Student Absence
All Absence Must Be Reported To The Attendance Office By 9AM Each Day. (This includes all medical appointments and sickness)
To Report Absence For All Students Please Use The Contact Details Below:
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| 01622 623922 | Attendance@mgs.kent.sch.uk |
Out of hours, you will hear a recorded message which invites you to leave the following information:-
- Your Child’s Name
- Form Group
- Reason For Absence
- Expected Date of Return (if known); if unknown, please communicate daily until your child returns to school.
On your child's return to school, please confirm the reason for absence with an e-mail or a letter which you have signed. This must be adressed to the attendance office. (Letters should be handed to the attendance office located in the old Headmaster's house)
Good Attendance helps your child to achieve at a higher level
What we do:
- Work with you to ensure attendance is as good as it can be because every lesson counts.
- Operate an Electronic statutory and lesson by lesson registration system.
- Text or e-mail home on a daily basis for those pupils who are absent but whose parents have not made contact with the school.
- Send a letter or e-mail home after 3 days of continuous absence if we have been unable to make contact.
- Involve agencies such as the School Liason Officer at the Inclusion and Attendance Service to help support and improve attendance.
Please remember:
- We will use our discretion in deciding whether to authorise an absence.
- Attendance is a legal requirement (Our individual and school target is an attendance rate of at least 96% over the course of the academic year.).
- You are legally responsible for ensuring your children attend school on a regular basis.
- You could face prosecution if you do not ensure regular attendance by your child.
Extraordinary leave of absence procedures.
Family Holidays during term time:
The expectation that pupils will not take holidays in term time and (therefore not miss school) is a national expectation rather than just the School’s. Permission for leave may only be granted under exceptional circumstances. To request a leave of absence for your child please submit an extraordinary leave of absence form HERE. This e-form will be submitted directly to the attendance office.
This form must be submitted to the attendance office prior to any firm booking or arrangements being made and at least two weeks prior to the first day of planned absence.
In considering whether or not to authorise a request for extraordinary leave of absence for holiday during term time, the School will look at each individual case and only grant authorisation if:
Proof can be provided that parents’ own annual leave can only be taken during term time; for example, a letter from employer.
Or
Exceptional compassionate circumstances for example, bereavement or terminal illness within the family.
If these criteria are not met then the School will not authorise the term time leave. If the holiday is taken regardless then the absence will be recorded as unauthorised absence from school using the DFE’s “G” Code:
“G: Family holiday not agreed or days in excess of agreement.”
To whom can I appeal if the leave is declined?
Should the authorisation of leave be declined, parents have the right of appeal to the Headmaster in the first instance and the Governing Body thereafter.
One Day Request - Family Event or Educational Event:
Family Event:
This form is for the purpose of applying for a single day leave of absence for a family event such as a wedding, christening or funeral. The School’s expectation is that for family events such as these, only a single day of leave will be granted. If however, additional travelling time is needed then please explain this on the absence form. To request a leave of absence for your child please submit an extraordinary leave of absence form HERE. This e-form will be submitted directly to the attendance office.
Educational Event:
This form is for the purpose of applying for a single day leave of absence, due to an educational event. Examples may include events such as a university visit, educational interviews, representative sporting fixture, musical performance. Please note that absence is only accepted for driving tests, not driving lessons.
With the above types of requests, permission will usually be granted. The e-form below should be submitted two weeks prior to the planned event where possible. To request a leave of absence for your child please submit an extraordinary leave of absence form HERE. This e-form will be submitted directly to the attendance office.
If the School do not authorise the term time absence and leave is taken regardless then the absence will be recorded as unauthorised absence from school using the DFE’s “O” Code:
“O: Unauthorised Absence.”
To whom can I appeal if the leave is declined?
Should the authorisation of leave be declined, parents have the right of appeal to the Deputy Head (Staff and Students) in the first instance and the Headmaster and then the Governing Body thereafter.
To request a leave of absence for your child please submit an extraordinary leave of absence form HERE. This e-form will be submitted directly to the attendance office.