Attendance

Report a Student Absence

Absence Procedure

At Arthur Mellows Village College we recognise that there is a very clear relationship between the regularity with which students attend school and their academic achievement.

Students with good attendance records benefit from:

Continuity of learning in lessons.
Improved performance in examinations.
Support and guidance with coursework.
Maintaining friendships.
Developing good habits for adult life.
References for further education or employment highlighting their reliability.

We therefore ask for your support to keep absenteeism to a minimum, so that we can prepare your son/daughter effectively for their future.

Attendance Process

If your child is absent from the College you must contact school on the first day of absence and all subsequent days by 9.00 am, please provide a reason.

If we receive no confirmation of the reason parents/carers will receive a call from one of our Pastoral Team.
On returning to the College it is the student’s responsibility to catch up on work missed.
If your child is absent for more than three days, parents/carers will receive a phone call home or a home visit to see if any support is required.
If your child’s attendance drops below 96% it will be monitored.
If your child’s attendance drops below 90% then they will be put on a persistent absentee list.
Home visit letters.
Letter 1 – Attendance is cause for concern.
Letter 2 – Parents/carers will be invited in for a meeting to discuss their child’s attendance (a way forward and period of notice to improve will be discussed).
Letter 3 – Intention to issue a penalty notice.
If there are still no improvements cases could be passed on to the authorities for possible prosecution in either the Family or Magistrates Court.
The College may also refer the matter to the authorities if attendance falls below 95% without justifiable cause.
The Senior Attendance Champion, the senior leader with responsibility for the strategic approach to attendance, is Mr Watson (Deputy Headteacher) and he can be contacted using the school office email address: office@arthurmellows.org
The first point of contact for parents and students with any attendance concerns is Ms Mitchell (Attendance Officer) and she can be contacted using the school office email address: office@arthurmellows.org

Holidays in Term Time

Holidays will not be authorised for students in Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9) and Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11) as the lessons they miss will have a detrimental effect on their GCSEs and academic success.
Exceptional leave may be granted at the discretion of the Attendance Officer.

As a College we recognise that financial pressures and work commitments sometimes make it difficult to take holidays outside of school time. However, parents/carers cannot avoid the fact that students will only have one chance to get their education right and for the staff at the College to do their very best for your child we ask that you support us in this matter.

If you choose to take unauthorised leave of absence, then you may be at risk of a £160 fine from Peterborough City Council.

Attend to Achieve

Attendance in one school year	Equals days absent	Which is approximately weeks absent	Which means the number of lessons missed	Absence over 5 years
95%	9 days	2 Weeks	60 lessons	¼ year
90%	19 days	4 Weeks	120 lessons	½ year
80%	38 days	8 Weeks	240 lessons	1 year
70%	57 days	11 ½ Weeks	345 lessons	1¼ year
60%	80 days	16 Weeks	400 lessons	2 years
50%	100 days	20 Weeks	600 lessons	2½ years