Every Second Counts: Attendance and Punctuality
The link between Attendance and Success; being in school each day, every day
Evidence based research strongly links student attendance and student progress. Students with no absences are over two times as likely to achieve 5+ GCSE grades 9-5. When a child is absent from school, whether their absence is authorised or not, they will fall behind with work. This can lead to gaps in their understanding, Knowledge and Skills and can have an impact upon their Attitude and Learning Habits.
We believe that every second a child is in school contributes to giving them the very best possible chances of success in all areas of school life.
How can I report an absence to school?
When your child is absent from school it is imperative that their absence is reported to school in a timely manner.
There are now only TWO ways to report a student absence to school; via email (attendance@christletonhigh.co.uk) or via telephone and leave a voicemail by selecting option 5.
- Absences must be reported by 8:30am on EACH day of absence and a reason must be given as to why your child is not able to attend school. Where possible, hospital, medical or dentist/orthodontist appointments should be made outside of school hours or during the start or end of the school day to minimise impact on lost learning.
- When your child returns to school they should catch up on any missed work, speaking to subject staff where needed. Additionally, your child’s Form Tutor will check in with your child in an informal Return to Learn supportive conversation once they return to school.
To support your child, you can:
- Ensure your child attends school every day and on time (on site by 8:30am, registration at 8:35am).
- Follow COVID guidelines regarding COVID related symptoms, isolations and absence.
- In all other cases, only keep your child at home if they are genuinely too ill to come into school. Where possible students should try their best to come into school.
- If your child is not well enough to attend, contact the school on each day of absence.
- Take family holidays during the school holidays - Holidays in term time will not be authorised.
- Attend parents’ evenings and school events so you can support your child at home.
- Talk to your child about school and take an interest in the work that they are doing. If you want to speak to someone about your child’s attendance, please contact their Form Tutor or the School Attendance Officer. If you are struggling to get your child to school, please let us know and we can try to help.
Punctuality
Being in every lesson, all day, every day
We expect all students to attend all lessons, all day, every day. Therefore, we ask that medical or dental appointments are, where possible, made for after school hours, or at the very end or the very start of the school day. This minimises the time lost in school. For students to leave school during the day for any appointment, the school should be notified in advance. As with any time missed from school, all missed work will need to be caught up by the student. Your child should speak to their subject teacher for support if needed.
Being on time to every lesson, ready to learn
We expect all students to be punctual to avoid missing vital time in lessons. Students should be on time to all lessons, including registration, every day. All students should be on site by 8:30am. Registration begins at 8:35am.
Please try to establish a routine at home that supports your child in being on site for 8:30am. If you know that your child is going to be late, you should report this to school via email or use the absence telephone line to alert school.
Punctuality will be celebrated by Form Tutors and staff and is frequently enquired about by future employers. If late marks are incurred either to registration or to subject lessons, the school’s behavior policy will be followed when issuing a sanction. If you are struggling to get your child into school on time, please let us know and we will try to help. Speak to your child’s Form Tutor in the first instance.
Downloads
| Title | |
| Absence Requests | Download |
| ESC: Attendance Strategy | Download |