Attendance

If your child is aged between 5 and 16, you must make sure they attend school regularly and stay in school. This is law. You can be taken to court for breaking this law (Section 444 of the Education Act 1996). 

Parents should ensure their children arrive at school on time, properly dressed and in a condition to learn. 

This means pupils should wear school uniform. They must have their books, pens, pencils, PE kit etc, and not be too tired, worried or hungry. Parents must also make sure that pupils complete homework on time and keep to school rules about behaviour. 

• Have a regular bedtime
• Limit digital technology use – e.g. gaming, social media etc and finish at least one hour before bed
• Ensure your child has their own alarm clock
• Get their bag and all of their equipment and kit ready the night before
• Establish routes to school in advance 

• The Academy day starts at 8:40am when all pupils are expected to be in their designated area.
• Pupils are expected to arrive on time for each period of the day.
• Pupils arriving late will be marked as late in the register and a 15 minute break time detention will be issued.
• Late to school is defined as any pupil arriving to school after the gates have closed 8.40am.
• Late to lesson is defined as arriving to the classroom after the door has been closed by the class teacher

• To avoid gaps in learning
• To help achieve good exam results
• To help with applications to sixth form, college or an apprenticeship 
• To prevent further action from the school and/or the local authority 
• To show a good attitude to learning

What is a good attendance?

It is useful for you to know what attendance figures mean for your child. We encourage all parents and carers to use the Class Charts app in order to monitor their child's attendance.

Our minimum expected target for all students is 97%.

All pupils whose attendance is below 90% are classified as Persistent Absentees and, depending upon personal circumstances, face possible referral to the Warwickshire Attendance Services.

The image below provides more detailed information about attendance over the course of a full academic year.

Parents are expected to perform their legal duty by ensuring their children of compulsory school age who are registered at HHA attend regularly and arrive to school on time. If a child of compulsory school age fails to attend regularly at a school at which they are registered the parents may be guilty of an offence and can be prosecuted by the local authority.

Our attendance team supports parents, students, teaching staff and other professionals to secure the highest possible attendance for all pupils in the academy.

• To look after the house or other members of the family
• To go shopping or visit relatives
• Because they are menstruating 
• Because of waking up late
• For family birthdays or outings 

A pupil is defined as 'persistently absent' when their attendance falls below 90%

As you will all be aware, current attendance regulations stipulate a Principal may not grant a leave of absence during term - time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Under the Midland Academies Trust policy we are unable to grant any requests for leave of absence due to holiday. Each application for a leave of absence will be considered on a case - by - case basis and on its own merits. It is for the Principal to decide what they view as ‘exceptional’ and it is at their discretion if the circumstances warrant the leave to be granted.

If the leave is granted, the Principal is able to determine the number of school days a child can be absent for. 

The academy can only consider leave of absence requests which are made by the ‘resident’ parent. Where applications for leave of absence are made in advance and refused, the child will be required to be in the academy on the dates set out in the application. 

If the child is absent during that period, it will be recorded as an unauthorised absence, which may result in legal action being taken against the parent(s), by way of a Fixed Penalty Notice. Failure to make an application for leave in advance can also result in a Fixed Penalty Notice being issued to the parent(s). Where a Fixed Penalty Notice is issued and not paid within the required timeframe as set out on the notice, the matter will be referred to Warwickshire County Council’s Legal Services to consider instigating criminal proceedings under S444 Education Act 1996. 

Parents are asked to respect the new regulations under which the School must work and if there is a need to take a child out of Hartshill Academy during term - time, an application or request must be made in advance and make clear how the circumstances are exceptional. 

If your child is unable to attend the academy, the parent/carer must inform our Attendance Officer before 8.30am that day.  Please use Weduc to report absences. 

If you are leaving a message to report a pupil absence please include their name, year or form group, reason for absence and expected length of absence. 

If you are unsure of the length of absence please inform the Attendance Office before 8:30am on each day of absence.  

Please provide evidence of appointments if they are during school hours. 

If you cannot access Weduc please contact the Attendance Officer please use the details below: 

Attendance Officer: Miss Mollie Goode 

Email Address: mollie.goode@hartshillacademy.org.uk

Telephone Number: 02476 392 237

Please contact the school on infoHHA@hartshillacademy.org.uk if you require access to Weduc. 

Parents and carers can explain absences, but they cannot authorise them. Only the academy can decide whether explanations about absences are acceptable and can be authorised.  

For all pupils whose absence is below 93%, the academy will insist a doctor’s note or some form of medical evidence is provided. All other absences will be coded as ‘O’ and will not be authorised.

• They will be at a disadvantage
• They may miss important knowledge and content at the start of the lesson and interrupt learning.
• The school day starts at 8.40am when all pupils are expected to be in their designated area.
• Pupils are expected to arrive on time for each period of the day including registration and assemblies
• Pupils arriving late with be marked late in the register and a consequence will be applied.
• Late to school is defined as any pupil arriving after 9:05am.
• Late to lesson is defined as arriving to the classroom after the classroom door has been closed by the class teacher.

Pupils who arrive at school after 8.40am will receive a 15-minute lunch time detention that day.