Attendance and punctuality

In choosing to study Sixth Form courses in this school, you have committed to full-time education for two years. Employers and universities always ask us about attendance and punctuality when they request a student’s reference.  Punctuality and attendance are key to achieving your potential in your studies.  Research has shown that students lose a grade for every 10% drop in attendance. If a student’s attendance drops below 90% their place in the Sixth Form cannot be guaranteed.

Students must remain on the school site when not in lessons: some of this study time will be spent formally, working or reading; some will be spent being involved in extracurricular opportunities. Our Sixth Form facilities consist of a large Sixth Form Centre for the sole use of Sixth Form students including a Sixth Form Coffee Shop and a common room. We also have a separate silent study room.

Our attendance arrangements are straightforward. Under normal circumstances, Sixth Form students are expected to be in school each day for:

Morning registration/tutor period.  Students should be in school by 8.40am at the latest and attend tutor time

All lessons, Study Periods, Futures (Fri P4), Enrichment (Wed P6)

If students do not have a lesson/study period/Sixth Form Enrichment P6 Monday-Thursday and P5 Friday they are permitted to leave school site.  This is a privilege and can be revoked at the discretion of Sixth Form Staff.

All absences must be explained promptly. This prevents text messages, phone calls and letters being sent home asking for the reasons for an absence.

If an absence is unavoidable (for example, because of illness or because of an emergency at home) the student (or a parent) should telephone the school on the day of the absence to let us know what has happened. 

Sixth Form Direct Number 01684 851807

What do students need to do if an absence is known in advance? 

Some absences can be foreseen (for example, interviews for employment or for university or college places, driving tests). If a student knows about an absence in advance, the student must let Pam Johnston or a member of the Sixth Form Team know well in advance.  They can do this by filling in a ‘Request for Absence’ form.

If the absence is significantly more than a day, e.g. if a student wishes to organise work experience or hopes to go on a residential course during term-time, the student should discuss the proposal with the Head of Year first and certainly before making a commitment. Students should submit requests for leave of absence in writing.

The A Level Courses run for two years and as such students are expected to attend every lesson.  Holidays taken in term time will be not be authorised.  It is strongly recommended that no holidays are taken in term time.

Medical and Dental appointments should also be made outside of school hours for the same reason.

If a student feels ill in school they should see a member of the Sixth Form Team. If the student is not well enough to stay in school, permission for the student to go home may be given. 

Students who feel ill should not go home without permission. It is important that we ascertain whether the student is fit to travel home independently and whether it is desirable to contact parents. No student may leave the premises under any circumstances without first signing out in the Sixth Form Centre.

Students will have Independent Study Periods on their timetables.  These will mainly be timetabled in our purpose built Sixth Form Study Room.  Like lessons, attendance in these is mandatory and count towards overall attendance.  Students should plan to use these sessions effectively. 

NB: The school day runs from 8.40am until 3.25pm (Friday 8.40am until 2.30pm) and students must not assume that they can make out-of-school commitments in ‘study periods’. Students are not permitted to arrange out-of-school activities (such as driving lessons, private coaching, work experience or paid employment) in non-lesson time. 

We monitor attendance and punctuality daily, and will contact you formally should we become concerned. 

Futures is timetabled for one lesson a week.  Attendance is mandatory for all of Year 12.  Sessions will concentrate on a range of personal and social issues, academic skills as well as careers and higher education across the year.

Research has been conducted into the affects of part time work on student results at Post-16 level.  The findings suggest that paid employment in Year 12 was negatively associated with overall results.  

If the student engaged in paid employment for more than 16 hours a week the impact on exam results became serious, losing on average a grade at A level.  We strongly recommend that students do no more than 10 hours of paid work per week.  Part-time work can provide students with vital life experience and new skills, but should not be prioritised above studies.