Attendance

Attend to Achieve!

Excellent attendance is essential for a student to achieve their full potential.

The Priory School’s attendance target is for every student to achieve:

We view any student not achieving this as a concern although we appreciate that for a very small minority there will be extenuating circumstances which prevent this from happening.

If a student’s attendance falls to below 92% you will be asked to provide medical evidence to support the absence so that it can be authorised.

Any student whose attendance is below 90% regardless of the reason, will be considered persistently absent by both the school and the government and this is when Surrey Inclusion Service may become involved.

A fixed penalty notice will be issued for unauthorised holidays.

If absence is known in advance please complete a Request for Leave of Absence form.

If absence was not planned, please use Edulink to report the student’s absence by 8:30am or if this is not possible call 01306 878 784

What can parents and carers do to ensure that their child doesn’t miss out on important teaching and learning?

Every day matters

Remember that every day of attendance really does matter.

Arrive on time

Students are expected to be in school by 8:50am for an 8:55am start. Students who are over 5 minutes late will be given a break time detention.

Phone the school daily if your child is absent

Phone the school daily whenever your child is absent giving reason for absence.

Only let your child to stay off school for genuine illness

We all get colds and coughs and minor illness should not be a reason to miss a whole day. Feel free to call us for advice.

Do not take holidays in school time

We will not authorise them.

Do not allow days off

Do not allow days off for birthdays, shopping trips, etc.

Routine appointments

Make routine dental, optitians or doctor's appointments outside school time.

Ask your child about their day

to check in on any issues which may affect them wanting to be in school.

Be aware of your child's attendance level

Medical evidence may be requested to support absences – please click on the links to view Attendance Phases for Parent (1b) and Student (1c) on the Attendance Website.

Contact us if you have any concerns

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any concerns regarding your child’s attendance. The Pastoral team should be your first point of contact.  We will fully support your child to thrive and be safe in school.

Attendance Matters

We know that high attendance at school and achieving high grades are linked. Take a look at the table chart to see how attendance affects grades. Click on each circle to reveal how attendance affects results.

Please click on the headings below for further information

Phase 1

95 – 92%

Below satisfactory attendance level

Unauthorised absences may be on the attendance record

  • The student will have an initial discussion with their Pastoral Leader to discuss their overall attendance rate.
  • Any underlying issues will be able to be fully discussed and parents and carers will be notified when required.
  • Attendance will be monitored each week by the Pastoral Leader to ensure that it moves towards the school target of 97%.
  • Where attendance does not improve or where a student has regular unauthorised absences, or parents continue to fail to notify the school of the reasons, students will be automatically be moved to Phase 2 or 3.

Punctuality matters

Arrive on time

Students are expected to be in school and lining up for lesson by 8:50am for an 8:55am lesson start.

What happens if students are late

The student will be at a disadvantage. The student may miss important content at the start of the lesson and interrupt learning.

Students who are more than 5 minutes late will be required to sign in at reception and will be given a breaktime detention.

Persistent late – if a student is late to school either 2 times per week and/or 5 occasions in a half term then the additional sanction is an automatic same day 60 minutes after school late Detention.

Persistent lateness – the Pastoral Lead will require a meeting with students and parents to discuss lateness.

Parents/Carers

We welcome the opportunity to engage with parents and carers about their child’s attendance.
Please contact school to let us know if there are any issues that are affecting punctuality or attendance.
Early intervention and student support sits at the heart of our approach to raising levels of student attendance and achievement.

Phase 1

95 – 92%

Below satisfactory attendance level

Unauthorised absences may be on the attendance record

  • The student will have an initial discussion with their Pastoral Leader to discuss their overall attendance rate.
  • Any underlying issues will be able to be fully discussed and parents and carers will be notified when required.
  • Attendance will be monitored each week by the Pastoral Leader to ensure that it moves towards the school target of 97%.
  • Where attendance does not improve or where a student has regular unauthorised absences, or parents continue to fail to notify the school of the reasons, students will be automatically be moved to Phase 2 or 3.

Attendance Matters

We know that high attendance at school and achieving high grades are linked. Take a look at the table chart to see how attendance affects grades. Click on each circle to reveal how attendance affects results.

Contact Us

Main Office: 01306 887 337
Student Absence: 01306 878 784
Finance Office: 01306 878 796

The Priory School
West Bank
Dorking
RH4 3DG