Attendance

We believe that every day in school matters. Regular attendance is one of the most important factors in helping children succeed, not only academically, but also socially and emotionally.

Why do we think attendance and punctuality are so important?

When pupils attend school consistently, they build strong relationships, develop resilience, and keep up with their learning. Even a few days of absence can create gaps in knowledge and make it harder for children to stay on track.

How can families support good attendance?

• Encourage school attendance by talking positively about its benefits, and check in after school to celebrate the successes of the day.
• Aim for 100% attendance where possible.
• Book appointments outside of school hours.
• Keep the school informed about any difficulties affecting attendance—our staff are here to support you.

We understand that children may sometimes be unwell and need to stay at home. However, wherever possible, we encourage pupils to attend school so they don’t miss out on valuable learning opportunities. Please refer to the NHS guidance (link below)

Full attendance is expected, and it is a parent/carer's legal responsibility to ensure regular attendance.

Leave of Absence

The School Attendance (Pupil Regulations) (England) Regulations 2024 state that headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are "exceptional circumstances". Headteachers should determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if the leave is granted.

Carshalton Girls has a procedure for requesting leave of absence in exceptional circumstances:

• parents/carers should make the request as far in advance as possible.
• the "Request for Leave of Absence Form" must be completed and forwarded to the Head of Year.
• the reason for the request, including compassionate reasons, must be given and any evidence of the reason.

Absence due to Religious Observance

As a multi-faith school, we recognise that for some families important religious festivals may fall outside the school holidays. Government guidance says a student can be absent "on a day exclusively set aside for religious observance by the religious body to which the parent belongs," and the school can authorise one day per religious observance.

The Request for Leave of Absence form should be completed in advance for all religious observances.

Notifying the school of absence

The school understands that there may be some instances when absence is unavoidable.

All absences, including lateness, dental or medical appointments should be reported to the school by the parent/carer via the Class Charts app with supporting evidence, for example a letter of appointment or prescription. Appointments can be notified in advance of the date. The schools ask that appointment are made outside school hours where possible. 

Parents and carers should notify the school on the first day of absence by 8.30am, and for any subsequent day. When the student returns to school a note of explanation for the Form Tutor should be provided. 

The school will decide whether the absence is authorised or not. 

The school notifies parents/carer by text when a student is absent and the school has not been notified. 

Support for Families

If your daughter is finding it difficult to attend school, we encourage you to contact her year team as soon as possible. Our team is ready to work with you to understand any challenges, explore the support available, and connect with other services if needed. Together, we can help your daughter make the most of every opportunity at Carshalton Girls and ensure she has the best chance to succeed.

Please follow these links for additional advice:   

Penalty notice

While the school and local authority will work with parents/carers to support their child, they should also be aware that, in law an offence occurs if a parent fails to secure a child’s attendance at the school at which they are a registered student and where that absence is not authorised by the school. Poor attendance can result in penalty fines being imposed.

Punctuality

Arriving on time to school and lessons is as important as attending school. Registration is at 8.35am. Any student arriving after this time will be recorded as late, and more than thirty minutes after registration will be recorded as very late. 

Students receive detention for being late to school. In usual circumstances, "traffic" is not an acceptable reason for being late.

Late arrival due to an appointment should be advised to the school in advance via the Class Charts app.