Attendance

Attendance Matters

Report an absence by emailing  or call 01487 812352 option 1. 

Every Day Counts!

Abbey College, Ramsey is proudly recognised as an Inclusive Attendance school. Our unwavering commitment to attendance centres around child-centric actions, evidence-informed practices, and a shared understanding of everyone's roles and collective responsibilities to promote exceptional attendance.

As a school, we want students to attend school every day. We realise that for a student to reach their full educational potential, a high level of school attendance is essential. We aim to work with parents/carers to ensure that all students registered at school attend every day and on time, unless the absence is unavoidable.

We expect that all students will achieve at least 97% attendance (a maximum of 6 days absence per year) but recognise that there may be exceptional or unavoidable reasons for absence, or absences relating to persistent health issues.

The school’s Attendance Team:

Reporting a Student Absence

Parents/carers must contact school on the first and every subsequent day of absence by 8.30am.

For any student not present at the close of registration, and the reason is still unknown, a member of staff will attempt to make contact with the parent/carers once the registers have closed at 9.20am.

The member of staff will use the school system to contact the priority contact. Messages will be sent requesting parents to contact school regarding their student’s absence. Outcomes of any phone conversations will be logged on the student’s electronic school record. Staff will complete the registers in accordance with the correct use of registration codes (see appendix 1).

Any unexplained absence will be recorded as unauthorised absence if there is no response from a parent/carer to an enquiry regarding their student’s absence from school.

At times we may decide it is necessary to conduct a door knock to establish the safety and wellbeing of a student who is absent without explanation from a parent/carer.

For absences relating to a medical appointment, supporting information may be requested to authorise this absence. This can be a text message which clearly identifies who the appointment is for, or an appointment card. A period of absence will only be authorised in relation to the length of the appointment.

Illness

Students who are unable to attend school due to diarrhoea or sickness can return as soon as they are well enough to do so.

Students with mild coughs, colds, sore throats, sneezes and runny noses who are otherwise well can continue to attend school. However, if they develop a high temperature they should stay at home until their temperature has reduced and they are well enough to return to school. A guide to whether your child is able to attend school with minor illnesses is here: Is my child too ill for school? - NHS (www.nhs.uk). The information is backed up by the Department for Education (DfE). We expect students to attempt to come to school unless they are too unwell to complete basic tasks. We will contact you if they need to return home.

Registration

• The school gates are open from 8.20am.
• After 8.40am, entry to the school is via the school reception.
• Registers are open at 8.50 am and close at 9.20 am. Students who arrive at school after the register has been taken, but before it is closed, will be recorded as ‘L’ - late on the register.

• Students who arrive at school after registers close at 9.20 am, without an unavoidable reason, will have their lateness recorded as ‘U’ - unauthorised late which then impacts on their overall attendance level.
• Students must sign in and out with school reception if they arrive or leave school outside of the normal times.
• Form tutors will praise students for arriving on time, take prompt action where students are late or absent without explanation, record lateness and refer concerns to the Raising Standards Lead.

It is a legal requirement that a register of attendance is taken during the morning and afternoon at school. Any unexplained absence must be coded as unauthorised until a reason is given by parents/carers. This must be no later than 5 days after the session. Only the Headteacher may authorise or unauthorise an absence. The register can only routinely be amended where the reason for absence cannot be established at the time it is taken and it is subsequently necessary to correct the entry. Where amendments are made, the register will show the original entry, the amended entry, the reason for the amendment, the date on which the amendment was made, and the name of the person who made the amendment. Registers are kept for six years as a record.

A Multi-Tiered System of Support

To guarantee a comprehensive approach to attendance, Abbey College, Ramsey implement a Multi-Tiered System of Support. A Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) for school attendance involves three tiers of intervention, with roles for teachers, the school, children, parents, and external agencies – including the Local Authority. Data-driven decision-making and training requirements are pivotal to the implementation of this system. The system aligns with the Department for Education's (DFE) "Working Together to Improve School Attendance" statutory paper 2024.

Tier 1 - Universal Approach: Establishing a baseline universal attendance approach that benefits all children.

Tier 2 – Internal individualised Strategies and Early Help Support: Tailoring strategies to individual needs and providing early help support for persistent attendance challenges.

Tier 3 - Higher Needs Strategies Support: Furnishing specialised support for children, young people, and families with complex attendance requirements, including access to external agency support when necessary.

Authorised leave

An absence is classified as authorised when a student has been away from school for a legitimate reason such as:

• Illness or a medical appointment. There is an expectation that the student will be in school for registration or return to school after the appointment, depending on where the appointment falls within the school day and the health of the student.
• Religious Observance - only day(s) exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which the student’s parents belong to.
• The leave of absence has been authorised due to a short and exceptional, unavoidable circumstance.

Unauthorised leave:

An absence is classified as unauthorised when a student is away from school without the permission of the school, even with the support of the parent/carer, such as:

• Shopping, hair appointments, visiting family, taking part in a protest or birthdays.
• There has been no reason provided by the parent/carer to support an absence.
• Failure to follow school procedures or inform the school when taking a student out of school during term time.
• A leave of absence that has not been authorised due to not being considered an exceptional circumstance.

