Attendance & Absence
Attendance matters. Encouraging your child to attend school every day is the of the most powerful ways you can support them in their education, and set them up for success both at school, and in life. Pupils who miss school frequently can fall behind with their work and do less well in exams, lose touch with their friends, and miss out on opportunities to fulfil their tremendous potential.
Kings’ reputation for academic excellence is down, in no small part, to the regular attendance of our pupils.
Pupils must not be absent from school unless they are ill. Casual or holiday absence is not granted, unless the reason for this is an exceptional circumstance which is determined at the discretion of the Headteacher.
At Kings’ School we have always stressed the importance of regular attendance and we have in place detailed monitoring systems involving Tutors, Heads of Year, a designated member of the senior team and Year Officers.
Legislation and Local Authority guidelines require all schools to thoroughly investigate any suspected cases of unauthorised absence and report the results of these investigations to the appropriate authorities.
Parental co-operation is therefore requested in restricting, as far as possible, dental, and medical appointments to out of school hours.
If your child is unavoidably absent
Please report your child’s absence each day with a reason for absence via the ClassCharts App. If this information is not received by 8.30am, you may receive an automated message regarding your child’s unexplained absence for the day.
If your child has a prolonged illness, please telephone the school to alert us and speak to your child’s Year Team, to explore the support available.
If you are unable to use the ClassCharts App (preferred option),
please email kings.school@kings-winchester.hants.sch.uk
(marked for the attention of your child’s Year Group).
What we will do to monitor and respond to attendance concerns
We will contact you during the year to inform you of your child’s attendance. If you wish to see this figure “live” please visit the attendance area on the ClassCharts App
If your child’s attendance falls below 95%, you may receive an initial concern letter from us, advising you that it has dropped below expectations. While 95% would be considered an exceptional exam result, it equates to 10 days of absence across an academic year.
If, following this letter, your child’s attendance continues to deteriorate, you may receive a further letter inviting you to attend a meeting with your child’s Year Office.
Occasionally, we may invite parents to attend meetings with us outside of this process and as part of our Attendance Intervention days.
Moreover, if your child’s attendance is below 90% and they are therefore, considered to be persistently absent, a member of the Year Office Team may book appointments to meet with you at Parent’s Evening.
If your child is persistently absent, absent without explanation or absent for a period of time longer than 3 school days, school staff may visit you at home, to locate and plan for your child’s return.
If your child has long term absence from school, school staff will make every effort to visit you and/or meet with you and child on Teams, at least once every two weeks.
If your child is absent from school for more than 5 school days, consecutive or sporadic, across any 10-week period, and this absence is unauthorised, it may be subject to a Penalty Notice or referral to the Legal Intervention Team.
Guidance and Support
In almost all cases, the Pastoral team are able to provide guidance, support and recommend strategies, that will enable your child to attend school more often.
Nationally, we know that anxiety levels have risen amongst children and recognise that we need to think creatively to rebuild their resilience, confidence and encourage their full attendance. We regularly refer to Hampshire County Council’s guidance on ‘Emotionally Based School Avoidance’ and encourage you to access the Parent and Pupil guide, if you feel this applies to you and your child.
If you have any queries or concerns relating to your child’s attendance or wellbeing, please don’t hesitate to contact their Head of Year, our Welfare Team or their Year Officer.
Pupils must not be absent from school unless they are ill – casual or holiday absence is not granted, unless the reason for this is considered to be an exceptional circumstance, at the discretion of the Headteacher. At Kings’ School we have always stressed the importance of regular attendance and detailed monitoring systems involving Tutors, Heads of Year and Year Officers.
Legislation and Local Authority guidelines, require all schools to thoroughly investigate any suspected cases of unauthorised absence and report the results of these investigations to the appropriate authorities.
- Co-operation is therefore requested in restricting, as far as possible, dental and medical appointments to out of school hours.
- Please contact the school on each day of your child’s absence with a reason for the absence. If this information is not received by 8.30am, you may receive an automated message, outlining your child’s unexplained absence for that day. If your child has a prolonged illness, please contact your child’s Year Office, to explore the support available.
ClassCharts App (preferred method)
Email kings.school@kings-winchester.hants.sch.uk (marked for the attention of your child’s Year Group)
Pupil Absence Changes – Request for Leave of Absence
Amendments to school attendance regulations were updated and enforced from 2013: (Pupil Registration) (England) regulations state that Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.
In making a request for an authorised absence from school, parents should submit the absence request document explaining why the circumstance is exceptional. If the absence is unauthorised and if the number of sessions meets the thresholds set down in Hampshire’s Code of Conduct, parent/carers will be issued with a fixed penalty, or other legal action may be considered.
The maximum number of penalty notices is two per child per parent, during a 12-month period. Further information can be found in the Hampshire County Council Code of Conduct.