If you need support around attendance, or wish to inform school that your child will be absent, please contact a member of our Attendance Team (NOT FORM TUTORS) by telephone: 01260 730123 or by email:
Ms Johnson: attendance@congletonhigh.com
Mrs Roach: kroach@congletonhigh.com
Moments Matter, Attendance Counts
If students are to gain the greatest benefit from their time at school, it is essential that they attend regularly. A student with Attendance of 90% and under is classed as being PERSISTENTLY ABSENT. Many parents/carers may not realise the effect that absence or lateness has on their children. Any child who misses school runs a serious risk of being left behind in their progress.
We operate a traffic light system to highlight attendance;
Registration
Registers are marked in the morning between 8:45 and 9:00am and an afternoon register is marked during period 4. It is essential that all students are registered on both occasions and missing either registration will result in losing 50% of their daily attendance. Students should be on site at 8:35am and in their form room ready for the register to be taken at 8:40am.
Calculated over the school year, if your child is five minutes late to school every day, they will have lost the equivalent of three school days. Please note that fines may be issued to parents/carers whose children are persistently late.
If you are unsure whether to send your child to school or not, please refer to the NHS guidance - click to be redirected.
If your child is too ill to attend school, please email (NOT FORM TUTOR) by 8:30am on the first day and ALL SUBSEQUENT DAYS of any absence. In cases of prolonged absence, it may be appropriate to arrange for some work to be sent home. Medical evidence may be required for students absent from school for three days or more.
Medical Appointments
Whilst we recognise that it is not always possible, we do encourage parents/carers to book non-urgent medical and dental appointments outside of the school day or during the holidays. Where this is unavoidable, please email details to: . Students should be in before and after the appointment wherever possible. We request that evidence of the appointment is supplied to our Attendance Officer. Your child can hand this in to Student Reception when they sign out for their appointment or you can hand details to our receptionist.
We would like you to think carefully before making any request to take your child out of school.
At CHS, we are aware that there will be exceptional circumstances where leave of absence may need to be given. The Headteacher may grant special permission but this must be requested in advance and you should be prepared that some may not be authorised.
If you make the decision to take your child out of school without permission, then the absence does have to be recorded as unauthorised and a Fixed Term Penalty notice may be issued. (See Cheshire East Holiday Fines document below.)
A Fixed Penalty Notice results in:
- A cost of £80 per parent/adult for each student/ child. This will require payment being made to the Local Authority within 21 days.
- The cost increases to £160 per parent/adult for each student/child if payment is not received within 28 days.
- If the penalty is not paid in full by the end of the 28 day period, the Local Authority will instigate Court proceedings and the outcome of the prosecution could be up to £1,000 per parent/adult
If you are requesting an absence due to exceptional circumstances, you will need to complete the Leave of Absence Request Form below and a covering letter will be required, although this will not guarantee authorisation.
Exceptional circumstances do not include family holidays but may include:
- Death or funeral of a close relative
- When a health professional recommends an absence from school
- Attendance at events, exams or performances related to extracurricular activities
- Religious observance
NB: Any holiday requests should be completed PRIOR to the first day of absence and emailed to attendance@congletonhigh.com for approval by the Headteacher.
Please also refer to our Guide to Attendance and Punctuality, Attendance Policy and Leave of Absence Form in addition to the Cheshire East Holiday Fines information below.
Attendance and Absence Information
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