Attendance and absence procedures
As we begin the new academic year, we are writing to clarify our attendance and absence procedures, which include a few small changes from last year. We understand that various circumstances may impact your child’s ability to attend school regularly. These procedures are in line with guidance from the Department for Education and the Local Authority’s School Attendance and Education Support Service.
Your legal responsibilities as a parent/carer
By law, you are responsible for ensuring your child receives a full-time education. If your child accumulates 10 unauthorised sessions (5 school days) within a rolling 10-week period, schools may, in consultation with the local authority, issue a Penalty Notice. These 10 days do not have to be consecutive. Please be assured that our priority is to work with families to identify barriers and provide support to improve attendance before any fines are considered. We believe early communication and partnership with parents is the best way forward
Unplanned absence
Please can parent/carer notify the school of the reason for the absence on the first day of an unplanned absence by 8.30am or as soon as practically possible. We ask that parents/carers provide as much detail as possible when reporting a student’s absence. If the reason for absence is unclear—for example, if the type of illness is not specified—it may be recorded as unauthorised.
To report an absence, a parent/carer can:
Call the absence line on 01384 958951 and leave a message giving their child’s full name, form group, and reason for absence.
Use the absence reporting function on the EduLink app
We understand that students may occasionally be too unwell to attend school, and we expect families to follow NHS guidance: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
In the case of vomiting or diarrhoea: https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/diarrhoea-and-vomiting/
You should call 111 now if:
You or your child has diarrhoea for more than 7 days
You or your child has vomiting for more than 2 days
In most cases, illness-related absences will be authorised based on parental notification. However:
If a student is absent for 3 or more consecutive days, or
If the level of absence is a concern, or
If there are genuine doubts about the authenticity of the illness,
The school may request medical evidence to authorise the absence, in line with the Department for Education’s guidance Working Together to Improve School Attendance (2024).
If your child has an extended absence due to illness, we will require regularly updated medical evidence to ensure the absence is recorded accurately. This will be arranged on a case-by-case basis, depending on the nature and duration of the illness.
Acceptable forms of medical evidence include:
A doctor’s note or letter
A copy of a prescription or medication label
An appointment card or digital confirmation from a medical practice (text/email)
A hospital discharge summary
We do not expect parents to obtain a doctor’s note for every short-term illness, and families should not be required to pay for evidence. Our aim is simply to confirm genuine cases and support regular attendance.
If your child is unwell and being cared for by another family member, please inform us so we can accurately record their absence. In cases of prolonged absence, we may arrange a welfare visit to check on your child’s wellbeing and offer any support your family may need.
If you are unsure whether medical evidence is required, please contact our Support and Guidance - Attendance Lead, Mrs. Harrison. We will never request medical evidence unnecessarily, and if an absence is to be recorded as unauthorised, parents will be informed in advance.
Planned absence
Attendance at a medical or dental appointment will be authorised if the student’s parent/carer notifies the school in advance and provides a copy of an appointment card, letter, or text/email notification. If no evidence is provided to support the appointment, it will be recorded as unauthorised.
We encourage parents/carers arrange medical appointments outside of school hours whenever possible. If this is not feasible, we request that appointments be made after 1:00pm, where possible.
If an appointment must take place during the school day, we encourage you to send your child to school before and/or after the appointment, so they can receive their attendance marks for both sessions.
If a planned absence is unavoidable, a parent/carer is expected to contact the SGO Attendance Lead Mrs Harrison or the relevant Head of Year as soon as possible in advance to discuss the request. A decision will then be made as to whether the absence will be authorised or unauthorised.
