Attendance

The Senior Leaders responsible for the strategic approach to attendance in our school are:	Mr A Mitchell and Mr J Groves

To contact us about your child’s attendance:

E-mail: attendance@chelmer.essex.sch.uk.

Telephone: 01245 440232
 

Attendance Ethos

Chelmer Valley High School recognises that positive behaviour and good attendance are essential in order to raise standards of student attainment and to give every child/young person the best educational experience possible.

For our students to gain the greatest benefit from their education it is vital that they attend regularly and be at school, on time, every day the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable.

We believe that:

• Regular attendance promotes effective learning
• Regular attendance promotes social development, friendships and well-being
• Failing to attend school on a regular basis is a safeguarding matter
• Good habits of attendance and punctuality will assist students in developing self-discipline and responsibility in preparation for future employment

Reporting an absence

If your child is unable to attend school please contact the school by 8:30 am either by emailing: attendance@chelmer.essex.sch.uk or telephoning 01245 440232 to provide a reason for the absence.

Parents are required to contact the school by 8:30 am each day of the absence.

If we have not heard from you on the first, and every subsequent day of absence, we will contact you requesting that you contact the school. If we are unable to contact you we will telephone emergency contact numbers, send letters home, and a home visit may be made in the interests of safeguarding.

Supporting you in ensuring that your child attends school

If you wish to discuss your child’s attendance or are in need of support, please contact your child's pastoral lead by emailing: attendance@chelmer.essex.sch.uk  or telephoning  01245 440232.

Information on how the school promotes, monitors and supports attendance is contained in the Attendance Policy.

The times of the school day are:

8.00am	School gates open
8.30am – 8.55am	Assembly / Tutor Period
8.55am – 11.00am	Lessons 1 and 2
11.00am – 11.20am	Break
11.20am – 1.25pm	Lessons 3 and 4
1.25pm – 2.00pm	Lunch break
2.00pm – 3.00pm	Lesson 5
3.00pm – 3.05pm	Transfer to buses/leave school

The school operates a two week timetable. Every Wednesday week B the day timings are altered to accommodate an additional Personal Development lesson. The day timings for Wednesday week B are:

8.00 am	School gates open
8.30am – 9.15am	Personal Development
9.20am – 11.15am	Lessons 1 and 2
11.15am – 11.35am	Break
11.35am – 1.30pm	Lessons 3 and 4
1.30pm – 2.05pm	Lunch break
2.05 – 3.00pm	Lesson 5
3.00pm – 3.05pm	Transfer to buses/leave school

 

Lateness

Students will be marked as being late when they arrive after the AM or PM session register has been taken but before the register closes.

Students arriving after the register has closed without a valid reason will receive a “U” mark. This will not count as a present mark, and it will mean they have an unauthorised absence for that session.

Information on how the school promotes, monitors and tackles lateness is contained in the Attendance Policy.

The AM and PM registration times are:

• AM session 8.30am until 12.15pm
  • Gatres open 8:00am
  • Start of school day: 8.30am
  • AM session registers open: 8.30am
  • AM session register closes: 9.00am
• PM session 12.15pm until 3:00pm
  • PM session registers open 12.15pm
  • PM session registers close 12.45pm

What should I do if my child is late?

Contact the school as soon as is possible by emailing: attendance@chelmer.essex.sch.uk or telephoning 01245 440232 to inform us of the reason for lateness and when your child is expected to arrive.

Where the cause of lateness is beyond the child’s control we ask that you provide them with a note to show the senior member of staff on duty.

Students who are late will have their Expectation Card signed if they do not have a verified and valid reason for lateness. Valid reasons are those that, in the opinion of the school, are caused by circumstances beyond the student's control, could not be reasonably foreseen, and where the student has taken reasonable precautions to avoid or minimise their lateness

Impact of lateness 

Minutes lost each day	Days lost per school year
5 minutes	3 days
10 minutes	6.5 days
15 minutes	10 days
20 minutes	13 days
30 minutes	19 days

 

What is considered “good” attendance?

There is a direct link between levels of school attendance and student's educational, social, and emotional development outcomes. Therefore, our school's target attendance percentage is 100%.

The Local Authority and Department for Education provide the following classifications:

• Student’s whose attendance falls below 95% are classified as a “Cause for Concern”
• Student’s whose attendance falls below 90% are classified as being “Persistent Absentees”
• Student’s whose attendance falls below 90% are classified as being “Severely Absent”

 

Applying for Leave of Absence

Taking your child out of school during term time could be detrimental to your child’s educational progress. A pupil who takes 10 days absence will only attain 94.7% attendance in the year. They will also miss 50 hours of education.  

All schools are legally required to follow the Department for Education's statutory guidance on school attendance. A leave of absence will only be granted under exceptional circumstances, and requests must be made in advance using the leave of absence form provided at the bottom of this page. Please note that a desire for a holiday or other leisure activities does not qualify as an exceptional circumstance.

Each application for a leave of absence is evaluated individually, taking into account the specific details and context of the request. If approved, the school will determine the number of days the student is permitted to be absent.

If a leave of absence is not authorised and the student is absent, the school may refer the matter to the Local Authority for legal action.

Promoting Attendance

Staff and Students at Chelmer Valley are fully aware of the expectations surrounding attendance.

• Regular assemblies take place in school highlighting the importance of Attendance
• Recogntion is given through the school's merit system for excellent, good and improved attendance
• Informative displays regarding attendance in school

DfE guidance - working together to improve school attendance

NHS guidance for parents - "Is my child too ill for school"

UK Health Security Agency Guidance on attendance