Attendance at Anthony Gell School

We strongly believe that regular attendance is an important part of helping every student to feel connected, make progress and get the most from their time at school.  We recognise that there may be times when attendance is affected by illness or other circumstances.  We are committed to working positively with students and families to provide support, address any barriers to attendance and encourage good attendance.

You can find further information about our expectations, procedures and support available in our attendance handbook and attendance policy below.

The Attendance Management System

The Pastoral Team will

  •  Operate AGS first response procedure by contacting the parents of students (all years) who have not arrived to school that morning. If parents cannot be contacted on the numbers provided,they will leave a message.
  • Oversee weekly monitoring of unexplained absence, including production of parental letters to clarify a recent absence.
  •  Ensure that a record exists for a pupil absence from parents and, if not, that the reason for absence is followed up.
  •  Ensure that all registers are completed.
  • Ensure that all suspected truancy is followed up and dealt with.
  • Arrange individual meetings with students with attendance between 85-90% – parents receive a letter outlining the reasons for the meeting.

If you have any specific questions, please contact our Pastoral Team.

Your Role as a Parent/Carer

  • Parents should notify the school if a student is absent. This includes ringing the school reception each day a student will be off ill, unless an indication of how long they’re expected to be off has been given.
  •  It is a parent/carers’ legal obligation to get their child into school.
  •  If you’re struggling to get your child into school, speak to their pastoral manager who can help offer support for you and your child.
  • All notes will be retained under the Pastoral Care System.
  • Standard letters are sent out every month for students whose attendance falls below 90%.
  • Attendance panel meetings will be held every term for students with an attendance of below 85% and the child’s parent/carer will be asked to attend.

The Average Attendance

A healthy pupil is expected to achieve an average attendance above 95%. When attendance falls below this, progress at school can be seriously affected. Students whose attendance is causing particular concern i.e. below 85%, may be referred to an Educational Welfare Officer.

The Government classify below 90% as persistent absence and require student attendance to be closely monitored. 

Leave of Absence

The school will only grant a pupil a leave of absence in exceptional circumstances.

In order to have requests for a leave of absence considered, the school will expect parents to contact the headteacher in writing at least two weeks prior to the proposed start date of the leave of absence, providing the reason for the proposed absence and the dates during which the absence would be expected to occur.

The Leave Absence Form can be returned by giving a physical copy to the school reception, or by emailing a copy to enquiries@anthonygellschool.co.uk. Please click here to download a word version. Leave Of Absence Form(downloads a word version) or a PDF version Leave Of Absence Form(opens in PDF)

Any requests for leave during term time will be considered on an individual basis and the pupil’s previous attendance record will be taken into account. Where the absence is granted, the headteacher will determine the length of time that the pupil can be away from school. The school is not likely to grant leaves of absence for the purposes of family holidays.

If term-time leave is not granted, taking a pupil out of school will be recorded as an unauthorised absence and may result in sanctions, such as a penalty notice. The school cannot grant leaves of absence retrospectively; therefore, any absences that were not approved by the school in advance will be marked as unauthorised.

Parent/carers may be issued with a penalty notice fine or prosecution should leave of 5 days or more be taken which is not authorised by the Headteacher, or where repeated incidents of leave in term time for less than 5 days occur or where the unauthorised absence contributes to wider poor attendance that meets the legal threshold. Absence deemed for the reason of unauthorised leave in term time will be marked in the register with the Attendance code G.

Authorised Vs Unauthorised Absence

An authorised absence means that you have provided evidence for an absence, that the school accept the reason you have given for your child’s absence and have marked the register accordingly.

An unauthorised absence means that you have given no reason for your child’s absence or that the school do not accept the reason you have given. The law states that parent/carers must ensure that their child regularly attends the school where they are registered. Should your child fail to attend school regularly, legal action may be taken against you.