Absence
Our attendance policy is designed to promote and safeguard the welfare of pupils. The School has a duty in law to report absences to the attendance improvement officer if we are concerned about a pupil’s absence or a pupil is absence for 10days or more
If your child is absent from school, please phone the school office by 9am on the first day of the absence. A call or text message will be sent to any parents who have not contacted the school by 9.30am
When your child returns to school, a covering letter or an email explaining the absence should be sent to the school office. Alternatively you can completed this from: Absence Notification Form
The School class room doors open at 8.50am and close for registration at 9am. If you child arrives after 9am they must enter the school via the school office and be signed in by their responsible adult - at this point they will be marked as late in our register.
Pupils arriving after 9.30am will be marked as late after the registers have closed and this will be classed as an unauthorised absence. The school understands that occasionally in the morning unexpected things happen and ask that if you know you are going to be very late please contact the school office.
The School is required to take the attendance register twice a day and mark the pupils as present (at school) or engaged in an approved educational activity offsite or absence, which can be classed as authorised or unauthorised.
Following a change to the 2006 regulations – the Statutory Instruments 2013 No.756: The Education (Pupil Registration) England (Amendment) Regulations 2013 – Head teachers are no longer able to grant requests for holidays to be taken by pupils during school time, unless in exceptional circumstances.
If you feel you have an ‘Exceptional' circumstance for requesting leave (this includes taking a recognised music or dance exam, participating in a recognised sporting event or to attend a wedding or funeral) then this should be sought in writing and in advance of the absence, using the Leave of Absence Request Form.
Permission for an absence can only be given by the Head teacher in line with the new HCC guidelines that came in to effect 1st September 2024.
Family holidays will not be classed as ‘exceptional circumstances’ and should not be taken during term time. Holidays taken without authorisation will be recorded as unauthorised absence. The school registers are monitored monthly and unauthorised absences reported to the our Local Authority Attendance Officer.
Borehamwood and Elstree Attendance Expectations