We are committed to improving attendance levels at Sydenham School and seek the support of parents and carers in ensuring that their children attend school every day and on time. Statistics show that students who regularly miss school days negatively impact their chances of academic success, and our recent GCSE data clearly shows this.

The school day starts at 8.25am. Students must reach the school gate before this time in order to reach tutor time promptly and avoid sanctions (C1 for up to 10 minutes late, C2 for 10-20 minutes late, C3 for over 20 minutes late). If students are over 30 minutes late to school, they are likely to be given an unauthorised late mark which will affect their attendance figure. 

Please make contact before 8:25am on the day your child is absent and EVERY subsequent day

Call 0208 699 6731 option 1 or download the Studybugs app

Get the app or register now (https://studybugs.com/about/parents) 

Click here to download the Absence Request Form

A holiday is generally not considered an exceptional circumstance. We do not recommend that you take your child away during term time, as this could result in a £160 per parent penalty notice issued by the Local Authority.

https://www.gov.uk/school-attendance-absence/overview

Why is attending school important?

Good school attendance gives your child the opportunity of success and helps develop skills for life. Your child should attend school every day unless there is an unavoidable cause such as illness. Missing school can be damaging to your child’s learning, social development, and future life opportunities. Children who miss many days from school fall behind their peers, and struggle to catch up. A child who misses school just twice per month will lose out on 18 days’ education across the school year – that’s nearly four weeks.

Most of the work missed through absence is never made up, which can lead to big gaps in learning. Friendships can also be affected by persistent absence. It can be hard for a child who misses lots of school to form and maintain relationships with their classmates.

What counts as good attendance? An attendance rate of 95% or higher is generally considered good – we know this has a positive impact on student progress.

 Persistent absence (PA) is defined as an attendance rate of 90% or below and severe absence (SA) is an attendance rate of 50% or below.

How is school attendance calculated?

Schools count each school day as two sessions, one morning and one afternoon, making a total of 10 sessions over a full school week.

What to do if your child is unwell?

If your child is too ill to go to school, you must telephone the school on the morning of the first day of absence. You must provide a reason for absence and expected date your child will return to school. If your child’s attendance to school is deemed persistent or severe, they could ask you to provide medical information to help them understand your child’s health difficulties and, where necessary, work with health professionals to make any adjustments necessary to help your child attend school as much as possible whilst receiving medical

Attendance and the Law In the UK

Education is compulsory for every child between the ages of 5-16 and they must remain in education or training until they are 18. Parents/carers commit an offence if a child does not attend school regularly and the absence is not agreed by the school (i.e. the absence is unauthorised). Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 places a duty on parents to ensure that their child of compulsory school age receives a suitable education, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.