Mobile Phone Policy - 'no see, no hear' from gate to gate.

At John Colet we have a 'no see, no hear' policy from gate to gate for mobile phones while students are on school site.  In a community of over 1000 people it would be disruptive to learning for phones to be used by students. Insisting that a parent or carer collects the phone acts as a deterrent to phones being used. 

During school hours, should you need to contact your child please telephone the School Office and we will get a message to them.  Alternatively if a student needs to contact their parent/carer they should go to the Student Support office or School Office where they can request to ring home.

Unfortunately, at times parents try to contact students directly which causes their phone to go off during lessons - this results in the student having their phone confiscated as per our school policy and it will be a parent/carer that will have to pick the mobile phone up from the School Office.   If you are unable to collect the phone please arrange for a family member, or responsible adult to collect it on your behalf.  Students will not be able to pick up their phone themselves under any circumstance.  A number of students have raised the issue of having to use their phone to pay for transport home. If this is the case the student needs to come and speak to the School Office. We will arrange for a loan which will need to be reimbursed the next day.  

School Attendance

With school attendance rates declining across the UK, the Department for Education introduced new statutory guidance in August aimed at reducing term-time holidays and unauthorised absences, and supporting families whose children are struggling to attend.  Here at John Colet, we know it is so important for a child to attend school every day to be able to achieve their very best, make friends, take part in extra curricular activities and feel part of the school community. For every 10% of school a child misses, they are likely to achieve one grade below their GCSE prediction in every subject. This can affect their future choices, and we want all our students to have the best opportunity to succeed.

If your child is experiencing mild symptoms such as a runny nose, headache or they are feeling tired, please send them to school. Our medical officer will contact you if your child becomes unwell during the school day. If your child has been sick / has diarrhoea, or is too unwell to attend, please ensure that you log the absence using the form on the home page of the school website as early as possible on each day of the absence.  Children who have a sickness bug can return to school 48 hours after the last bout of sickness. There is no need for children to be absent from school when they have been sick for other reasons, such as anxiety or over indulgence.

As well as daily attendance, we expect students to be on time to school,  including Years 12 & 13. Students should be in their form rooms at 8.30am, and those arriving late will be issued with a C1. Students receiving two C1's for late arrival in a week will be issued a C3 after school detention. Registers close at 9.00am and arrival after this time will affect students attendance. Should lateness become an issue, sanctions may be put into place by the school, including the loss of breaks/lunchtimes, or after-school detentions to make up lost time.

The new statutory guidance means we cannot authorise family holidays during term time. Should you remove your child from school for a term time holiday, this may result in a fine being issued by the Local Authority.  Please be aware we are unable to authorise most single-day absences, such as family birthdays, visiting relations or travelling for weekend breaks and would not expect a student to miss school for these reasons.

The penalty notice amount is increasing from August 2024 with a maximum of two penalty notices within a rolling three-year period:-

• First offence – The first time a Penalty Notice is issued the amount will be: £80 per parent, per child paid within 21 days. This increases to £160 per parent, per child if paid after day 21, until day 28. Any non-payment of the Penalty Notice may be referred to the Magistrates Court.

• Second Offence (within 3 years) – the second time a Penalty Notice is issued the amount will be £160 per parent, per child paid within 28 days. Any non-payment of the Penalty Notice may be referred to the Magistrates Court.

• Third Offence and Any Further Offences (within 3 years) – the third time an offence is committed a Penalty Notice will not be issued, and the case may be presented straight to the Magistrates’ Court under s.444 of the Education Act (1996) or other legal interventions considered. The Magistrates’ Court can order fines up to £2500 per parent, per child.

Parents with parental responsibility, and adults residing with the child, including for example, stepparents who have day-to-day responsibility for the child, may be fined, and this applies to each child who is absent. For example, if two adults take two children out of school, the total fines would be £640 (reduced to £320 for a first offence paid within 21 days).  If a Penalty Notice is not paid within the time limits set out in the letter to the parent, the Local Authority may proceed the case to court.

Where possible, all medical appointments should be booked outside of school hours, however, we appreciate this is not always possible. Students should only be absent for the time required to travel and attend the appointment and should be present in school before and after where possible. Our registers are taken at 8.30am and again at 1.55pm and it would be helpful if appointments can be made to ensure students are on site at these times. 

As we all know, times have been challenging for everyone over the past few years; especially children. If your child is struggling to attend school due to feelings of anxiety, stress or worry, please contact their form tutor, head of year or the attendance office so barriers to attendance can be understood, and appropriate support be put in place to support you, your family, and your child to prevent further absences.

In cases where this is not possible, the school is required by law to take additional action. If your child’s attendance drops to 90%, they are re-categorised by the Local Authority to a ‘Persistent Absentee’. Should this happen, the school is no longer able to authorise any absences unless they are related to ill health, and only then if appropriate medical evidence is provided.

If a student is categorised as a Persistent Absentee and their unauthorised absences continue, the school will have no alternative but to escalate the matter to the Local Authority.

The primary goal of these measures is to ensure that children do not miss out on their education. Every lesson is a crucial part of your child’s learning journey, and frequent absences can significantly hinder their progress. Thank you for your continued cooperation in supporting your child’s education.

Di Bull and Natalie Preece, the Attendance Team

Rewards and Consequences

It is  very positive to see so many of our students making  such a  successful start to the academic year, by collecting a very high number of R - points and taking an active role in our wide ranging enrichment programmes. Our vision statement : ‘Every Student Thriving’  drives all that we do, to ensure every student is able to fulfil their potential. We have enriched our curriculum further   in part of KS4 by introducing our new “ Future Focus” programme for our Y10 and Y11 students. There are 4 main aims to the course, which have been shared with Y10 and Y11:

What is the purpose of Future Focus?

1. To help you develop your revision skills. 

2. To help you prepare and reflect on your Work Experience ( Y10) 

3. To help you prepare for the next steps Post 16 ( Unifrog and Future Focus)

4. To support you to thrive at John Colet School  and also to support you to have an understanding of how to develop good mental health habits.

The students have the opportunity to develop these key  skills and gain further understanding through in class group activities, on -line learning, work experience ( Y10) and assemblies.

Free School Meals

If your circumstances have changed recently and you think you are eligible for free school meals please get in touch via pupilpremium@johncolet.co.uk and we can complete a simple check for you.