Good attendance is crucial for student success. The school aims to create a culture that values attendance and punctuality. Our school target for the Year is 97% across all year groups. Below you will find details relating to attendance along with who to contact.
- Roles and Responsibilities: Improving attendance is a shared responsibility among students, families, and school staff. Everyone has a role to play
- Reporting Absence: Families must notify the school before 8:45 am on the first day of an unplanned absence and every day thereafter.
- Providing Reasons for Absence: For absences longer than three days or if the school has concerns, medical evidence might be required.
- Term-Time Absence: Requests for leave during term time are only granted in exceptional circumstances. Please submit requests at least two weeks in advance.
- Lateness: Students arriving late before the register closes will be marked as late (L). Arrivals after the register closes are marked as absent (U). Persistent lateness will be addressed.
- Unexplained Absences: The school will contact families for any unexplained absence and might conduct a home visit if necessary.
- Authorised vs. Unauthorised Absence: Valid reasons for authorised absence (e.g., illness, medical appointments, religious observance). Unauthorised absences include holidays not approved by the school and absences without a satisfactory reason.
- Legal Enforcement: Families can be fined for their child’s unauthorised absence. Fines start at £80 and can increase for non-payment or repeated offenses.
- Promoting Attendance: The school implements strategies to promote attendance, including rewards, communication with families, and support for students facing attendance barriers.
- Attendance Monitoring: Attendance data is monitored at various levels to identify trends, areas of concern, and students needing support. The school uses data to inform interventions and strategies for improvement.
Please refer to the complete attendance policy document for detailed information which you can download below. You can contact the Assistant Headteacher responsible for Attendance on 01283 248805 or via email at attendance@paget.staffs.sch.uk.
What to do if your child is unable to attend Paget High School
Term-Time Holiday Requests: Submit requests for leave during term time well in advance, ideally at least two weeks before the anticipated absence. Be aware that the Headteacher grants term-time leave only in exceptional circumstances, assessing each request individually. Supporting evidence may be required.
Immediate Notification: Contact the school before 8:45 am on the first day of absence and each subsequent day to report your child’s inability to attend. This communication should be done by calling the Attendance office 01283 248805.
Provide a Reason: Clearly explain the reason for the absence when reporting it. The school uses specific absence codes for tracking and monitoring attendance.
Medical Evidence: For absences exceeding three days or if the school raises concerns about the illness, provide medical documentation to support the absence. Acceptable evidence can include a doctor’s note, prescription, or appointment card. The school won’t request medical evidence unnecessarily.
Extended Absence Due to Illness: If your child’s absence due to illness is expected to last 15 consecutive school days or more, or if their total illness-related absence during the school year will reach or exceed 15 days, the school will make a sickness return to the local authority.
Home Visit: If an absence remains unexplained for three days, the school staff will conduct a welfare home visit to discuss the return to school.
Keep School Updated: If the absence extends beyond the initial day, continue to inform the school.
Engage with the School: Maintain open communication with the school, especially for ongoing or complex attendance concerns.
Special Considerations for Planned Absences: For planned absences, such as medical appointments, please notify us in advance. While we acknowledge the necessity of medical appointments, we encourage scheduling these outside school hours whenever feasible. If an in-school-hours appointment is unavoidable, please try to minimise your child’s time away from school.