Attendance
Committed to full attendance
ABSENCE DUE TO ILLNESS: Please use the button below to access our online form to report absence due to illness.
Please complete the form before 8.30am for every day of absence, providing details of the illness. Follow the NHS link Is my child too ill for school? for advice and guidance.
FOR ANY OTHER ABSENCE: Please email attendance@sawstonvc.org.
Please ensure that routine medical and dental appointments are made outside of school hours where possible. It is accepted that orthodontist and hospital appointments are less flexible. Please ensure that the College is notified of any appointments in advance with details about the appointment: time of appointment, location, time of collection before/drop-off after the appointment along with the copy of the appointment letter/confirmation. A whole day’s absence for a medical appointment will not be authorised. Your child may be expected to attend College prior to the appointment and/or return afterwards depending on the time and location of the appointment.
Term Time Leave of Absence Requests: Please use the button below to complete our online form to make a term time leave of absence (including holiday) request.
Please read the Attendance Policy before submitting this form. The Education Regulations were amended in September 2013 which made it clear that Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless exceptional circumstances exist – this includes for the purpose of a family holiday.
As a guide, the College will not authorise absence for the following reasons:
- To care for other family members
- Birthdays
- To interpret for other family members
- Where a child has no school uniform/shoes
- Bullying
- Friendship issues
- Head lice
- Learning difficulties
- Family holidays
- Weddings abroad – regardless of whether it is for immediate family members
- Family anniversaries
- Death of a pet
- Travel problems
- School refusal
The College is likely to grant a leave for exceptional circumstances for the following reasons:
- When a family needs to spend time together due to the bereavement of an immediate family member, crisis or serious illness
- Funeral of an immediate family member
- Religious observance
- Transport not provided by the Local Authority when it should have been
- Children of service personnel about to go on deployment (permission would be considered as long as the request is accompanied by a letter from the Commanding Officer)
- One day of absence could be authorised for a wedding of an immediate family member if the invitation has been provided as evidence
- One-off sporting event/performance arts competition, if the child is participating at County standard or above, and a letter has been provided from the performing arts/sports regional governing body as evidence, along with their safeguarding policy
- One day of absence could be authorised for an immediate family member’s graduation ceremony/passing out parade
Attendance Information
Our aim is for every pupil to achieve over 95% attendance and have good punctuality. We are committed to working in partnership with parents/carers to support pupils to attend school on time every day, and to resolve any difficulties to improve attendance levels for our pupils.
We expect all absence to be reported to the College attendance office by 8.30 am every day that a child is absent. On the third day of absence, we may request more information about when a pupil is expected to return and whether medical advice has been sought. Where issues start to arise, please contact your child’s mentor in the first instance. If absence continues beyond three days, then Year Leads working with the Attendance Officer may request additional medical evidence.
If you are struggling to get your child into College, please do let us know so that we can look to support you in addressing this. Additional support may be available from Nessie who provide free support to families in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
Poor attendance and punctuality lead to gaps in learning, missed preparation for assessments and a lack of continuity, ultimately resulting in underachievement and reduced life chances. 90% attendance, equivalent to around 7 missed days of school a year, is likely to result in a drop of 1 grade at GCSE. Over a pupil’s school career, 90% attendance is half a school year of learning missed. Absence at 90% or below is classed as persistent absence.
Good Attendance Means
Good Punctuality Means
