Attendance
Registration
Morning registers are taken promptly at the start of period 1 at 8:55. The register is updated with late comers.
Registers are taken at the start of each lesson. Teachers are expected to complete these within the first ten minutes of each lesson. Reception will be notified of anyone not present in the lesson in order to address truancy issues.
Punctuality
There is an expectation that all students at Hope Valley College attend school and lessons punctually at all times.
Students who arrive after 9am will report to their tutor who will mark them as late (L).
Students who arrive after 9.25 should report to reception where they will have to sign in. Students arriving after this time will not get an AM mark and are considered to have had an unauthorised absence except in exceptional situations in which their lateness is as a result of a bus being held up. After signing in at reception students should then proceed to lessons.
Absence
Parents/carers have a legal responsibility to ensure that students attend school as often as possible. Hope Valley College has a responsibility to support good attendance through high expectations and excellent teaching and learning.
Students are expected to be in school each day, arriving promptly in lessons at 8:55am. Any students who arrive after this time will be recorded as late. Registers close at 9.25am and any student arriving after this time will be recorded as U – late after the register closes – and this will count as an authorised absence.
Exceptions to this are students attending medical appointments, or travel disruption.
How to report an absence
If your young person is unable to attend school, parents and carers should:
- Call 01433 620555 before 8:30am and select option 1. You should leave clear details outlining the absence and confirmation of when they are returning.
Or
- Email attendance@hopevalley.chorustrust.org before 8:30am. You should leave clear details outlining the absence and confirmation of when they are returning.
We will contact parents and carers from 9:30am if we have not received any notifications regarding absence. If attendance is a cause for concern, our attendance officer will make contact and may require additional medical information before we are able to authorise an absence.
Expectations
We expect all parents to:
- Assess whether their child is genuinely ill and required to be absent from school or whether they could be sent in. Children and young people who are unwell and have a high temperature should stay at home and avoid contact with other people. They can go back to school when they no longer have a high temperature, and they are well enough to attend. For children and young people aged 18 and under with a positive Covid test, the advice will be they should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 3 days. If your child is unwell and you are unsure how to help, please contact the NHS by calling 111 or going to their website at: https://111.nhs.uk/.
- Contact school before 8:55 am on the first day of absence to inform us why their child is not attending school.
- Contact school on every subsequent day that their child is ill.
- Seek medical advice/help for the child if they are seriously ill.
- Bring the child into school later in the day if they feel better.
We expect all students to:
- Assess whether they are definitely required to be absent from school or whether they could actually come in.
- Catch up on any work that they miss
As a school we will:
- Send a text message before 10am to all parents of students who have not yet contacted the school.
- Ring all parents of absent students who have subsequently not contacted school.
If no direct contact has been made with a parent during the day of absence the absence will automatically be recorded as unauthorised.
Medical appointments
We encourage parents and carers to make all medical appointments outside of school hours. If this cannot be avoided, students should attend school prior to or immediately after the appointment. We are unable to authorise an absence for a full day without accompanying evidence regarding the appointment.
Any additional absence associated may be recorded as unauthorised. Please notify us of any appointments in advance. Medical appointments are counted as absences and it will affect your young person’s overall attendance.
Religious observance
Hope Valley College recognises and celebrates many different religions. Schools must treat absence as authorised when it is due to religious observance. The day must be exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which the parents belong. Where necessary, schools should seek advice from the parents' religious body about whether it has set the day apart for religious observance.
If you wish to request term time leave, you should complete the form below for consideration.
Requests for term time leave
Evidence shows that every school day matters in a young person’s education. Students who have good attendance at school have better wellbeing and achieve better results than those who don't.
Requests for term time leave will only be considered in exceptional circumstances.
Taking a young person out of school for a family holiday will be marked as unauthorised absence and headteachers are required to consider issuing a penalty notice (fine) to parents.
Headteachers are also required to consider issuing a penalty notice (fine) to parents where there have been 10 sessions (totalling 5 school days) of unauthorised absence over a 10 school week period. The absences may or may not be on consecutive days.
Information on the government's approach to term time absence can be found at educationhub.blog.gov.uk.
If you wish to request term time leave, you should complete the form below for consideration.
How much are the fines for unauthorised absence during term time?
From August 2024, as part of the government’s national framework for penalty notices, fines issued will be:
- First instance of unauthorised absence:
- £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days.
- £160 per parent, per child if paid within 28 days.
- Second instance of unauthorised absence (within a three-year period):
- £160 per parent, per child if paid within 28 days.
- Third and subsequent instances of unauthorised absence (within a three-year period):
- Other action such as prosecution will be considered. In this circumstance, fines can be up to £2,500 per parent, per child.
Money raised by the local authority from fines is used by that local authority to cover their costs and to fund attendance support. Any remaining money is returned to the government.
If you wish to request term time leave, you should complete the form below for consideration.
Our approach to attendance
We have a responsibility to proactively manage and improve attendance for all of our young people and this is an integral part of our safeguarding procedures. Our approach to attendance is outlined in our attendance policy, which is available on the policies and documents page.
