Attendance Expectations
- Every student at Holcombe Grammar School should strive for 100% attendance.
- The Local Authority and the Thinking Schools Trust both have an attendance target of 96% and parents will be contacted if attendance drops below 96%.
- Medical and dental appointments, unless an emergency or with a consultant, should be made for after school or during the school holidays. Medical letters/appointment cards must be provided to authorise these absences. (Students attend school for 190 days of the year, leaving 175 days for appointments and holidays)
- Holidays during term time will not be authorised. If there are special circumstances, please apply in writing to the Head of School.
- Where possible, time off school must be applied for, in writing, prior to the absence.
- Absences will not be authorised if: you have overslept or had a late night, problems with uniform, birthdays, forgotten school dates, going shopping, etc.
- The first and last day of term is a normal working school day and so students are expected to attend. Having these days off equates to 12 days absence per year.
- If your child is required to take medication, we may be able to accommodate this in school. Please contact The Holcombe Office.
- If your child sustains an injury (ie broken bone), we may be able to accommodate them in school. Please contact Student Services to arrange.
100% Attendance | 0 days missed | Excellent |
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96% Attendance | 8 days of absence 1 week and 3 days of learning missed | Good |
95% Attendance | 9 days of absence 1 week and 4 days of learning missed | Satisfactory |
90% Attendance | 19 days of absence 3 weeks and 4 days of learning missed | Poor |
85% Attendance | 28 days of absence 5 weeks and 3 days of learning missed | Very poor |
80% Attendance | 38 days of absence 7 weeks and 3 days of learning missed | Unacceptable |
75% Attendance | 46 days of absence 9 weeks and 1 day of learning missed | Unacceptable |
The Law
The 1996 Education Act clearly states “If any child of compulsory age, who is a registered pupil at a school, fails to attend regularly, the parent/carer of the child shall be guilty of an offence.”
Punctuality
- Students should arrive and join line up by 8:30am. Arriving after 8:30am means that a late mark will be recorded on your child’s attendance and they must attend a late detention.
- Being late to school means your child misses out on important information given in the morning.
- Lateness will result in contact from the Academy.
Minutes late per day during the school year | Equals days worth of teaching lost in a year |
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5 Minutes | 3.4 Days |
10 Minutes | 6.9 Days |
15 Minutes | 10.3 Days |
20 Minutes | 13.8 Days |
30 Minutes | 20.7 Days |
The Law
The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 also introduced the use of fixed penalty notices as an additional sanction to address the problem of poor punctuality. Failure to ensure your child’s prompt arrival at school may result in prosecution in the courts or a fixed penalty notice being issued.