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Dogsthorpe Academy

Attendance

It is very important that our pupils attend school all the time so that they do not miss any vital learning.

Please click here to read our trust-wide attendance policy.

Reporting absence

If your child is absent from school please let us know. We operate a system of first day calling; that means if we do not hear from you we will endeavour to contact you via telephone or home visit.

Please inform us of any absence by 8.30am on the first day of absence by telephoning the Academy office on 01733 343581.

We monitor the attendance of all pupils on a weekly basis, this includes missed sessions and/or lateness. Should your child's attendance decline you will hear from our Attendance Officer.

We promote the importance of good attendance to all children. Awards are given on a weekly basis to the class with the best attendance. We award end of term certificates to children who have had 100% attendance. We share with you your child's classes attendance figure via our monthly newsletters.

Persistent absentees

From September 2015 the Government has changed the threshold for persistent absenteeism. A pupil of compulsory school age who has an absence rate of 10% or more (attendance of 90% or less) will be classed as a persistent absentee.

As of September 2015, Penalty Notices can be issued for any of the following;

  • The pupil has attendance levels of 90% or below and at least 8 sessions of unauthorised absence within an 8 week period (up to 3 penalty notices may be issued in any academic year).
  • Persistent late arrival at school after the register has closed contributing to a level of attendance of 90% or below;
  • Leave of absence in term time which has not been authorised by the school;
  • Not remaining within the dates agreed for any authorised leave of absence;
Requests for holidays during term time

The DfE regards the taking of holidays during school time as an exception and not a rule. Therefore parents should do all they can to avoid holidays in school time.

Before booking a holiday parents should seek permission from the Principal. It is the role of the Principal to decide whether the holiday can be authorised.

In coming to that decision the following information will be taken into account:

  • The age of the child
  • The time of year (this should not be at the start of a new year or near SATs and not tagged on to school holiday breaks).
  • The nature of the trip and steps that have been taken to avoid taking the child out of school during term time.
  • The overall attendance pattern of the child.
  • Whether a request was made the previous school year (An exception and not a regular occurrence).

Requests for holidays should be made a minimum of four weeks in advance. Leave of absence forms are available on request only from the main Academy office or link here.