Attendance
Setting a good attendance pattern will help your child to accept and understand patterns of behaviour that will help them in their ‘adult life’. Your child’s attendance can affect their achievement in school both academically and socially.
Poor attendance can lead to poor GCSE results and less of an opportunity to progress to further education as well as reducing their chances of getting a job. You might not be thinking of your child’s future employment now but employers want to recruit people who are reliable and punctual.
Pupils who did not achieve grade 9 to 4 in English and maths GCSEs in 2019 had an overall absence rate of 8.8% over the key stage, compared with 5.2% among pupils who achieved a grade 4 and 3.7% among pupils who achieved grade 9 to 5 in both English and maths.
DfE 2022
What should I do if my child is absent from school?
All absences must be reported to the school on each day of illness by 8:50am. Absences can be reported to the school by either telephoning the absence line on 01252 542397 (option 1) or sending an email absence@coveschool.uk with the following information; child’s name, year group and reason for their absence (for example high temperature or sickness bug).
This must be reported on the first day of absence and all subsequent days unless the school has indicated otherwise.
If your child is absent and we have not heard from you, a text will be sent requesting the reason why your child is absent (this is because we have a duty to ensure your child’s safety as well as their regular school attendance). For further information see the ‘Attendance Procedures for Parents and Carers’ document at the bottom of the page.
What should I do if I need to take my child out of school for medical appointment?
Standard medical or dental appointments should be made outside school hours. If a child is absent for a medical appointment, it is still regarded as an absence from school and parents will need to provide proof of the appointment. Where there is no alternative for an appointment outside of the school day, children should only miss a short period of time and return to school as promptly as possible.
Please make sure the school are notified of any medical appointments, these can either be reported by either telephoning the school on 01252 542397, send an email to absence@coveschool.uk or alternatively write a note in your child’s school planner.
Students leaving the school site during the school day must sign out at the Student Enquiries office, and sign in again upon return.
Parents must go to Reception and advise who they are collecting and what they are collecting them for. If you wish your child to walk home or make their way straight to the appointment, please contact the school on the morning to advise.
NB: We would like to ask parents not to call or text their children during the school day. If an urgent message needs to be passed to your child, please call reception and we will ensure the message is passed on.
How do I request leave of Absence?
Each year there are only 190 statutory school days, which leaves 175 days (weekends and school holidays) for non-urgent medical and dental appointments, treats or holidays.
If there are exceptional circumstances as to why a child/ren should be taken out of school, parents/carers must complete a leave of absence request form in advance of the trip.
Requests for leave of absence during term time will rarely be authorised and only in exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the head teacher. Although each request will be considered on a case-by-case basis a child/ren 's overall attendance will be taken into account.
When requests are declined this is regarded as an unauthorised absence and if it is taken, each parent(s) is liable to a fixed penalty notice which may result in a £60 fine per parent.
A ‘Request to Authorise Absence from School due to Exceptional Circumstances’ form needs to be completed prior to the absence. This should be returned to the school office at least 4 to 6 weeks prior to the first date of absence. We understand that in some cases (e.g. a change of circumstance or an emergency) this may not be possible.
Copies of this form are available from the school office and at the bottom of this page.
Punctuality to school
We believe that punctuality is an important part of self-discipline and is essential to good time management. Students are expected to be on time for the start of morning and afternoon registration and for every lesson and should therefore be in the school grounds by 8.25am in the morning.
Morning Registration: 8:30am / Afternoon Registration: 1:55pm
The statutory guidance from the DfE and Hampshire County Council expects all schools to monitor students who are arriving late to school. On-going and repeated lateness is considered as unauthorised absence and will be subject to legal action. Please see the lateness to school document at the bottom of this page, which outlines the procedure we follow, including the issuing of ‘Penalty Notices’ for students who are persistently late to school.