Attendance and Punctuality

Good attendance and punctuality are essential if you are to succeed at the academy, in fact research shows that there is a direct link between good attendance and academic progress and achievement.

What if my child is absent from school?

It is very important that all children attend school regularly, but if your child is unwell they should not be sent to the academy.  If you are unsure as to whether your child is ill, it's always best to send them to school and let us know to keep an eye on them.  We will contact you if they need to go home.

You are expected to inform the academy of an absence as soon as possible on the first day of absence so that an authorised absence can be recorded. Authorised Absences are acceptable reasons for absence and cover things such as: sickness; hospital/dental appointments; religious holidays; attendance at court; funerals etc. However, all appointments should, where possible, be arranged after the Academy day or during holidays.

Unauthorised Absences are absences where no acceptable reason is given and includes things such as: shopping; going to the airport; a relative visiting; going for a haircut; parent/carer unwell; holidays etc.

Under no circumstances may children leave school by themselves during academy hours.  Parents/carers who collect children to go to the doctor, dentist etc. must first report to the Academy Office and the child will be collected from the classroom.

Both the academy and the Education Welfare Officer (EWO) monitor the attendance of each child. The EWO visits every other week and contacts families where children are absent and the academy has not been given a reason or where there is a pattern of absence from the academy.

Please click here to view Public Health England's guide to infection control in schools and other childcare settings which gives guidance on the recommended period that children should be kept away from school for various common ailments.

What if my child is late for academy learning?

It is very important that all children are in the Academy on time. A child will be recorded as late if they arrive in the classroom five minutes after the start of the lesson. It is equally as important that children should be picked up from the academy promptly. If, for any reason, you are going to be late, please contact the academy so that we know what is happening. It can be very distressing for a child if we do not know anything. All children who are picked up late will be brought to the front entrance hall. Any children still not collected by 4pm will be taken to Holiplay where they can be collected and a £10 charge per child will be payable.

What happens if we have to go away in term time?

The law requires that, once a child is on the academy's register, they should be sent to the academy every day that it is open.  There is no right to time off for holidays and these will not be authorised.

If parents/carers are considering a holiday during term time, for whatever reason, this must be discussed with the principal well before any bookings are made.  A leave of absence form must be filled in and signed by the principal.  The holiday will be reported as an Unauthorised Absence and a fine will be issued and, if a child is missing from education, we will inform Wandsworth Local Authority.

Attendance Rewards

• All children are working towards achieving their 100% Attendance Certificate (1 per term, 3 a year)
• Class attendance is reported in the weekly Newsletter
• Each half term there is an 'In it to Win it' prize and to qualify a child has to be in school for the whole half term and not be late