Important Attendance and Punctuality Facts

95% Attendance equals 10 days absent and 50 lessons missed.

85% Attendance equals 30 days absent and 150 lessons missed.

5 minutes late per day during the school year equals 3.7 teaching days lost and 18 lessons missed.

10 minutes late per day during the school year equals 7.4 teaching days lost and 37 lessons missed.

15 minutes late per day during the school year equals 10 teaching days lost and 50 lessons missed.

You can help by:

• ensuring your child attends school every day and arrives punctually in order to make the most of the education offered.
• avoiding medical appointments in school time.
• avoiding taking holidays in school time.
• sending your child to school every day except when he/she is too ill to attend.
• ensuring your child catches up on missed work if absence is unavoidable.

What to do if your child is unwell

Phone the school and inform the Attendance and Welfare Officers, giving the name of your child, their mentor group and a brief explanation of the nature of the illness. A call is requested for every day of absence. We cannot assume that a pupil is unwell just because they were off school the previous day. If you believe an absence due to illness may be prolonged, please contact the Attendance and Welfare Officers so they can make arrangements to avoid calling you daily:

• Mrs Lynda Gould for all School years

If your child is unwell please contact the school on the above numbers before 10 am.

Medical Appointments

Where possible try to avoid routine medical appointments during the school day. If they do have an appointment, please send them to school with a note in their diary stating the reason they need to leave and the time you will collect them.

You can also email Attendance/Welfare Officers:

• lgould@yht.wales

You can also get in touch via School Gateway. School Gateway is a text and email service, which allows us to communicate more quickly and effectively – via a smart phone app. You and the school can save money by downloading this app from the app store, which is free and can be used on iPhones and Android.

It is quick and easy to do. All you need is your mobile number and an email address that the school holds on record for you.

Unauthorised absences

The following absences will not be authorised;

• Absence for pupils/students with attendance below 95%, without medical evidence.
• Absence for a birthday or family celebration.
• Absence for holidays in term-time.
• Absence because of a parent‘s illness.
• Absence because a sibling is off school.

PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CONTACT YOUR CHILD DIRECTLY BY TEXT OR PHONE. Pupils may have their mobile phones in school but they must be switched off and in their bag at all times.

Our Attendance Policy is available under the school policies section.