Attendance
It is a legal obligation that children of school age attend school regularly. Here at Robert Clack School we know and appreciate that at times it may not be possible for your child to attend school. For more information, please see our attendance information for parents.
Sickness
If a pupil is unwell, it is the responsibility of the parent/carer to contact the school on the morning of their first day of absence. There are three ways to report your child absent from school: -
Telephone
You can call the school number 0208 270 4200
Select your child’s site
- Select option 1 for the Gosfield Road Site
- Select option 2 for the Green Lane Site
- Select option 3 for the Lymington Fields Site
- Select option 4 for the Primary School
- Select option 5 for the 6th form.
When the office is closed there is an answering service to leave a message.
Email
By email
You can send an email to the school using the following email address.
pupilabsence@robertclack.co.uk giving your child’s full name and form and reason for absence.
My Child at School App
Through the My Child At School App
You can send a message using the app by logging in and clicking on the word MESSAGE.
If you have previously received or sent messages you can continue on the message feed and type a message.
If you have never received or sent a message using the app, click on start conversation and type out your message.
The messages are sent to an email inbox which is monitored by staff members and the attendance will be updated on the system for your child.
If a child is marked absent and a message has not been received, then a message will be sent to the parent/carer on the morning of absence and a reply using one of the methods above should be received by 10.30am. If no response is received by 10:30am then the school will contact you by telephone to find out a reason for absence.
If your child becomes unwell during the day they will be sent to the LSC to be assessed and if it is necessary parents/carers will be called and arrangements will be made for them to leave school. In the event that they need urgent medical attention an ambulance will be called by a first aider and the parent/carer will be contacted immediately.
Administration of medicine
To ensure good attendance at school, here at Robert Clack we appreciate that at times your child may be unwell and in need of taking a short course of medication. The office staff on your child’s site are happy to help with the coordination of this to enable your child to attend school if well enough. If you require medication to be kept in school please see the
attached letter and complete a
medication form, without this completed form medication will not be allowed to be taken.
PE Lessons
If your child needs to be excused from their PE lesson more than twice in a consecutive week you must provide a doctor’s/hospital note detailing why they are unable to participate and how long for. This must be either emailed to the office email address office@robertclack.co.uk or a paper copy taken to the main office on your child’s site.
If your child needs to miss one PE lesson due to sickness you must write a note addressed to your child’s PE teacher explaining why they are unable to participate in the lesson. However, your child must still bring their PE Kit with them on the day as this is part of their school equipment. Depending on why your child is unable to take part in the lesson they may still be expected to get changed and take part in an alternative activity. Please note we do not except having a cold or being on your menstrual cycle as an excuse to miss a lesson.
Failure to follow these school procedures will result in a detention.
Do not call the school office or email the school on the morning of your child’s PE lesson as it is not guaranteed that the message will be received by the teacher before the start of the PE lesson.
If your child forgets their PE kit and you would like to drop it to the school office you may do so and a member of the office staff will send a message to the PE Department notifying them that it has arrived. Please be aware that the office staff will not take your childs PE kit to them in their lesson.
Policy on holidays during term time
The Governing Body of Robert Clack School decided to adopt a position of not authorising holidays during term time, in line with Local Authority guidance.
You may request leave of absence in exceptional circumstances or on compassionate grounds but we are not obliged to grant it. Should you wish to request leave of absence please complete this form outlining the reason for your request. Once your request form has been received and a decision made you will receive a letter via email with the outcome of your request.
Please be aware that if a request is refused and your child still incurs unauthorised absences, the Local Authority may issue a Penalty Notice against you.
What does your child’s attendance percentage mean?
Each academic year, every pupil is set a minimum target of attendance that is above 96%. We ask that you help us impress upon your child that each absence from school equals lost learning time. The table below highlights this:
Punctuality
One of the aims of the Robert Clack School is to prepare children for adult life. To this end we expect everyone to be punctual at all times.
At Robert Clack School we expect our pupils to arrive at school every day on time; outstanding punctuality is just as important as excellent attendance.
- 5 minutes late every day= 3 days of education lost
- 10 minutes late every day= 6 days lost of education
- 30 minutes late every day= 19 days lost of education this is the same as 90% attendance
A pupil arriving after 8.40am is late and receives a late mark in the register. If a student arrives after 9:30am they will receive a 'U' mark which will negatively affect their attendance. Members of staff are always here ready to receive pupils in the morning. We would ask for your co-operation in ensuring that your child leaves home early enough to arrive at school before the bell. Pupils who are late twice or more in one week without good reason will receive a late detention.
For further information, please see our
attendance information leaflet for parents