Coding is always at the Headteacher’s discretion.

Term-Time Leave

Parents do not have the right or entitlement to take their student out of school for a term-time holiday. Recent government guidelines have removed the discretion for headteachers agreeing to term-time leave. Any requests for leave of absence need to be submitted before the leave is taken. Parents must complete a Term-Time Leave Request Form and provide any supporting evidence, if applicable, with their request. This also applies to parents requesting to take their student out of school during the school day.

If the school suspect term-time leave has been taken but the parents/carers have not requested the Term-Time Leave in advance, we will write to the parents/carers giving them an opportunity to clarify the reason for absence and provide supporting evidence. Failure to respond to or provide supporting evidence will result in a referral to the Local Authority for unauthorised leave from school.

Exceptional circumstances (definition of exceptional: rare, unavoidable, short) will be considered on an individual basis. Examples of requests for leave of absence that do not meet the criteria of an exceptional circumstance and will not be authorised and could be subject to a Penalty Notice fine/prosecution for students of statutory school age are:

• Cheaper holidays/flights in the UK or abroad.
• Holidays that overlap the beginning or the end of term.
• Trip of a lifetime.
• Visiting family or friends who have different half term holiday dates.
• Family weddings for more than 1 day or visits to see family abroad.
• Relatives coming to visit.
• Extension of leave if a student has not returned to school after an agreed absence if it does not meet grounds for an exceptional circumstance.
• Leave taken due to potential travel disruption.
• Leave taken to try and relieve travel distress for family members with additional needs.

Absence Due to Sporting Activities

Attendance at sporting events as a spectator or supporter will not be authorised. Training camps should be organised for during the school holidays. Absence to attend competitions will be assessed on an individual basis and information from the sport’s national governing body will be requested to assist with the school’s decision-making process.

Penalty Notices

If a student takes unauthorised term-time leave for 10 consecutive sessions or more (generally 5 days) they will be subject to a Penalty Notice. The fine for a penalty notice is £80 per student, per parent/carer, increasing to £160 if not paid after 21 days but within 28 days for students who are of statutory school age. If a penalty notice remains unpaid, parents may be the subject of court proceedings for failing to ensure the regular school attendance of their student and this could result in a fine of up to £2,500 and/or a term of imprisonment of up to 3 months per parent.

For second offences of unauthorised term-time leave (10 consecutive sessions or more) within a three-year rolling period, the fine is a flat £160 per parent, per student. For the third offence in a three-year rolling period, the referral will be automatically considered for prosecution in relation to Section 444 Education Act 1996.

Children Missing in Education

If a student fails to attend school for 10 consecutive days, without explanation, and the school does not know where the student is, the school will refer the student to the Local Authority as a Child Missing in Education. After a further 10 days of absence with no explanation, your child is at risk of losing their school place with us. During this 20-day period, school will continue to try and contact you, and will liaise with any other services that your child is open to. The Local Authority will conduct investigations into the location and educational provision of the child.

Safeguarding Children and Attendance

The school has a duty to safeguard the welfare of all students. Any concerns about a child's attendance will be investigated promptly to ensure their well-being.

Unexplained or extended absences will trigger safeguarding procedures, including home visits and communication with relevant agencies.

We follow Keeping Children Safe In Education guidance to ensure safe practices.

The Importance of School Attendance

School attendance is not merely a requirement but a fundamental pillar of education. It plays a pivotal role in shaping academic success, personal growth, and future prospects, making it an indispensable aspect of any educational system.  Regular attendance to school can have a significant impact on: 

• Academic Achievement: Regular attendance directly correlates with academic success. Children who attend school consistently are more likely to keep up with the curriculum, perform better in exams, and improve their life outcomes.
• Knowledge Acquisition: School is where children acquire knowledge and skills that are crucial for their personal and professional growth. Missing days means missing out on valuable learning opportunities.
• Social Development: School provides a vital social environment for children and adolescents to interact with peers, develop friendships, and learn essential social skills. Consistent attendance ensures children remain connected to their peer group.
• Building Routine: School attendance establishes a structured routine in children’s lives, teaching them time management and responsibility, which are valuable life skills.
• Teacher Interaction: Regular attendance allows for meaningful teacher-child interactions. Teachers can provide personalised support, address questions, and assess individual progress more effectively when children attend regularly.
• Preventing Knowledge Gaps: Frequent absences can lead to significant knowledge gaps, making it challenging for children to catch up with missed lessons, potentially resulting in long-term academic struggles.
• School Engagement: Children who attend school regularly are more likely to engage in extracurricular activities, sports, and other enriching experiences that contribute to their overall development.
• Legal and Parental Responsibility: Parents or guardians are legally responsible for ensuring their child's regular school attendance. Failing to do so can lead to legal consequences.

You can see your child’s attendance by checking MCAS (see more here)

Further information can be found here.