We expect all of our children to attend school regularly – every day if possible. As a parent or carer, you have a legal requirement to ensure your child attends school on a regular basis. Therefore, you hold the responsibility to promote good attendance and punctuality. You can demonstrate your commitment to your child’s education by not allowing your child to miss school for anything other than an exceptional and unavoidable reason
We do understand there are times when children will need to be absent from school for a number of reasons. As a result, we will only consider authorising absences in the following instances:
- For sickness or ill health
- For medical or dental appointments which fall during school hours (we would however encourage you to make appointments outside of school hours)
- For religious or cultural observances
- For a family emergency
We ask all parents and carers to follow our absence procedure in order to grant authorised absence in the above cases. You are required to contact the school as soon as possible on the first day of absence. Any parent or carer who has not reported their child as absent will be contacted by the school by phone call, text message or email. Failure to follow this procedure may result in the child receiving an unauthorised absence and could lead to us informing our Education Welfare Officer, should their attendance fall below 92%.
Research suggests that children who are absent from school may never catch up on the learning they have missed, which may ultimately affect exam and test results. Please make sure your child is not absent for anything other than an exceptional and unavoidable reason.
To view our Attendance Policy, please click HERE.
Expected attendance is 96%+
Punctuality at Stobhillgate
Our ‘soft opening’ operates from 8:50 am. Doors do close promptly at 9:00am so lessons can begin. The school day ends at 3.15pm.
PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR CHILD BY BEING ON TIME AT THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF THE SCHOOL DAY
Being on time for school promotes:
- A settled start…calm and ready to learn
- Improved life chances
- Building lasting relationships
- Reaching their fullest potential
- Instilling great life skills
Lateness = Lost Learning
Did you know…
| Lateness
(Figures calculated over a school year) |
= Lost Learning |
| 5 minutes late each day | = 3 days lost |
| 10 minutes late each day | = 6.5 days lost |
| 15 minutes late each day | = 10 days lost |
| 20 minutes late each day | = 13 days lost |
| 30 minutes late each day | = 19 days lost |
Every School Day Counts
Absence = Lost Learning
| 365 days in a Year | 190 School Days in Total | Absence |
| 100% attendance | 190 days | 0 |
| 95% attendance | 180 days | 2 weeks |
| 90% attendance | 171 days | 4 weeks |
| 85% attendance | 161 days | 6 weeks |
| 80% attendance | 152 days | 8+ weeks |
| 75% attendance | 143 days | 9+ days |
Two weeks holiday during term time is over 50 lessons missed!
Your child’s education is very important. Regular school attendance helps pupils fulfil their potential and gives them a better chance for the future. Every day absent from school is an opportunity missed.
Who can help if you are having difficulties getting your child to school on time every day?
You can contact:
Mr Henderson – Headteacher
Mrs MacAndrews – Deputy Headteacher
Annette Taylor – Education Welfare Officer (01670 623679)
Leave of Absence during term time
Leave of Absence can only be authorised in exceptional circumstances, which does NOT include family holidays. Difficulties associated with parents’ or carers’ employment cannot be taken into account. We will consider issues related to terminal illness/bereavement, and very occasional, irregular, short absences (one, or very exceptionally two days) to help accommodate special family occasions. In any event, regulations do not allow absences to be approved after the event.
Regulations place this entirely at the discretion of the Headteacher. If the Headteacher limits, or does not authorise Leave of Absence, but the child is still taken out of school or kept away for longer than was first agreed, the absence is unauthorised.
Schools are held accountable for the levels of attendance achieved by their pupils: we have no choice but to follow the rules.
A Leave of Absence form can be obtained by clicking here.
