Attendance & Absence

At St. Albert the Great, we believe that excellent attendance is essential for success. Attending school every day helps children develop strong learning habits, build friendships, and make the most of every opportunity to grow and thrive.

By law, all children of compulsory school age must receive a full-time education (Education Act 1996). Parents and carers have a legal responsibility to ensure their child attends school regularly. We are committed to working closely with families, building trust, and providing support to help overcome any barriers to good attendance. Together, we can help every child reach their full potential through excellent attendance and a positive attitude towards learning.

Thank you for your support in making every school day count!

THE SCHOOL DAY

To support our ethos of excellent attendance, we ask parents/carers to ensure their child arrives on time each day, ready to learn.

• School gates open at 08:45am.
• The school day starts at 08:50am for all children.
• Registers are marked by 09:00am.
• If your child arrives after 09:00am, parents/carers must escort their child to the school office to support the sign-in process. Your child will receive a late mark (L) and the number of minutes will be recorded.
• If your child arrives after 09:15am, parents/carers must escort their child to the school office to support the sign-in process. Your child will receive an Unauthorised mark (U) on their attendance record.
• The school day ends at 03:20pm

 ABSENCE

If your child is unwell and unable to attend, parent/carers must make contact with school by 08:45 am to explain why your child will not be attending. You can do this by telephoning the school office on 01442 264835 (option 1) or email admin@albertthegreat.herts.sch.uk.

• Parent/carers are expected to contact the school each day of their child's absence unless the school has agreed otherwise due to the nature of the absence.
• A telephone call will be made by the school office to the parent/carer of any pupil whose absence has not been reported on the first day of non-attendance. If the priority contact cannot be reached, other registered adults for the child will be contacted in priority order to determine the reason for the absence.
• Parents/carers should attempt to book medical and dental appointments outside of school hours. Where this is not possible, a message should be sent to the school office on 01992 583244 (Option 1) or by email admin@albertthegreat.herts.sch.uk.
• If the appointment requires the pupil to leave during the school day, they must be signed out at the school office by a parent or carer. Pupils should attend school before and after the appointment wherever possible.

IS MY CHILD TO ILL FOR SCHOOL?

We know that it can be challenging to know whether you should send your child to school due to the nature of their illness. To avoid any confusion, the school will use the following NHS website to determine the advise we give to you. Parents / carers are also encouraged to use this website to support their decision making when reporting their child as absent due to illness.

NHS - Is my child too ill for school?

 LATENESS

While lateness is undesirable, it can occasionally happen. If your child is late, always take them to the school office so they can be signed in and marked in the register.

Poor punctuality is not acceptable and can sometimes lead to irregular attendance patterns. Good timekeeping is a vital life skill that will benefit children as they progress through school and into the wider world.

Pupils who arrive late disrupt lessons. If a child misses the start of the day, they may feel unsettled or embarrassed and risk missing vital work and important messages from their class teacher.

LEAVE OF ABSENSE

Under current legislation imposed by the Department for Education, headteachers are not permitted to grant leave of absence for family holidays, except in exceptional circumstances. Any leave taken without approval will be marked as “unauthorised” on the child’s legal attendance record.

If you need to take your child out of school for any reason, a “Application for Leave of Absence during term time" is available for you to complete. Unless the absence is urgent, this must be submitted at least 21 school days prior to the event for consideration. School will not set work for this absence.

We hope that, in most cases, you are able to schedule your child’s appointments outside of school hours or during the holidays. Medical appointments during the school day will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances.

Authorised absences include morning or afternoon sessions away from school for a valid reason, such as illness (medical evidence may be required before authorisation is granted), medical or dental appointments that unavoidably fall during school hours, emergencies, or other unavoidable circumstances.