Our Attendance and Liaison Officer Mrs L Brown can be contacted on l.brown@passmoresacademy.com

We believe that all students are only able to achieve their potential if they attend school punctually and avoid missing lessons.  We expect students to achieve a minimum of 97% attendance and punctuality. 

If your child is unable to attend school please contact the school, by either:

• reporting via the Arbor app
• calling the absence line number 01279 770877 
• emailing attendance@passmoresacademy.com

Please leave a message with the following information:

• Child's name
• Year group
• Tutor group
• Reason for absence
• Expected length of absence

Attendance figures below 90% are of real concern.  Consider the following examples:-

• 90% is the equivalent to missing one day per fortnight which equates to missing half a year’s education during the course of Years 7-11
• 80% is the equivalent to missing one day per week which equates to missing one full year during the course of Years 7-11

Good attendance contributes to:

• Personal and social development
• Continuity of learning, making retention and progress easier
• Success in tests and examinations
• Fulfilment of coursework requirements
• Good references for further education or employment
• A reputation for reliability

What does the school do to encourage good attendance?

• Inter tutor group competitions and rewards
• Individual rewards for students with good and excellent attendance records
• School, year group and tutor group targets are set for attendance and individual targets, where necessary
• Regular attendance information sent to parents/carers to assist them in monitoring their child’s attendance
• Regular promotion of good attendance in assemblies, the student bulletin, the Flyer and at parents’/carers’ evenings
• Detailed analysis of attendance figures and trends for individuals, year groups, sub-groups and the whole school
• Regular reports to governors
• Computerised registration system which allows every lesson to be monitored
• Automatic contact with parents/carers when students are absent or late
• Dedicated Attendance and Liaison Officer
• Support for students and parents/carers where attendance difficulties are emerging

Parents/carers make a vital contribution to their child’s attendance by:

• Supporting their child in achieving 100% attendance
• Monitoring their child’s attendance by checking the report which is sent home termly
• Avoiding dental/medical appointments during school time when possible
• Ensuring their child arrives punctually at school
• Encouraging their child to catch up on work missed through absence
• Informing the school in the morning if their child will be absent
• Taking holidays during school holidays and NOT in term time

The school has a responsibility to:

• Record daily, students’ attendance and punctuality
• Provide attendance and punctuality percentages
• Monitor all attendance and punctuality
• Share concerns with regard to attendance and punctuality with parents/carers and the school’s Attendance Service
• Decide whether to authorise student absence from school (see below)
• Set attendance targets

Authorising Absence

Only the school can authorise absence. Government guidelines are specific and allow the school to authorise the following:

• Student absence through “leave” given by the school (this commonly includes medical appointments, interviews and other similar special circumstances)
• Student illness
• Religious observance, where applicable

Examples of absence which have not been authorised in the past include:

• Shopping trips
• “Looking after” brother/sister, cat/dog, elderly relative etc
• Arrival after the close of registration with no valid reason
• Truancy
• Day trips
• Holidays taken during term time

Attendance Sanctions

Being late 10 minutes every day for one year is equal to 33 hours - approximately 6 days!

Attendance Monitoring (Please refer to the impact of lost learning hours tab below)

If attendance is a cause for concern (attendance is 95% attendance or less) please expect contact from us to discuss these concerns. If no improvement is seen we will invite you to a meeting to discuss these issues further.