School attendance is aimed at 96% or above for every child. Students with good attendance are happy, thrive and succeed. Please ensure your child aims for excellent attendance. Wherever possible, schedule medical and dental appointments after school or during the holidays to avoid disrupting their learning. Report your child's being absent before registration at 08.40am. Please notify the school using the Absence telephone line 01279 654901 or by contacting attendance@stmarys.net.

When reporting your child absent, please state: your name/your child's name and year group; the reason for absence; and your contact number.

To access the Attendance Policy, Sixth Form Attendance Policy, and flow chart, please click this link: Policies.

Absence: illness

We advise that students who have had diarrhoea and/or vomiting do not attend school for 48 hours.

Absence: Medical Appointments (48-hour notice period)

Please book any medical appointments around the school day when possible. Parents must notify the school in advance of any pre-arranged absence or treatment. This should be at least 48 hours after the appointment is made, and a copy of the appointment record should also be shared with your child's Year Head (as well as Attendance@stmarys.net) when requesting absence, so that it can be authorised.

Leave of Absence

The Department for Education has emphasised important guidance for schools regarding any leave of absence during term time. Please be reminded of the following:

• Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. THIS INCLUDES HOLIDAYS.
• Exceptions are:
• Service personnel and other employees who are prevented from taking holidays during term-time, with evidence to this effect.
• When a family needs to spend time together to support each other during or after a crisis.
• Parents who are subject to a strict, non-negotiable holiday rota, with evidence to this effect.
• Exceptional circumstances to be agreed at the Headteacher’s discretion.
• Students meeting the exceptional circumstances above need to complete a Leave of Absence Form by selecting the appropriate link in the sidebar on the right-hand side of this page.
• Forms emailed to the school will not be processed, and you will be redirected to complete the online form.
• Please ensure that, where possible, you attach evidence to support the exceptional circumstances.
• Forms will be reviewed on Friday mornings. Please submit the form at least 3 weeks before your child's absence from school. All leave-of-absence requests must be made well in advance of the required dates and before any arrangements are made.
• Each parent/carer can be fined (per student) by the Local Authority for taking their child out of school during term time without the Headteacher's consent.
• In some circumstances, students may be removed from the roll and therefore lose their school place.

We sincerely hope that all parents will support St Mary’s on this matter and recognise the benefits that increased attendance will have on attainment. Further information can be found on St Mary's website: www.stmarys.net under ‘About Us’ Policies and References, School Attendance.

To submit your Leave of Absence Request Form, simply click the image below or follow the link provided:
Leave of Absence Form