Attendance and Punctuality

Creating “good people” by aiming for excellence in all we do will enable our students to achieve well.

At Sir Jonathan North we have outstanding examination results this is only achieved if attendance is also outstanding. For our students to gain the greatest benefit from their education, it is vital that they attend on time, every day the College is open, unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable.
For more statistical information about why attendance matters, please take a look at our Information Booklet

Regular Attendance means Punctual Attendance

Arriving on time for school is important as late arrivals are disruptive for the class and also means you miss out on important information during registration.
Lesson 1 begins at 8.30am and your child is expected to be on the school site by 8.20am.  It is essential that your child is at school on time and ready to learn.  

What parents/carers can do to help their child’s attendance 

• Make school attendance a priority
• Talk about the importance of showing up to school every day, make that the expectation.
• Help your child maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep. 
• Try not to schedule dental and medical appointments during the school day. 
• Don’t let your child stay home unless truly sick. Complaints of headaches or stomach aches may be signs of anxiety.
• Stay on top of academic progress and seek help from teachers or tutors if necessary. Make sure teachers know how to contact you. 

If there are any circumstances which might affect your child’s attendance, or you have any queries, please contact The Pastoral Team for the year group your daughter is in. The school number is 0116 270 8116.  

Notification of Absence

Securing a high level of attendance requires the College and home to work closely together.
We ask parents and carers to:

• Notify the College of their child's absence by using the dedicated absence reporting line 0116 270 8116 option 1 or [email protected].
• Keep the College informed on a daily basis where absence extends to two days or more, again by use of the absence reporting line or email [email protected].
• A telephone call should be followed up in the form of a written note from the parent/carer to explain the reason for absence. Alternative arrangements will be agreed with non-English speaking parents/carers or parents/carers with hearing impairments.
• Get in touch at an early stage about any concerns they have about their child’s attitude to College. Failing to attend the College can be indicative of underlying stresses or concerns and it is important to try to resolve these before a pattern of poor attendance develops. Please contact your child’s Pastoral Leader (PL) or Assistant Pastoral Leader (APL) in the first instance.

Absence can only be authorised by the College and cannot be authorised by parents and carers. All absences will be treated as unauthorised unless a satisfactory explanation for the student’s absence has been received.

An agreement to authorise an absence is entirely at the discretion of the Principal and authorisation will only ever be considered for exceptional circumstances. We expect parent/carers to avoid absences during term time other than for illness. Any request for leave of absence must be made well in advance on the Leave of Absence Request Form available here and from the Main Office. Fixed Penalty Notices may be issued if leave of absence is not agreed but the time off is still taken.

• If permission is granted, photocopies of airline or travel tickets showing date of booking will be required by the school office before you travel. If your request has been agreed, failure to provide this information will mean that the request is no longer agreed and your child’s absence will be classed as unauthorised.
• We may also request copies of other travel related documents from you. We will advise you if this is the case. Where we do not receive copies of documents requested, this is likely to mean that we will not authorise some or all of any absence your child has in relation to this request.
• If permission is granted, students must ensure that they are up to date with their school work before they leave and in addition, it will be parents’/carers’ responsibility to ensure that their child, on return, makes up any missed work in their own time upon return.
• The decision made by the College is final.

Medical Appointment

Students are not allowed to leave the College during the day unless a note is brought from home in advance. We ask you to make doctor’s and dentist’s appointments outside College hours where this is possible. If your child needs to go to a medical or dental appointment during the day, she must have a note from you, which will be signed by her Pastoral Leader so she can obtain a pass from the office. We can only issue passes on receipt of a letter from home.