Attendance
Absence from college
Any absence due to illness must be reported on the first day by telephoning the college on 01580 880360 and selecting option 1, or by e-mailing the Attendance Officer at attendance@robertsbridge.org.uk giving the name of your child, their form and the reason for their absence. Please inform the college by 09:30am on the day of absence.
Supporting Attendance
To ensure good attendance is maintained by all students, the School Attendance Lead and Head of Year will deem appropriate which attendance support to implement. This can include, but is not limited to, a conversation with the student’s form tutor, phone call to parent/carer, an attendance success plan being implemented, an attendance parent contract being put in place, or a referral to the East Sussex Education Service. Parents may be invited in for meeting to discuss the attendance concern and any barriers that may be preventing the student attending school.
Students who are on any form of attendance monitoring must provide medical evidence in order for any absences to be authorised. This evidence could be in the form of a doctor’s note, hospital letter, copy of a prescription, appointment card or medicinal packaging. If medical evidence is not provided, these will be unauthorised.
Students’ lateness into school will be monitored. Persistent lateness can result in a student being placed on a formal monitoring.
Home visits will be conducted when it is felt appropriate. It is preferable that the School Attendance Lead conduct these visits.
Should a student have a serious medical condition, the school will put in place an Individual Healthcare Plan. The School Attendance Lead will put this plan together in conjunction with the parent(s)/carer.
How good is your child's attendance?
Giving your child the best start in life is every parents wish. The opportunity to learn and make progress is essential to improve their life chances.
| 97 % & above | Your child’s attendance is above 97% They are absent less than six days in the school year. They are highly likely to achieve the best grades for their ability, enabling them to continue their studies and raise their earning potential in the world of work |
| 95 % & above | Your child’s attendance is 95% plus They are absent less than 10 days in the school year. They will probably achieve grades that will allow them to continue their studies and raise their earning potential in the world of work. |
| 90 – 95% |
Your child’s attendance is 90-95% They are missing up to 20 days in each school year – a full month! This amount of absence will make progress more difficult and reduce their level of success. |
| 80-90% |
Your child’s attendance is between 80-90% This means they are absent up to 40 days in each school year – EIGHT WEEKS!! Missing this much time will make it extremely difficult for them to keep up in lessons and make progress. |
| Below 80% |
Your child’s attendance is below 80% YOU NEED TO TAKE ACTION NOW! This amount of absence will seriously affect their earning potential and life chances. As a parent you may face court action! |
Your child’s future is important. Help us to help them by reinforcing that Every Lesson Counts!
For further details, see the East Sussex County Council advice at the following link:
Term time absence
The law does not grant parents an automatic right to take their child out of school during term time.
Any absence from school will disrupt your child’s learning. You may consider that an absence will be educational, but your child will still miss out on the teaching that their peers will receive during your holiday. Children returning from a term time absences are unprepared for the lessons which build on the teaching they have missed, and teachers then have to give more time to help them catch up on work. This poses a potential risk of the under-achievement of other students in the class. This is something we all have a responsibility to avoid.
Holiday requests during term time are in line with Local Authority guidelines and at the discretion of the Headteacher. Holidays in term time will not be authorised. If there are extenuating circumstances, these will be taken into consideration. If you feel that your request for an absence is exceptional you will need to complete the form attached to this notification.
Notification of the Headteacher’s decision will be provided to the parent/s in writing.
Click here to read the Notice for Parents regarding a Withdrawal from Learning Application Form
Click here for the Withdrawal from Learning Application Form