If your child is absent from school, please use Class Charts to provide a reason for the absence. If you are unable to access the internet, please telephone 01275 332272 and press 1 for student absences before 8:30am if possible, giving your child’s:

• name
• tutor group
• the reason for absence 

If your child is absent and we have had no message, we will try to contact you by telephone or by text during the morning to check the reason for the absence and confirm that is authorised by you. Please respond promptly to any messages.

Family holidays should not be taken during term-time. Absence from school is educationally disruptive and students find it difficult to catch up work that has been missed. Good attendance is crucial to academic success, please read our Attendance for Achievement leaflet for more details.

Parents and carers do not have the automatic right to withdraw students from school and, in law, have to apply for permission in advance. Amendments to the 2006 regulations (2013) make clear that Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Please complete this pupil absence request for exceptional circumstances form and send to the Headteacher via reception. You are advised not to make any arrangements until your request has been considered by the school.

Absence which has not been agreed in advance by the Headteacher is marked as “unauthorised absence” and may result in a penalty notice being issued (see the back of the pupil absence request for exceptional circumstances form for details of this).