Attendance

It is an expectation of Lodge Park Academy that students arrive here punctually every day and are properly equipped to carry out their studies.

Attendance at Lodge Park Academy

Our Aims:

Students should enjoy learning, experience success and realise their full potential.
To promote excellent attendance; ensuring every student has access to the full-time education to which they are entitled.
Act early to address patterns of absence.

To report a child's absence

Leave of Absence Request

A Principal can only authorise a leave of absence in exceptional circumstances. We will take into account the Government guidance when considering what the exceptional circumstances are- all applications are considered on a case-by-case basis. You may be able to take your child out of school in exceptional circumstances, providing an application is made in advance by the parent/carer, this request complies with Government guidance and the leave is deemed to be ‘exceptional’ by the Principal.

If you take a leave of absence without our permission or if your child fails to return by the agreed date if permission was granted, then this will be recorded as an unauthorised absence and noted in your child’s record. You might also be issued with a fixed penalty notice for this absence. If your child has not returned within 10 days of the expected date of return then, after consultation with the Local Authority, we may take your child off our school roll.

As examples, the following reasons are not considered to be exceptional circumstances:

availability of cheap holidays
periods overlapping with beginning or end of term
visits to family
renewing passports

Requests for leave of absence will only be considered if made in writing. Please ensure you use the leave of absence request form to do this.

To request a leave of absence, please use this form
Lodge Park Academy- Leave of Absence Form

Attendance forms an integral part of our pastoral structure

There is a strong link between attendance and academic achievements. If a student does not attend they cannot get the best from their time at our academy.

Central to raising standards in education and ensuring all pupils can fulfil their potential is an assumption so widely understood that it is insufficiently stated – pupils need to attend school regularly to benefit from their education. Missing out on lessons leaves children vulnerable to falling behind. Children with poor attendance tend to achieve less in both primary and secondary school.

90% attendance = 1⁄2 day missed every week Over a school year this is 4 weeks –100 lessons lost. Over 5 years at 90% this is half a year of education. 17 missed school days means that you could drop a whole GCSE grade in all subjects.

The greater the attendance the greater the achievement.

It is therefore an expectation of Lodge Park Academy that students arrive punctually every day and are properly equipped to carry out their studies. All students are required to be on site by 8.38am at the latest.

Attendance forms an integral part of our pastoral structure. Daily Form time with personal tutors enables the students to start the day in a prepared manner.

Our Attendance Officer monitors students’ attendance and is available to discuss attendance issues if these should arise. If any student is absent the Attendance Officer must be informed on the morning of the absence with the reason for the absence. The phone number for reporting absences is 01536 203817.

We have a number of strategies in place to encourage students to maintain their highest attendance percentage possible.

We are aiming for 100% attendance for all students this year.

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