Absence and Attendance

Registration is completed electronically using the Schools Information Management System (SIMS).  At 8.30am every student is either marked present or marked absent.  Afternoon registration takes place at the start of Period 5 and is completed by the subject teacher.

Parents are asked to contact the school before 08.15am on each day of absence.

Please use the Edulink app to report an absence.  Alternatively, leave a message on the school absence line 01252 615065 or email adminoffice@court-moor.hants.sch.uk.

The school has in place a system of first-day calling.  If a student is absent without explanation, parents will be telephoned by the attendance officer to establish a reason for the absence.  This will identify at an early stage those students who do not have a legitimate reason for absence or who may be absent without their parents’ knowledge.  If the attendance officer is satisfied that the absence is legitimate and the reason is adequate, the absence will be marked in the register as authorised.  If the school does not receive a satisfactory explanation for the absence, the matter is referred to the Head of Year (HoY) or the Pastoral Support Coordinator (PSC) for the relevant year group.  The absence will then be investigated and, where no satisfactory explanation is obtained, it will be recorded as unauthorised.

In the case of extended periods of absence or short but frequent absences due to ill health, the school may request that parents supply supporting medical evidence in order to verify those absences.  Such evidence may be in the form of a GP surgery stamp on a compliments slip or screenshot of a text message confirmation.  Where appropriate, the school may also seek parental consent in order to refer the student concerned to the School Nursing Team at Hampshire County Council.

When a student is legitimately absent from school for a long period, the HoY/PSC will arrange with the student's subject teachers for appropriate work to be set. Work will not normally be provided for students who are going on holiday during term-time."

If the student arrives after the register has been marked, but between 8.30am and 8.45am, they will be marked as late.

When a student arrives later then 8.45am, s/he must sign in at reception, stating the time of his/her arrival and a reason for arriving late.  

Arrivals after 9.00am will be recorded as an unauthorised absence (for the morning session) in line with Hampshire County Council guidance. This mark shows them to be on site, but is legally recorded as an absence.  If a pupil is late due to a medical appointment, they will receive an authorised absence mark for the morning session.   When deemed necessary by the school, parents should be able to provide evidence of these appointments.

In the event that a student has to leave school during the day, please use the Edulink app to inform us in advance, or email adminoffice@court-moor.hants.sch.uk

If a child is leaving the site unaccompanied, parents must stipulate that they have permission to do so. 

All students are required to sign out at the school reception before leaving site, if leaving before the end of the normal school day. 

In the event that there is any doubt about a student’s request to leave the school site during the day, verification will be sought from parents/carers by telephone.

School attendance is subject to statutory regulations and parents have a legal duty to ensure their child’s regular attendance at school.

There must be an unavoidable cause to justify any absence from school.  A note or explanation from a pupil’s home does not mean an absence becomes authorised.  The decision whether or not to authorise an absence will always rest with the school.

Parents should:

• Promote and encourage good routines and habits to enable their child to get to school on time in the morning, ready and prepared for the day ahead. 
• Avoid taking their child out of school for non-urgent medical or dental appointments.  Routine dental, optician & medical appointments should be scheduled for after 2.30pm where possible.
• Use the Edulink app or email adminoffice@court-moor.hants.sch.uk for any proposed, unavoidable absences well in advance.
• Inform the school on each day of absence as described above.
• Only request a leave of absence if it is for an exceptional circumstance (see Leave of Absence section below). 
• Notify the school promptly of any changes to contact details.
• Ensure that the school has contact details for two adults, in case of emergencies.

In accordance with the amendments made to the 2006 regulations in the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013, Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.

For illustrative purposes, the following circumstances may be considered by the school to be exceptional:

• leave requested for the purposes of religious observance, which may include the celebration of a festival or attendance at a ceremony;
• leave requested when a family needs to spend time together in order to support each other during or after a crisis;
• leave requested by service personnel and other employees who are not permitted to take leave outside term-time;
• leave requested for one-off special occasions such as the wedding of a close family member or the graduation of an older brother or sister;
• leave requested for a student who has qualified to participate in an event organised by a national body.

The regulations stipulate that every request received must be considered on an individual basis. Even in the case of exceptional circumstances, the school must determine whether to approve the absence or not. In making this decision, primary consideration will be given to the student’s attainment, attendance and ability to catch up on missed schooling, followed by the frequency of the request, the nature of the event for which leave is sought and whether the parent has given advance notice.

Parents wishing to request leave of absence for a child must do so in writing using the appropriate form. Completed forms (a separate form for each child) must be submitted to the child’s Head of Year well in advance of the dates for which leave is requested.

Any leave of absence taken without the Headteacher’s consent will be counted as unauthorised absence. The Department for Education is clear that there is no parental right to take a family holiday in term time and factors such as cost, experiences for the child, weather and overlapping with school holidays are not grounds upon which to authorise leave of absence.

Using the powers granted to headteachers under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003, the school may issue a Penalty Notice if parents fail to secure their child’s regular attendance at school. Either or both parents (and anyone else with parental responsibility or having day-to-day care of the child) may be issued with a notice of a penalty of £120 if paid within 28 days from the date of posting (£60 if paid within 21 days). If payment is not made, the local authority is required, by law, to commence proceedings in the Magistrates' Court for the original offence or poor school attendance.

If convicted of this offence under the Education Act 1996 there are a number of possible sentences, including a fine of up to £1,000 (in the case of a prosecution under section 444(1)) or a fine of up to £2,500 and/or a period of up to 3 months’ imprisonment (in the case of a prosecution under section 444(1A)).

In most situations, the parent/carer will be given a written warning of the possibility of a Penalty Notice being issued. However, a Penalty Notice may be issued for a first offence in exceptional circumstances, such as when a parent takes a child on holiday during term-time without prior authorisation by the school. Before booking a holiday in term-time, parents must ensure that the school will be prepared to authorise the absence. Without this authorisation, a Penalty Notice may be issued without further warning.

Further information can be found on the Hampshire County Council website, here.

Using the powers granted to headteachers under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003, the school may issue a Penalty Notice if parents fail to secure their child’s regular attendance at school. Either or both parents (and anyone else with parental responsibility or having day-to-day care of the child) may be issued with a notice of a penalty of £120 if paid within 28 days from the date of posting (£60 if paid within 21 days). If payment is not made, the local authority is required, by law, to commence proceedings in the Magistrates' Court for the original offence or poor school attendance.

If convicted of this offence under the Education Act 1996 there are a number of possible sentences, including a fine of up to £1,000 (in the case of a prosecution under section 444(1)) or a fine of up to £2,500 and/or a period of up to 3 months’ imprisonment (in the case of a prosecution under section 444(1A)).

In most situations, the parent/carer will be given a written warning of the possibility of a Penalty Notice being issued. However, a Penalty Notice may be issued for a first offence in exceptional circumstances, such as when a parent takes a child on holiday during term-time without prior authorisation by the school. Before booking a holiday in term-time, parents must ensure that the school will be prepared to authorise the absence. Without this authorisation, a Penalty Notice may be issued without further warning.

There is further guidance from Hampshire County Council here. 

The school is required to publish the statistics regarding student absence.