Attendance & Absences
Attendance is one of the most significant factors in ensuring academic success. Attendance is strongly correlated with achievement – both national and our academy outcomes.
Students who attend less than 90% of the time (persistent absentees) are almost guaranteed to underperform in their courses. In contrast, students who attend at least 97% of the time are much more likely to achieve – and in many cases exceed – their target grades. For this reason, ensuring good student attendance is a top priority.
Illness and absence - when to attend
We understand that students may occasionally be unwell. As a general guide:
- Students should still attend with minor illnesses such as a cold, mild headache, sore throat, or tiredness.
- Students should remain at home if they have vomiting or diarrhoea, a high temperature, or a contagious illness.
If a student becomes unwell while at Sixth Form, we will contact you to seek consent before sending them home.
Notifying us of an absence
In the case of genuine illness, parents or carers must call Reception to notify us of any absence. Please speak to Ms Johnson or Ms Topalli on 0204 542 4900.
Absences must be reported by 8:30am on each day of absence and we will not accept emails or phone calls from students. Failure to notify us may result in the absence being recorded as unauthorised.
Request for leave of absence
The academy is unable to authorise requests for absences, including holidays or trips abroad during term time. This is in line with the Department of Education Guidance ‘Working together to improve school attendance’.
Medical appointments, including GP, dentist and orthodontist appointments should be booked outside of the school day.
If there are emergency or exceptional circumstances in which a parent wishes to request a leave of absence, they should download and complete the absence request form, attach supporting evidence, and return it to Ms Penders, at least 10 working days in advance. Absences requested after this time will not be granted.
Punctuality
Year 12 students are expected to arrive at school at 8:30am each day. On Monday, Year 12 students are permitted to arrive at 10:45am unless they are resitting their Maths and/or English GCSE or are studying the EPQ or Geography A Level.
Year 13 students must arrive by either 8:30am or 10:45am each day, dependent on their timetable.
Students who arrive late will be sanctioned with a detention. The length of the detention will be dependent on the number of minutes they have been late during that week to ensure that every minute of lost learning due to lateness is recovered.
Intervention and support
If a student’s absence begins to show concerning patterns or trends, the academy will intervene and offer support to both students and parents. If concerns remain unresolved, we may refer the case to other professionals and, where necessary, to the Local Authority.
A shared commitment
As outlined in the Department of Education’s Working together to improve school attendance (2024), it is the parent’s legal responsibility to ensure that their child is in education. Unless exceptional circumstances exist, you must ensure your child attends sixth form every day during the school term. Failure to do so may require the need for legal intervention or referrals to Children’s Social Care due to suspected educational neglect.
Together, we can ensure your child maintains excellent attendance, achieves their potential, and is fully prepared for their next steps in life.
Further details of our Attendance and Punctuality policy, and other Student Welfare policies, please click on the link below.