware of timings. Parents/carers can send on an appointment email or screen shot to office@sphcs.co.uk or students can bring a paper copy of their appointment letter to Student Reception for us to take a photocopy. Please ensure that children return to school as soon as they can after a morning appointment or come in beforehand and sign out at Student Reception if an appointment is later in the school day.
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 Request
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)
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If a request for term-time absence is denied, you will receive a letter stating that the holiday is unauthorised. Accumulating unauthorised absences may lead to a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN). Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) are generally issued where there have been at least 10 sessions (5 days) of unauthorised absence from school within a recorded 10 school week period. However, there are some occasions where they are issued outside of these criteria e.g4 days leading up to an INSET day.
Each adult with parental responsibility will receive a notice per child and an invoice of £160, with 28 days to pay. If paid within 21 days, the fee reduces to £80. This applies even if no request for absence was made.
If the fine remains unpaid, it could lead to court action being taken. In the case of repeated fines, if a parent receives a second fine for the same child within any three-year period, this will be charged at the higher rate of £160. Fines per parent will be capped to two fines within any three-year period. Once this limit has been reached, other action like a parenting order or prosecution will be considered.
Find out more
If you would like to know more about attendance please email: office@sphcs.co.uk