If a student is unwell
If a student is unwell and unable to attend school please let us know at the start of each day of absence using the following methods:
If a student is unwell and unable to attend school please let us know at the start of each day of absence by Class Charts or telephone:
- Class Charts, using the Absences tab. A guide to reporting absences on Class Charts is available here.
- Telephone 01629 812671 (option 1) letting us know the student’s name, form and reason for absence, on each day of absence.
For Sixth Form absence procedures please visit the Information – Sixth Form page.
Medical/hospital appointments
If a student needs to attend a medical/hospital appointment during school hours, please make your request in advance as follows:
If a student needs to attend a medical/hospital appointment during school hours, the request can be made by:
- Class Charts, using the Absences tab. A guide to reporting absences on Class Charts is available here.
On the day of their appointment, students should sign out at Reception and wait to be collected. If returning, they should be brought back to the Reception, where they must sign in before returning to lessons.
For Sixth Form absence procedures please visit the Information – Sixth Form page.
Holidays during term time
We aim to work in partnership with parents in all aspects of school life. There is a strong correlation between those students who attend school most frequently, and those who make the most progress. Inevitably, students away from school miss out on important work and they can find it very hard to catch up; there is no doubt that this can damage progress, particularly when the absence affects all subjects. In addition we are concerned that students will pick up the message that holidays are more important than attending school and this can undermine the importance which they need to attach to their education.
Indeed, following a change to the law, from 1 September 2013, schools are no longer allowed to authorise up to ten days per year for an annual holiday, unless there are very exceptional circumstances. Such absences, should they occur, would need to be recorded as unauthorised (and therefore a form of truancy) and reported to the Local Authority.
In addition, the timescales for parents to pay the penalty notices applied in such situations have also changed. Parents served with a penalty notice must, from 1 September 2013, pay £60 within 21 days or £120 within 28 days. The fine will apply to each parent and for each child. For example, in a family where there are two parents who fail to ensure proper attendance of their two children, the fine would be £240 for each parent within 28 days. This brings attendance penalty notices in line with other types of penalty notices and allows Local Authorities to act more quickly regarding prosecutions.
Having considered this information, if you wish to apply for your child to have a period of absence during term time, download the form below for completion and return to the Attendance Officer or sixthform@ladymanners.derbyshire.sch.uk (Sixth Form).
