St Thomas
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Punctuality
Good punctuality to both school and lessons leads to higher achievement. In the world of work being punctual is something that is required so we try and teach our young people good habits for their future lives. If a student is 5 minutes late three times a week it equates to almost 10 hours of education missed in a year.
We recognise that parents/carers play an integral role to supporting good punctuality and we will work with parents/carers and other agencies to resolve any punctuality issues. The school expects all students to arrive by 8.45am to school and to be on time to lessons.
This ensures that students;
- Maximise their opportunities at school
- Avoids the disruption to lessons and learning
- Develop good habits which will be expected by employers
Students who arrive after 8.45am with a legitimate reason (note provided by parents/carers) will be given a L code (late for the morning session). Students who arrive after 9.10am without a valid reason will be given a U code. This means that they have arrived to school after the morning register has closed and therefore the session is recorded as unauthorised. A 'U' code affects a student's attendance. Poor attendance will require interventions and could result in a referral to WAS (Warwickshire Attendance Service).
Any student who arrives late to school without a valid reason will be issued a 'lates' detention on that day. The school gates are locked at 8.45am. Students arriving after 8.45am should sign in with Mrs Moore in the Admin/Attendance office before going to their form room.
Should you wish to report your child's absence, please email attendance@st-thomas-more.net
Alternatively, you can call or text the attendance number 07561575324 or log the absence via your parentmail app.
Leave of Absence Request
As part of a national drive to raise attendance because of its strong link to educational achievement, there has been an important change to the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) regulations 2006 in that the word “holiday” has been removed. Parents/Carers of pupils at this school have understood that there is no entitlement to holidays during term time and such absences could only be authorised in a restricted number of “special circumstances”. The wording of the amendments now uses the phrase “exceptional circumstances” and Local Authorities will be monitoring very closely schools which appear relaxed in any way.
We work with the Local Authority to to monitor this issue and apply the legal authority they have to issue fixed penalty notices. In the meantime please be aware of the following which summarise the leave of absence regulations:
- Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.
- Headteachers will now determine whether the Leave of Absence is granted or not.
- When requesting Leave of Absence, Parents/Carers are asked to make clear how the circumstances leading to the request are exceptional.
- Leave of Absence must be requested in advance.
- If Leave of Absence is not granted the absence will be coded as unauthorised.
There is an application form for Leave of Absence which can be obtained from the student services or or downloaded via a link at the bottom of the page. Please contact Mrs Moore, Attendance Officer, on 02476 642400, for a Leave of Absence form if you are unable to download the form.
We ask parents/carers to respect these changes under which we must now work. Each application for Leave of Absence will be considered on a case by case basis and on its own merit. We greatly appreciate parental support to reduce the total amount of days lost due to holidays. We are committed to working in partnership with you to enable your child to reach his/her academic targets and to support their social development. For this to happen we need to keep attendance a priority and for it to remain as high as possible. We would appreciate you communicating this information to close family members.
Attendance plays a crucial role in a student's academic success and overall development. Regular attendance directly affects a student's ability to learn and succeed academically. When students attend school consistently, they are more likely to stay on track with their lessons, understand key concepts, and perform well in exams. Attending school regularly helps students establish daily routines, which are important for their physical and mental well-being. These routines teach students the importance of structure and punctuality, which are essential for success in adulthood.
Please click on the link for further information. Attendance Matters
Leave of Absence Form 2024/25
