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Absence Reporting & Attendance
Student Absence Reporting
In the event of student absence parents should contact the main school number: 01923 773881 to leave a message.
Absence Reporting and Communications with parents/guardians
Each day, at around 10.30am, a message will be sent out to parents with students who were not present at registration and a reason is not known for their absence.
A reply can be sent back to the school via text or email, which will be passed to the attendance team who will update the school registers. In the event that a student should be in school, please contact 01923 773881, to let us know this should be the case. Note: parents with students who are late may be contacted, if their record has not been updated by 9.45am.
Changes to any of your details including your email addresses or mobile telephone number can be communicated via an email to mis@joa.herts.sch.uk or by contacting school reception.
Known/Preplanned Absence (Medical Appointments, College Appointments, etc)
A note detailing the known absence should be sent to the school via their class tutor. Please mark the note for the attention of the MIS Office.
As an alternative to the note to MIS you can leave a message in advance on the school absence line 01923 773881 - press option 1, follow prompts and leave a message
Please note Students must be provided with a signed note on the day of absence, as they will be requested to show this at the point of leaving school.
Attendance
Attendance continues to be a high priority at St Joan's. We know that there is a clear correlation between high academic performance and high attendance.
We do not expect parents to request to take their children out of school for reasons other than essential and unavoidable events because we know that this will disrupt their learning and have an impact on attainment.
If your child is absent please call 01923 773881 to notify the school as soon as possible.
Requests for Exceptional leave of absence
REQUESTS FOR STUDENT EXCEPTIONAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE
DURING TERM TIME
Changes made to legislation in September 2013 make clear that Headteachers may not
grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Headteachers no longer have the discretion to allow up to 10 days in a school year for a
family holiday or to agree to extended leave for parents to visit their country of origin.
If there are exceptional circumstances behind a request, please state these reasons when completing the exceptional leave of absence. Once complete the form should be returned to school for the attention of the Headteacher. Requests for exceptional leave should be sent to the school with as much notice as possible, at least 2 weeks in advance.
If your child is absent from school because of a holiday which has not been agreed, this will be classified as an unauthorised absence and you may be fined or legal action taken against
you.
As a school we have always had high expectations regarding attendance and punctuality.
Over the course of a year, we would expect whole school attendance and individual
attendance to be at least 96%. The Department for Education considers anything less than 90% as persistent absence. In order to achieve such high levels of attendance it is important
that parents:
- prioritise education in school;
- discuss concerns they may have about a student who is reluctant to be in school;
- avoid arranging dental and medical appointments during the school day;
- accept that it is not appropriate to use term time for holidays and family gatherings.
If you do need to request leave of absence for exceptional circumstances you must
complete the leave of absence request form. However, do not assume the request
will be granted.
We urge all parents to be mindful of the impact absences have on their child’s learning. The table below shows what portion of Year 11 students achieve a minimum of 5 GCSEs graded 9-4 if their attendance falls into a particular range.
| Attendance | Number of students achieving 5 GCSEs with grades 9-4 |
|---|---|
| 93-94% | 54.9% |
| 92-93% | 40.65% |
| 90-92% | 33% |
| 90% attendance over 2 years = 1/2 a term of missed education |
We are sure that you will want the best education for your child. By taking family holidays
during the designated holiday periods, you will be supporting your child’s full school
attendance, learning and development.