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 at 12.50pm.

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.

If a student is absent and no information has been received, the attendance officer will contact the parents/carers. If further information is required in order to establish the reason for absence, parents will be asked to provide brief details. This is to ensure we can code the absence correctly on the register (a legal document) and so that we can identify any support that may be required.

In the case of extended periods of absence, or short but frequent absences due to ill health, the school may request that parents/carers supply supporting medical evidence.

We may be required to conduct a home visit if we have not been able to get in touch with parents or the emergency contact, or for extended periods of absence.

The form tutor, head of year, or other appropriate staff member will keep in touch with parents where absences accumulate to ensure we understand the nature of the absences and whether any additional support is required. Parents/carers may be asked to attend a meeting at school to discuss the absences and to agree any required actions from the student/parent/school/local authority.

We recognise that some students are more likely to require additional support to attain good attendance. The school has a number of resources available to support students & families and we have close working relationships with a number of external agencies to help where needed. In some circumstances the school may refer to Inclusion Support Service at Hampshire County Council for support, guidance and advice. The school may also refer to an appropriate external agency for multi-agency support, such as implementing a Family Support Plan.

We encourage parents to use the Edulink app to keep up-to-date with their child’s punctuality & attendance record. We will also highlight punctuality and attendance in the termly reports issued to parents.

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 national coding requirements. 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.

Section 7 of the 1996 Education Act states that parents must ensure that children of compulsory school age receive efficient full-time education suitable to their age, ability, and aptitude to any special educational needs they may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.

In accordance with the Education Act 1996, we will work with parents and carers and the Local Authority to ensure that parents and carers are supported to secure education for children of compulsory school age. Where required, we will formalise support and where necessary, work with the local authority to use legal measures. 

A “Parent” is defined as:

• Any natural parent, whether married or not.
• Any parent who, although not a natural parent, has parental responsibility as defined in the Children Act (1989) for a child or young person.
• Any person who, although not a natural parent, has care of a child or young person.

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.

Since September 2013, changes to Government regulations and guidance mean that Headteachers can no longer authorise leave of absence unless there are exceptional circumstances. Generally, the DfE does not consider a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation to be an exceptional circumstance.

A leave of absence is only granted at the discretion of the Headteacher. Parents wishing to apply for leave of absence during term time must apply in writing to the Headteacher using the Leave of Absence form on the website at least a month before the planned leave.  If a written request is not completed and the leave is taken without a request being submitted, the leave will not be considered by the Headteacher, and it will be marked as unauthorised.  Retrospective requests will not be considered and therefore will result in the absence being categorised as unauthorised.

Where the absence is not authorised, and the number of unauthorised sessions is 10 or more within a 100-session period, a penalty notice will be raised upon the child’s return to school for each parent who condoned (or was responsible for the child) during the period of absence.  For example, for two parents taking two children away for five days without approval, this would result in 4 penalty notices being raised (£320 if paid within 21 days of the penalty notice).

The amount of the Penalty Notice is £80 which increases to £160 if not paid within the first 21 days. Thereafter if the Penalty remains unpaid after 28 days this may result in further legal action being taken by Hampshire County Council.

Please note that if two penalty notices have been issued in a rolling three-year period, further unauthorised absences reaching the 10 sessions within 10 school weeks would result in referral to the Legal Intervention Team at HCC.

In the event that interventions and support put in place following school meetings have either not worked or are not being engaged with, we are required to consider referring the case to the Legal Intervention Team at Hampshire County Council, to protect the child’s right to their education.

This would be something that is seen as a last resort and would be discussed with parents prior to referral.    The threshold for referral is when a child has 10 or more sessions of unauthorised absence within a 10-week period.   This 10-week period spans different terms, and the unauthorised absences include late arrivals after the close of registers.

The legal measures that the Legal Intervention Team would consider are:

• Penalty Notices
• Education Planning Meeting and parenting contracts
• Education Supervision Orders
• Parenting Orders
• Prosecution

Penalty Notices are also issued for term-time absences of 5 or more days where a Leave of Absence is taken but not approved by the Headteacher.  This is explained in the Leave Of Absence section.  

Please see the attached document for Hampshire County Council’s parent guide on Penalty Notices.