Leave of absence request
The headteacher will only grant a leave of absence to a student during term time if the request meets the specific circumstances set out in the 2024 school attendance regulations. These circumstances are:
Taking part in a regulated performance, or regulated employment abroad
Attending an interview
Study leave
A temporary, time-limited part-time timetable
Exceptional circumstances
A leave of absence is granted at the headteacher’s discretion in consultation with the Leadership Team, including the length of time the students is authorised to be absent for. We define ‘exceptional circumstances’ as one-off events that are rare, significant, unavoidable, and short in duration. When considering a request for leave of absence, we must also determine whether the event could reasonably take place during school holidays.
Examples of exceptional circumstances may include:
Bereavement
Attendance at a funeral
A housing crisis that prevents school attendance
Leave of absence will not be granted for a student to take part in protest activity during school hours.
As a leave of absence will only be granted in exceptional circumstances, it is unlikely a leave of absence will be granted for the purposes of a family holiday. Please note, the local authority guidance states:
‘Generally, a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation would not constitute an exceptional circumstance and would not be considered as requiring support before requesting a penalty notice.’
The school considers each application for term-time absence individually, considering the specific facts, circumstances and relevant background context behind the request.
Any request should be submitted as soon as it is anticipated and, where possible, at least 4 weeks before the absence, and in accordance with any leave of absence request form, accessible HERE or contacting the school reception info@ridgewood.dudley.sch.uk. The headteacher may require evidence to support any request for leave of absence.
Following up an unexplained absence
It is important that all parents / carers understand that they must communicate all absences to school via the systems mentioned above to ensure that the school are aware where students are and are meeting their statutory safeguarding duties.
Where any students we expect to attend school does not attend, or stops attending, without reason, the school will:
Contact the student’s parent / carer on the morning of the first day of unexplained absence to ascertain the reason
If contact has not been made by the parent/carer and the student is absent for a second consecutive unexplained day, the attendance team will attempt to contact home. If the student has an allocated social worker, they will be notified at this stage.
A text message will be sent to inform parents/carers that a home visit will take place on day 3 if no contact is made. We may also refer the case to Children’s Services due to safeguarding concerns if we have not seen the student and have had no contact with parents/carers by this point.
On day 3 of absence, a home visit will be carried out by the SGO Attendance Lead and a member of the Pastoral Team. If the home visit is unsuccessful, all emergency contacts will be called to try and establish the student’s whereabouts.
If there is still no contact and the student remains absent on a third unexplained day, a second home visit will be conducted by the SGO Attendance Lead and a member of the Pastoral Team. If contact still has not been made, external agencies (such as Children’s Services and the Police) will be notified.
Lateness and Punctuality
A student who arrives late:
Before the register closes at 9:10am
The student will be marked as late using the appropriate code. They will be expected to attend a Punctuality Repair Session at 11:05am for 10 minutes. A text message will be sent to parents/carers informing them of the student’s late arrival.
Failure to attend the Repair Session will result in a Punctuality Catch-up Session after school the following day for 20 minutes. If this is missed, the student will be placed in a Leadership Detention on Wednesday or Friday for 45 minutes.
After the register has closed at 9:10am
The student will be marked as absent using the appropriate code. They will be required to attend a Leadership Detention on Wednesday or Friday for 45 minutes. Parents/carers will be contacted to discuss the unauthorised late arrival.
Failure to attend a Leadership Detention will result in the student being placed in Supervised Learning.
When punctuality issues persist, a meeting will be arranged between the student’s parent/carer and the school to explore any support that may be offered to help resolve the issue. The school will use it full range of sanctions and support to ensure a student attends school on time.
Reasonable adjustments will be made for students who have legitimate reasons for poor punctuality, such as those with SEND, medical needs, or transport difficulties. These cases will be considered on an individual basis in consultation with parents/carers and relevant school staff.
Good attendance = better progress, achievement and wellbeing.
Our students’ results over the past four years consistently show that those who perform best are the ones who attend school regularly. Students who attend less than 95% of the time are significantly more likely to underachieve and risk not reaching their full potential as they move into life beyond Ridgewood.
The majority of our students do meet this attendance level — thank you for your continued support in helping make this possible.