At Poltair School we believe that all students benefit from outstanding school attendance.

We will do all we can to support and ensure our students achieve the best attendance they possibly can.

In order for attendance to be considered very good a student must achieve 96% attendance or above.

We expect that all students will:

• Attend school regularly
• Attend school punctually
• Attend school appropriately prepared for the day

We expect that all parents/carers who have day to day responsibility for children and young people will:

• Encourage regular school attendance and be aware of their legal responsibilities
• Ensure that the child/children in their care arrive at school punctually, prepared for the school day
• If your child is going to be absent for any reason, please ensure that you make the school aware before 8.00am on each day of absence.  This can either be done via telephone by leaving a message on the dedicated student absence mailbox (option 1 on the telephone system) or email the Attendance and Engagement Officer via [email protected].  Please ensure you give clear information including your child’s name, tutor group and the reason for the absence. If we are not provided with a reason, the absence will be recorded on their attendance record as unauthorised.

We ask that all routine medical appointments are made outside of the school day and may request medical evidence to be provided for any period of absence that exceeds three days.

The School gates will close at 8.28am each morning and if your child arrives at school less than 15 minutes late, their attendance will be recorded as ‘L’ on our records.  This coding will not have a negative impact on their overall attendance figure, however a sanction will be issued in line with our Behaviour Policy.  If your child arrives more than 15 minutes late, this will be coded as ‘U.’ This coding will have a negative effect on their attendance and again a sanction will be issued in line with our policy.  Each occasion of lateness will have a negative impact on your child’s learning and should be avoided where possible.

Absence request

All requests for leave of absence must be made to the school by completing a leave of absence form, which can be found below. The school is not allowed to grant leave of absence unless under exceptional and documented circumstance. Leave of absence for holidays is no longer permissible under government guidance (November 2012). The school has to warn parents that if you take unauthorised leave of absence then you will be liable to a fixed penalty fine issued on our behalf of the local authority.

Attendance Matters

Punctuality Matters