Attendance
At Shipston High School we believe that students who achieve a high level of attendance and punctuality will benefit the most from their secondary school years. Our aim is to protect learning and challenge absence, where appropriate, to ensure our students’ social and emotional development, educational outcomes and academic success.
We expect all students to attend school every day possible to support the whole school attendance national target of 97%.
Absence
A student who will be absent from school must be reported by a parent/carer by 8.00am latest, each morning of their absence, to support school safeguarding routines.
Please notify the school of a student’s absence using the Studybugs app link on the school website, or by leaving a message on our absence line 01608 661833,
Please provide the following information;
- Student name and year group
- Reason for their absence
- Expected return time/date
Should we not hear from a parent/carer regarding an absence, we will make contact via email as soon as possible.
For longer term absence, please discuss with our Attendance Officer on 01608 661833
Attending a medical or dental appointment may be counted as authorised as long as the pupil’s parent/carer notifies the school in advance of the appointment. However, we encourage parents/carers to make medical and dental appointments out of school hours where possible. Where this is not possible, the pupil should be out of school for the minimum amount of time necessary.
The pupil’s parent/carer must also apply for other types of term-time absence as far in advance as possible of the requested absence.
We work closely with parents and students to try and maintain a positive approach to school attendance. If your child is feeling slightly under the weather, please give them medication and send them into school rather than allowing them to stay at home. If your child has sickness or diarrhoea, or has tested positive for covid, please follow the NHS guidance for the required time to keep them off school. For sickness and diarrhoea please keep your child off school for a 48 hour period following their last episode of ill health.Â
Persistant Absence Definition
A student is deemed as being persistently absent from school by the DofE if their attendance drops below 90%. We work closely with Warwickshire County Council, and their attendance service (W.A.S), with the aim of resolving attendance issues that can lead to repeated absence .Reducing persistent and severe absence is central to the school’s strategy for improving attendance. Our supportive attendance procedures are categorised into 6 stages:
- Expect
- Monitor
- Listen and Understand
- Facilitate
- Formalise
- Enforce
For more information, please see the table below.
| Stage 1 – EXPECT  |
| Tutors to have high expectations of attendance. |
| Aim for 97% but understand each student’s circumstance may be different. |
| Tutors to promote excellent attendance and supportive strategies to help maintain/improve attendance. |
| Tutors to put in supportive measures upon students return from absence e.g. helping them to collate work they have missed, extend homework deadlines, etc. |
| Stage 2 – MONITOR  |
| Head of Academic Standards to send % attendance to tutors weekly. |
| HoASÂ monitor tracking sheet for students who have shown an increase in the number of days absent (amber/red) and improving attendance. |
| HoASÂ highlights priority students to tutors in weekly briefing. |
| Tutors to check in with tutees following a period of absence. |
| Tutors to carry out wellbeing check-ins/phone calls during longer periods of absence (3 or more days). |
| Head of Academic Standards to support when necessary |
| Stage 3 – LISTEN AND UNDERSTAND  |
| Attendance Officer (AO) to send letter 1 to students who have been absent for 5 days in total. |
| Letter 1 = Active tutor monitoring |
| Parents/carers directed to tutors to discuss further reasons for absence. |
| Tutors to carry out wellbeing check-ins/phone calls during longer periods of absence (3 or more days). |
| Tutors to put in supportive measures upon students return from absence e.g. helping them to collate work they have missed, extend homework deadlines, etc. |
| If absent for 5 days consecutively, home visit to be arranged for day 6 – Safeguarding team to support as DDSL. |
| Stage 4 – FACILITATE SUPPORT |
| AO to send letter 2 when student is absent on 5 separate occasions and/or 8 days in total (dependent on student’s circumstance). |
| HoASÂ to arrange a meeting in person/over the phone to explore barriers and discuss the situation. |
| Attendance report (tutor time, lessons, assembly) to be issued and monitored by tutor and overseen by HoAS. |
| AO to review progress after 2 weeks |
| Explore internal and external support – mentoring, extracurricular, buddy, Early Support, GP/nurse, CAMHS |
| Praise from tutor when improvements are seen in attendance % – phone call, Edulink, in person |
| Home visit to be carried out every 5 days as a safeguarding measure – Safeguarding team to support as DDSL
In cases of EBSA seek further support from SENDCO |
| Stage 5 FORMALISE SUPPORT  |
| AO send letter 3 if student has 2 days off during 4-week period (dependent on student’s circumstance) |
| HoAS and AO arrange in person meeting (AO to go through formalities, HoAS to take lead on supportive measures). |
| Attendance contract drawn up in meeting. |
| Review attendance weekly – AO/HoAS |
| Tutor to promote good attendance and support as directed by HoAS |
| HoASÂ update actions on tracking sheet |
| Tutor/HoAS praise improved attendance – letter template |
| Parent/carer informed of possible WAS intervention |
| Copy of attendance contract sent to parent/carer and form tutor |
| Absence may no longer be authorised without sufficient evidence |
| Tutors to carry out wellbeing check-ins/phone calls
Home visit to be carried out every 5 days as a safeguarding measure – Safeguarding team to support as DDSL In cases of EBSA seek further support from SENDCO
|
| Stage 6 ENFORCE |
| Letter 4 sent by AO after further decline/attendance contract not adhered to. |
| AO arranges meeting with parent/care and AHT |
| Possible WASÂ involvement |
| AO/AHTÂ update actions on tracking sheet |
| Absence may no longer be authorised without sufficient evidence |
| Home visit to be carried out every 5 days as a safeguarding measure – Safeguarding team to support as DDSL |
The Department for Education’s findings show that even a few days of missed school can significantly affect a child’s education. For instance, students who attend school nearly every day are 30% more likely to reach expected standards in their assessments compared to those with slightly lower attendance. Research indicates that students in Year 11 with attendance rates above 95% have nearly double the odds of achieving a grade 5 in English and Maths compared to those who miss between 5% and 10% of lessons. Missing just ten days of school can halve the likelihood of achieving these grades. The relationship between attendance and academic success is not just about grades; it also encompasses future opportunities and overall life outcomes. Students with lower attendance rates are at a disadvantage not only in exams but also in their future educational and career prospects.
Leave of Absence Request
If you wish to take your child out of school during term time you must complete a leave of absence form. Only exceptional circumstances warrant an authorised leave of absence. Parents/carers are required to make a request well in advance of the absence date.
All requests will be considered on an individual basis, taking into account the circumstances of the request and the child’s attendance to date.
Please note:
- The Head Teacher cannot grant leave of absence during term time for a holiday.
- The leave of absence form must be completed before any arrangements are confirmed or financial commitment made.
- A separate leave of absence form must be completed for each child
- If you wish to take your child out of school during term time, please contact the school to discuss and make arrangements to minimise the disruption to your child’s education
- If the exceptional circumstances are agreed, the Head Teacher will agree the length of absence authorised.
- Please return leave of absence request forms in person to the school office or via email to info@shipstonhigh.co.uk
Links to support attendance
Resources for families | Children’s Commissioner for England
Children’s mental health – Every Mind Matters – NHS
School attendance guidance for parents/carers: Introduction – Warwickshire County Council
Early Support in Warwickshire: What is Early Support? – Warwickshire County Council
Free online courses to help parents feel more confident – Warwickshire County Council
Children and families – Warwickshire County Council
Warwickshire Youth Service – Warwickshire County Council
Mental health and wellbeing – Warwickshire County Council
