Attendance

Regular and punctual attendance at school is both a legal requirement and essential for students to maximise their educational opportunities. Parents are supported by the school and Local Authority level to overcome barriers to regular attendance. 

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. 

Parents/carers of students who are persistently absent may be subject to a penalty fine from the London Borough of Sutton.

Reporting absence

Parents and carers are requested to notify the school of any absence every day and to send a note of explanation to the Form Tutor on the student’s return. The school will then decide whether the absence is authorised or not. Students must copy up any work they have missed. 

To report absence, we ask parents and carers to use their Class Charts app.

There is a procedure for absence calling when parents do not notify the school of an absence. Parents will be contacted by phone or text to confirm that their daughter is absent. 

Punctuality

Students are expected to arrive at registration and lessons on time. The bell marks the beginning of a session and there are warning bells to inform students they should move to registration in the morning, at the end of lunchtime and at the end of break.  A 5-minute late bell is rung after registration, at the beginning of periods 2, 4 and 5.  Students must be in lessons before the late bell rings. 

Students who arrive late should report to the Late Room and complete the Late Book.  Failure to do so will result in their being marked absent.  Detentions will be issued for late arrival to school: 30 minutes that day after school, unless a parent calls to explain an extenuating reason for the lateness.

The school regularly rewards students for good attendance and punctuality.

Persistent Lateness to School

Punctuality at school is crucial to creating a calm and purposeful atmosphere and students who are persistently late often disrupt their own and others’ learning.  Students will receive an after school detention for lateness.