Attendance

The most important part of any school day is to be here. To be successful at school we know it is important for students to attend school and be in lessons, learning and achieving. Students who miss 1 day in 10 (90% Attendance) score, on average, 1 grade lower in every subject compared to students with over 95% attendance. This can have a huge impact on the future earnings and happiness of the student. The habit of coming to school every day is formed in Year 7, so we strongly suggest you get in the habit of sending your child to school every day, try to motivate them to come in when they may not be feeling 100%. Students are more likely to attend if they feel supported and their anxieties listened to at home.

The table below shows the effect of different attendances on students' grades:

Punctuality

Everyone is expected to be on time to school, to lessons and to line up every day. The student gates are closed at 8.20am as all students need to be in and at line up at this time. Students should aim to arrive at school by 8.10am. For students who are late, they need to enter via the main reception where they are registered as late and issued with a detention. For students who are persistently late, meetings will be arranged with parents/carers to discuss the issue, and it could lead to a fine being imposed by the Local Authority.

At the end of each break time a lesson bell is sounded which is the cue to pack up or stop what you are doing and move directly to your lesson. There is a full 5 minutes before the ‘late bell’ sounds. Any student not in the classroom at this point is deemed late and this will be recorded by the class teacher. The late data is reviewed daily by year teams and sanctions are issued for students who are persistently late to class. We talk about ‘every second counts’ and the start of lessons is so important to set the tone, introduce the topics and check for understanding.

Absence

If your child cannot attend school due to a valid reason, such as a medical issue, you must contact the school via email at attendance@TQacademy.co.uk, or by calling us on the main reception number 01803 329351, selecting option 1 as soon as possible.

Leave of Absence

Parents/carers have a legal duty to ensure their child who is of compulsory school age receives an efficient, full-time education. Therefore, if your child has no unauthorised absences and their attendance is at 96% or above, you are giving your child the best chance to achieve their potential. If parents/carers fail to ensure their child’s regular and punctual attendance at school, they are committing an offence, unless the absence has been authorised by the school.

We acknowledge that some absence, e.g., illness, is unavoidable. However, any requests for avoidable absences from school (including holidays) can only be agreed by the school in advance, so it is therefore essential that you apply to the school in writing as far in advance of the absence as is reasonably possible using the form below. Please be aware that a school can only grant leave in exceptional circumstances. The Department for Education guidance states that “leave is unlikely to be granted for the purposes of a family holiday as a norm.”

Absence Request Form  

First Aid or Illness

If a student feels ill or requires first aid during the school day they should tell their teacher who will contact the Pastoral team. A member of the Pastoral team will telephone home to have a conversation on what the next steps will be. If your child is to be picked up from school it is imperative that a member of the Pastoral team has spoken to you beforehand. In no circumstances can a student contact home and be asked to be picked up without the Pastoral team knowing this.

Links:

https://www.torbay.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/attendance/

https://www.gov.uk/school-attendance-absence 

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/ 

Torbay Council Attendance Letter

Attendance & Penalty Notices Letter