Our Late/Absence procedures also form part of our Attendance Policy. To help, we have dedicated a page to make it simpler to see. The information below is the same as found in the Attendance Policy which can be read in full from our Policies page.

Lateness and Punctuality

It is important to be on time at the start of the morning and afternoon school sessions and to lessons. The start of school/lessons are used to give out instructions or organise work If your child is late they can miss work, time with their class teacher getting vital information, cause disruption to the lesson for others , and can be embarrassing leading to possible further absence.

• The school day begins at and all pupils are expected to be in school at the time. Morning registration is at 8.50am and it closes at 9.20am.
• All lateness is recorded daily. This information will be required by the courts, should a prosecution for non-attendance or lateness be necessary.
• Arrival after the close of registration will be marked as unauthorised absence code ‘U’ in line with county and Department for Education (DfE) guidance. This mark shows them to be on site, but is legally recorded as an absence.
• If a pupil is late due to a medical appointment, they will receive an authorised absence coded ‘M’. Please be advised that where possible doctors and dentists appointments are to be made outside of school hours or during school holidays.

Pupils who are consistently late are disrupting not only their own education but also that of the other pupils. On-going and repeated lateness is considered as unauthorised absence and will be subject to legal action (see section 6 for further detail).

Parents, guardians or carers of pupils who have patterns of lateness will be contacted to discuss the importance of good time keeping and how this might be achieved. If lateness persists, parents, guardians or carers will be invited to attend the school and discuss the problem and support offered. If support is not appropriate or is declined and a child has 10 or more sessions of unauthorised absence due to lateness recorded in any 10 week period the school or the Hampshire County Council will be required to issue parents with a penalty notice in accordance with Hampshire’s Code of Conduct for issuing penalty notices for nonattendance (See section 6 of the Attendance Policy for further detail).

What to do if my child is absent?

A child not attending school is considered a safeguarding matter. This is why information about the cause of any absence is always required. If your child is absent you must:

• Contact us as soon as possible on the first day of absence
• Send a note in on the first day they return with an explanation of the absence
  • you must do this even if you have already telephoned us
  • Or, you can call into school and report to reception.

If your child is absent we will:

• Telephone or text you on the first day of absence if we have not heard from you; This is because we have a duty to ensure your child’s safety as well as their regular school attendance
• Invite you in to discuss the situation with the Headteacher if absences persist
• Refer the matter to the Hampshire’s Attendance Legal Panels if absence is unauthorised and falls below 90%.

Please Note: If your child is not seen and contact has not been established with you any of the named parent/carers after three days of absence the school is required to start a child missing in education procedures as set down by Hampshire County Council Guidance. We will make all reasonable enquires to establish contact with parents and the child including making enquires to known friends, wider family and using Family liaison offices to visit the home.

We have a legal duty to report the absence of any pupils who is absent without an explanation for 20 consecutive days. If the child is not seen and contact has not been established with the named parent/carer then the Local Authority is notified that the child is ‘at risk of missing’. Children’s Services Staff will visit the last known address and alert key services to locate the child. So help us to help you and your child by making sure we always have an up to date contact number. There will be regular checks on telephone numbers throughout the year.