Attendance

Shoreham Village School is committed to the continuous raising of achievement of all our pupils. Regular attendance is critical if our pupils are to be successful and benefit from the opportunities presented to them. This policy represents our commitment to expect 100% attendance from all our pupils, which is achieved by many children. It sets out our expectations and the strategies that the school/academy will undertake to achieve this.

Key Points for Parents

Reporting an absence

• Contact the school before the start of the school day if your child is absent either by email office@shoreham.kent.sch.uk or by phone 01959 522 228
• You must provide your child’s name, class and specific symptoms/reason for absence.
• Absences must be reported by 9:30am each day of absence. Unreported absences may be marked as unauthorised.

Term-time holidays

• Holidays during term time are not normally authorised.
• Leave of absence is only granted in exceptional circumstances and must be requested in writing at least 2 weeks in advance.
• Unauthorised term-time absence may lead to a Penalty Notice (fine).

Attendance expectations

• The school expects attendance to be 96% or above.
• Attendance concerns may be raised if attendance falls below 96%, there are unexplained absences, repeated lateness, or patterns such as frequent Monday/Friday absences.

Punctuality

• School starts at 8:50am.
• Registers are taken at 8:55am.
• The morning register closes at 9:25am. Arriving after this time is recorded as an unauthorised late mark.
• Persistent lateness may result in meetings, formal letters and possible involvement of the Education Welfare Officer.

Medical appointments

• Please arrange medical and dental appointments outside school hours whenever possible.
• If this is not possible, inform the school in advance and minimise the amount of school time missed.

Early collection

• Children are expected to attend the full school day.
• Early collection requires advance written notification explaining the reason, time and who will collect the child.

Support for children with health, SEND or mental health needs

• The school will work with families to provide support and reasonable adjustments where attendance is affected by health, SEND or mental health difficulties.

Remember

• Only the school can decide whether an absence is authorised.
• Keep the school informed, request leave in advance where required, and aim for attendance of 96%+.