SEARCH Rutlish School Attendance & Punctuality HOMESCHOOL LIFEGENERAL INFORMATIONATTENDANCE & PUNCTUALITY Attendance & Punctuality It is worth remembering that: 90% attendance is 1 day off school per fortnight. This equates to missing nearly 4 weeks of school every year. 95% is one day off per month. This equates to missing 2 weeks off school every year. Research shows there is a direct link between attendance and attainment and every day missed associated with a lower chance of achieving 5 or more good GCSEs. Full attendance is an expectation of all students and ensuring regular attendance is a parent's legal responsibility. The school supports the Local Authority's policy on fixed penalties for absence and regular non-attenders will be referred to the Education Welfare Service. The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 states that Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. With regard to the regulation Rutlish procedures are as follows: Parent/Carers must request leave for exceptional circumstances as far in advance as is possible. The request should be made in writing using the Leave of Absence form (see bottom of this page and also available from the School Office and from the Attendance Office). The completed form must include the reason for the leave of absence. This may include any extenuating or compassionate reasons, including evidence of circumstances such as medical certificate or letter from employers. On receipt of an application for leave of absence (on the appropriate form) together with any supporting documentation, consideration will be given to the circumstance and a decision will be made as soon as is possible. Absence due to Religious Observance We welcome the multi-faith nature of our school and recognise that for some families important religious festivals may fall outside the school holidays. Government guidance says a student can be absent ‘on a day exclusively set aside for religious observance by the religious body to which the parent belongs.’ To make sure students have the best chance of achieving their potential by being in school as much as is possible, no more than one day in any term will be authorised for any occasion of religious observance and no more than three days in any academic year. Late Arrivals Registration is at 8.30am prompt, until 8.50am. Any student arriving after 8.50am must sign in at the Attendance Office. Late arrivals due to doctors’ appointments etc. should be accompanied by a note from home which can be written in the student planner. If there is no genuine reason for a student's lateness sanctions may be applied. Absence On the first and each subsequence day of absence parents should contact the Attendance Office by telephone or email, details can be found on our "contact us" page. Please follow this link: CONTACT US On return to school the student will need to bring a note explaining the reason for the absence, which can be written in their student planner. Parents are informed by text if their child has not registered in school which will asks them to reply with a reason for their child's absence. If a student has to leave school for an appointment they will need a note from the parent/carer stating the date, time and reason; this can be written in the student planner. Students will not be allowed to leave school without a note and must sign out at the Attendance Office. All absences from school are detrimental to a student’s learning and progress. Some absences, due to factors such as illness are unavoidable and are, following receipt of a letter from parents or medical evidence, recorded as authorised. If no note is received, the absence is recorded as unauthorised. LEAVE OF ABSENCE REQUEST FORM In This Section ATTENDANCE & PUNCTUALITY COMMUNICATION HOUSE SYSTEM PARENTS' EVENINGS SCHOOL DAY SCHOOL MEALS STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT STUDENT LEADERSHIP UNIFORM Rutlish School © 2021 RUTLISH SCHOOL WEBSITE DESIGN BY E4EDUCATION HIGH VISIBILITY VERSION | SITEMAP | PRIVACY POLICY | COOKIE SETTINGS Cookie Policy This site uses cookies to store information on your computer. Click here for more information Allow CookiesCookie Settings