All Hallows Catholic College is committed to encouraging all students to have excellent attendance and punctuality.  We recognise that any absence from school is detrimental. It is the legal responsibility of parents and carers to ensure good attendance and punctuality and to inform the College of any reasons for any absences. We understand that there are genuine reasons for absence, but as a College, we have a duty to monitor attendance and work with families to achieve the best possible attendance for each child and young person.

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All Hallows Catholic College Will

• Investigate all unexplained absence

• Contact parents on the first day of absence (if parents/carers have not contacted College first). This will usually be done via a text message. Such contact will be logged for future reference

• Work closely with parents/carers (and external agencies if needed) should attendance or punctuality give cause for concern

• Recognise and reward high attendance (and significant improvement over time)

• Inform the Local Authority of any students failing to attend regularly (students who have patterns of unauthorised absence without amassing 10 days of continuous absence)

• Inform the Local Authority of any student who has a continuous period of 10 or more days unauthorised absence

• Not authorise holidays in term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Parents / Carers should be aware that applications for “special circumstance leave of absence” that are refused may result in a Penalty Notice being issued for 5 or more days of absence. Applications must be made in writing well in advance of the absence. Applications should be made to the Attendance Officer, in letter or email to attendance@allhallows.org.uk. Where no application or communication with school is made, the leave absence will be marked unauthorised and may result in a Penalty Notice being issued.

 

Students Will

• Ensure that they attend College regularly and on time

• Not leave College without permission

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Parents/carers will

• Be encouraged to contact College if they have any concerns about their child’s attendance and punctuality

• Provide an explanation first thing in the morning if a student is absent on the first day the absence occurs and each subsequent day. This may be by letter, telephone, email, text, personally at the College office or by appointment

• Provide medical evidence to support absence if requested

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Lateness​

• Morning registration is at 8.55am but students are expected to be in College for 8.50am.  Students are expected to be in registration on time or they will gain a L code (late mark)

• Morning registration finishes at 9.15am and students arriving late after this time must sign in at the attendance office. The register closes at 9.30am each day.  Lateness after 9.30am is unauthorised and coded as a ‘U’ (counts as absent for half day)

• Being late to subsequent lessons throughout the day will be monitored and sanctioned by class teachers

• Students who are late to school twice in a 5 day period, will be issued a lunch time detention on the day of their second late mark. If a student is late after the register has closed at 9.15am, students will receive a lunch time detention on the same day

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Appointments​

Medical appointments should be taken out of college hours where possible and appointments out of the country should be arranged for college holidays. Where appointments are unavoidable during the day, students should attend before and after the appointment. Appointments rarely last more than one hour and therefore students should be back in school after the appointment to avoid any further loss of learning. Families should show the appointment card/ letter or text to the college in order for their child to leave at a particular time. This can be sent as an email to attendance@allhallows.org.uk. Students must sign out at the student Office (found next to the RE corridor) and sign back in on their return. The loss of a single day will reduce your child’s attendance in any single week by 20%.

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For more information please see our attendance policy located on our documents & policy page.