Attendance

Let’s begin with four startling facts:

Did you know….?

1 in 3 students with poor attendance (below 80%) do not achieve any qualifications at all when they leave secondary education.

A student with 85% attendance will miss 29 days in a year – that is a half term of learning lost!

A student who misses 38 days each year will miss 2 whole years of learning by the age of 16

Never being late - a vital life skill and also good manners

Punctuality is very important. The school day starts promptly at 9.00, and immediately after the register has been taken the children are straight into their first lesson, usually English or mathematics. If children do arrive late they find it very hard to catch up on the work they have missed.

If children arrive after the register has been taken they will be marked as L (late). Any child who arrives at school from 9.30 am onwards will be marked as U (unauthorised late). This will count as an unauthorised absence.

Religious observance

Where children are required to be absent from school for religious festivals they will be marked R in the register but this will not count against their actual attendance figure. 

Camden's role

Camden’s Education Welfare Service checks our registers regularly. The service can and does levy penalty notices (fines) for poor attendance and taking holidays during term-time without permission (see below).

It is important that parents understand that there is no automatic right to taking holidays during term-time. The authorisation of holidays is at the discretion of the headteacher. Any request must be made in writing. It is our policy to be sympathetic when a family finds themselves in extreme circumstances. We would not authorise a holiday close to assessment times (in particular for Year 6 SATS).

Exceptional Leave of Absence

Applications must be made using the link below at least 10 school days prior to the first date of exceptional leave. Any application for leave must explain why the absence is exceptional and unavoidable. Please contact the office if you have any questions or difficulties completing the application form. You will be notified of the Headteacher's decision via email. 

Click here to apply for exceptional and unavoidable absence.