Attendance and Absence
Grace Academy Solihull places high expectations on good attendance and punctuality, therefore all students are expected to have at least 98% attendance.
Good attendance promotes effective learning and has a significant impact on personal development, progress and attainment. Attending regularly, and on time, prepares students for a successful working life beyond school. Regular attendance is crucial if students are to reach their full potential. Attending regularly means that students are healthy, safe, making a positive contribution and preparing themselves for a successful future after Year 11 and 13.
We will strive to provide a welcoming environment for all students, to enhance their sense of belonging, and staff will work with students and their families to ensure each student attends regularly and is punctual to both school and lessons.
It is the legal duty as a parent/carer to ensure that students attend regularly and receive their education. This means your child is expected to attend every day that the school is open, except in a small number of allowable circumstances such as being too ill to attend or being given permission for an absence from the school in advance.
Interesting Facts:
An attendance record of 90% might seem good but is equal to one day missed per fortnight. If this continues from Years 7 to 11, a total of six month’s education will be lost and 100 lessons missed over a year.
An attendance record of 80% might seem acceptable but is equal to one day missed per week. If this continues from Years 7 to 11, a total of one year’s education will be lost.
Students are required to attend school for 190 days each year, therefore the attendance target for each student is at least 98%.
With 175 days already marked out as ‘non-school days’ which account for weekends, half term breaks and end of term holidays, all of which could include family visits and rewarding days out, you should have an exceptional reason to want to withdraw your child from school. The following are therefore NOT considered legitimate reasons and are likely to be rejected and the requested absence unauthorised:
- Trips and visits to family/friends
- Your child’s birthday
- Cheaper Family holidays
- Tickets to sports/culture events
| Academic Year Attendance | Equivalent Number of Days Absent Per Year | Approximate Number of Weeks Absent Per Year | Number of Lessons Missed Per Year |
|---|---|---|---|
98% | 4 | 1 | 20 |
95% | 9 | 2 | 50 |
90% | 19 | 4 | 100 |
85% | 29 | 6 | 150 |
80% | 38 | 8 | 200 |
75% | 48 | 10 | 250 |
70% | 57 | 11.5 | 290 |
65% | 67 | 13.5 | 340 |
Rewards
We have a wide range of rewards to praise the resilience of our students in their regular arrival to the academy, including:
- Being entered into prize draws
- Weekly 100% attendance raffle tickets to enter into fortnightly prize draws
- ‘Improved attendance’ awards
- ‘100% attendance’ badges
- Wheel spinner prizes
- Attendance postcards sent home
- End of term chocolate hampers
Student Absence Request Form
To request a leave of absence during term time, a Student Absence Request Form MUST be completed.
The Student Absence Request Form can be obtained either online from this link, or alternatively a paper copy of the form can be collected from the academy’s main reception or from your child’s Assistant Head of Year.
Completed forms can then either be emailed to the attendance team via gas-attendance@graceacademy.org.uk, or dropped in to the main reception. Please note that any supporting evidence should be included with the form in the first instance, and forms are to be submitted a minimum of two weeks prior to the absence request dates.
Please ensure a separate form is used for each absence that you are requesting, and for each child. There is no automatic right for students to be granted an authorised leave of absence – requests will only be considered where there are exceptional circumstances, in line with guidance from Solihull MBC and the Government.
This Student Absence Request Form is to be used for all types of student leave requests.
Attendance FAQs
When does my child need to be in school?
Your child is expected to start school everyday at 8.20 am.
What happens if my child is late?
- If your child arrives after 8.20 am, they are recorded as late and they will receive a detention.
- If your child arrives after 8.50 am, new government regulations mean students will be given a ‘U code’ which will count as an unauthorised absence. Although your child might attend school everyday, they would in fact only be getting 50% attendance on these days due to their late arrival at the academy.
What if my child misses school time?
If any student has low attendance, we have a statutory responsibility to report absences to the Local Authority, other relevant partners and external agencies. If after support has been put in place, absence is still low or persistent, a notice to improve and a penalty notice will be issued.
- If they are late twice in one week, they will be expected to complete a longer detention.
- Should the problem continue, you will be asked to attend a meeting at the academy along with the attendance and/or pastoral team.
Punctuality and ‘U codes’
Good punctuality is also extremely important; for instance if your child arrives 15 minutes late to school each day, they lose almost 2 weeks of education over the year.
Having good punctuality also helps your child to get into good habits for when they enter the world of work.
Attend to Achieve – A Guide for Parents
What are the procedures for absence?
If your child is absent you must:
- Contact the academy as soon as possible on the first day of absence.
- Contact the academy each subsequent day the child is absent (if applicable).
- Send a note explaining the absence(s) in with your child on the first day they return.
If your child is absent we will:
- Send a text message and/or telephone you on the first day of absence if we have not heard from you.
- Contact you daily if absences persist.
- Include your child on the Attendance Monitoring Programme if attendance is causing concern.
- Undertake home visits.
- Invite you to discuss the situation with our Attendance Team, and your child’s Head & Assistant Head of Year.
We have a statutory responsibility to report low attendance to the Local Authority and External Agencies.
Do the school need letters explaining my child’s absence or will a phone call do?
We would expect a parent/carer to telephone the academy as early as possible on the first day of absence via 0121 329 4600.
What can I do to help my child achieve good attendance?
- Do not book holidays in term time; changes in legislation mean that schools can no longer grant permission for holidays taken during term time and these absences will be unauthorised.
- Book any medical appointments around the school day where possible.
- Only grant days at home for serious illness. Other days off count as unauthorised absences which could lead to prosecution.
- Know routines of the school day in order to avoid issues, i.e., make sure your child has their PE kit or has done their homework.
- Praise and reward good attendance and punctuality.
- Talk to your child about:
- Their attendance – ask them what they think having good attendance means.
- School and how they feel about it. They are more likely to attend if they feel they are supported and listened to. Report any concerns, so that we can challenge but also support your child; please do this rather than keeping your child off school.
If you or your child have any concerns, speak to their tutor.
Why is it important to have up to date contact information, including phone numbers?
There are times when we have to contact parents/carers, including about absence, so it is very important that we have your most up to date contact information at all times.
My child is avoiding coming to school. What should I do?
There are occasions when children choose to avoid school. Reasons such as difficulties with school work, bullying, friendship problems or family difficulties can cause young people to worry and they may think that not attending school will solve the problem. All of the staff at Grace Academy pride themselves on being able to build positive relationships with students and parents/carers. We want your child to have the best possible experience at secondary school, so that they can reach their full potential. It is therefore important that we identify the reason for their reluctance to attend school and work together to resolve this. To resolve any issues, tutors should be the first point of contact, followed by Assistant Heads of Year.
The more your child is in school, the more they increase their opportunity to fulfil their potential.
Attendance is the responsibility of the whole school community. You can speak to your child’s Tutor and Head of Year/ Assistant Head of Year, or contact the Attendance Team if you would like to discuss anything or request additional support.
Attendance: sophiebroomhall@graceacademy.org.uk
Attendance Administrator: jonegardauskaite@graceacademy.org.uk
Senior Attendance Champion: louiseknight@graceacademy.org.uk
Attendance Team: gas-attendance@graceacademy.org.uk
Useful Links for Attendance
NHS Guide: Is My Child Too Ill For School?
DFE Guidance: Working Together to Improve School Attendance