Attendance & Absence
School Hours
8:35am Gates Open
8:35am Classroom Doors Open
8:45am Registration (gates close) - Learning begins
3.15pm End of school day
This amounts to 32.5 hours in a typical week
At Shiphay Learning Academy, we aim to ensure that all children receive an education that maximises opportunities for each pupil to reach their full potential. In order to achieve this, we work hard to provide a welcoming, caring learning environment where every member of the school community feels valued.
Every School Day Counts!
In order for our pupils to achieve their very best it is of paramount importance that their attendance is good. Every lesson really does count for your child and catching up on lost time from school can be really difficult. Good attendance is linked to achievement, better relationships with other children and overall better behaviour. Often, the reason that children are absent from school is due to illness. Please refer to this link for guidance from the NHS if you are unsure whether you can send your child to school or not: NHS 'Is my child too ill for school?' guidance
You can help to ensure that your child’s attendance is good by leading a healthy lifestyle: exercising regularly, getting enough sleep and maintaining a balanced diet. Missing any period of time of schooling has been proven to be detrimental, both academically and socially. We understand that sometimes absence cannot be avoided, but it is important that we share with you the following information:
Attendance | Impact on learning in the year | Outcome |
100% attendance | 0 weeks of learning missed | Best chance of success – well done! |
95% attendance | 1 week, 4 days of learning missed | Poor attendance – we’re worried |
90% attendance | 3 weeks, 4 days of learning missed | Classed by the government as persistent absentee – your child will be falling behind their peers |
85% attendance | 5 weeks, 3 days of learning missed – that is the equivalent of the January half-term | You may be asked to sign a parenting contract – your child will need intervention in school |
80% attendance | At least 7 weeks, 3 days of learning missed | You may be referred to social care for neglect. Your child will be considerably behind their peers and it will be difficult for them to catch up without significant input from school and home |
Absences
If your child is poorly you must contact school by 8.45am or as soon as practically possible to inform the Office that your child will be absent from school and to give a reason for that absence. You must do this on each day of your child's absence.
You do this by ringing 01803 613556 and selecting Option 1 from the menu available. We then record this information and pass it on to teachers. We ask you to ring each day to keep us updated. A member of the administrative staff checks absences every day and follows up with a call where we have not been notified of a child's absence, in line with our Safeguarding procedures.
If your child has received specialist care for a medical condition, please ask them for some guidance on supporting their return to school, particularly regarding playtimes and P.E.
We are required by law to record absences and share these figures with parents, Torbay LA and the DfE. An absence is considered to be unauthorised if we have not been informed by parents.
Parents at Shiphay are really good at letting us know when their child is absent, so keep helping us to make sure that our unauthorised absence figures remain low.
Holidays During Term Time
In order to ensure that the pupils at Shiphay Learning Academy receive an education that maximises opportunities for each pupil to reach their full potential, the Head of School will not authorise term time holidays. Any exceptional circumstances should be put into writing to the Head of School by completing an Absence Request form and an individual decision will be made. Unauthorised leave can result in the parents being fined £80 per parent per child (please see further information in the letter below from Torbay Local Authority). The Local Authority may take parents to court where parents take their child out of school without authorisation.
If a request is made for an absence in term time, you must have Parental Responsibility and be the parent with whom the child normally lives. Permission must be sought in advance by completing an Absence Request form. If you do not have Parental Responsibility and/or do not normally live with the child, you must seek the consent of the parent who does and that person should complete the Absence Request form.