Reporting Absence
By law, all schools are required to keep an attendance register, and all pupils must be placed on this register.
Student Absence:
If a student is absent, then parents should contact the school each day of absence before 9am.
Tel number: 033 33 602230 Email: absence@plymouthhighschoolforgirls.org.uk
Parents must notify the school on the first day of an unplanned absence – for example, if their child is unable to attend due to ill health – by 8.30am or as soon as practically possible.
Parents should ring the main school phone number and report their child’s absence to the Attendance Improvement Coordinator together with the reason.
Absence due to illness will be authorised unless the school has a genuine concern about the authenticity of the illness.
If the authenticity of the illness is in doubt, the school may ask parents to provide medical evidence, such as a doctor’s note, prescription, appointment card or other appropriate form of evidence.
If the school is not satisfied about the authenticity of the illness, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised and parents will be notified of this in advance.
Lateness:
Pupils must arrive in school by 8.40am on each school day.
Lateness is actively discouraged and students who are frequently late will receive an appropriate sanction. A structured system of sanctions is devised by the Headteacher with senior staff and is reviewed annually.
Where lateness to school, or lessons, becomes persistent the Attendance Improvement Coordinator will advise the tutor, Head of Year and Deputy Head and the parents will be contacted.
Medical or Dental Appointments
We encourage parents to make medical and dental appointments out of school hours where possible. Where this is not possible, the pupil should be out of school for the minimum amount of time necessary.
Missing registration for a medical or dental appointment is counted as an authorised absence; advance notice is required for authorising these absences as well as a note in the student’s planner and the pupil may be asked to produce proof of an appointment if such absences are seen to happen frequently
Parents should notify the school in advance of a medical or dental appointment by calling the main school phone number and reporting the planned absence to the attendance officer with the reason.
Students must sign out at reception before being collected by parents for any appointment during the school day, and should sign in again if they return during the school day. They are expected to have a note in their planner or other form of proof e.g. an appointment card to show reception when they sign out.
Applications for other types of absence in term time must also be made in advance.
Term Time Leave of Absence
For many years parents in England have had the right to remove children from school in order to take them on a family holiday or for exceptional circumstances. This right was embedded in ‘The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006’. However the Coalition government has changed these regulations and issued the ‘Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013’. These amendments, as described below, came into force on 1st September 2013.
The amendments remove references to family holiday and extended leave as well as the statutory threshold of ten school days. The amendments also make clear that headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances such as bereavement. Headteachers are required to determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if the leave is granted.
The new Leave of Absence form can be downloaded below.
ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY
Good attendance and punctuality are basic to success.
‘For Life, Not School, We Learn’
PHSG firmly believe that all students benefit academically and socially from outstanding school attendance leading to positive life chances in the future.
PHSG have high expectations to ensure our students achieve maximum possible attendance and any barriers to learning that prevent full attendance are immediately identified and acted upon.
Good attendance is 96% or above. 1 session is half a school day.
OUR EXPECTATIONS – STUDENTS: We expect students to attend:
- Regularly
- Punctually. In tutor time by 8.40am.
- Ready to Learn: appropriately prepared for the day
It is important for your progress that you attend school
If you are feeling unwell during the school day you need to seek First Aid in AO1 for permission to go home,
PARENT / CARER: We expect that all parents/carers who have day to day responsibility for the child 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;
- Contact the school Attendance Improvement Coordinator, on 01752 208308 before 8.30am on the morning of each day of the student's absence. You should explain the full reason for the absence
Medical:
We may ask for medical evidence to be provided for any period of absence that exceeds three days.
If a student’s attendance falls below 90% you will be expected to provide medical evidence for any future absence to be authorised if due to illness.
We request that Routine Medical Appointments are not arranged during school time.
Absences:
The school is not able to authorise any holiday during term time. Requests for exceptional leave of absence should be sent well in advance, to the Headteacher on an absence form which can be collected from the Attendance Improvement Co-ordinator. Unless approved, absences will be recorded as unauthorised.
