Regular and punctual attendance at school is both a legal requirement and vital for young people to receive a good standard of education.
There are 190 school days in an academic year, leaving 175 days free to spend on family holidays, visits and other non-urgent appointments.
Of pupils who miss less than 5% of school, which is just 10 days a year, 73% manage to achieve five GCSEs at grade 9 to 4, including English and maths.
Of pupils who miss between 10% and 20% of school, only 35% manage to achieve five GCSEs at grade 9 to 4, including English and maths.
Punctuality is also crucial to a child's education as being 15 minutes late each day is the same as missing two weeks of school over the course of the school year.
Every single school day counts and every minute is equally important.
Reporting an absence
Parents of a student, who will not be attending school through illness or for other unforeseen reasons, are required to contact the school office before 8.30am, giving the child’s name, form and reason for absence.
If getting in touch by phone, please call 01746 762103, select 'Option 1' for student absence and leave a message. Alternatively, you can email
A note, signed by a parent or guardian, confirming the reason, must be provided after every instance, otherwise the absence will be logged as unauthorised. The school may also ask parents to provide medical evidence, such as a doctor’s note, prescription, or appointment card.
Holidays in term time
As of 1st September 2013, there was a change in the The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006. Headteachers are now only allowed to authorise any leave of absence when an application has been made in advance, and it is felt to be for an exceptional circumstance. A holiday would not be deemed an exceptional circumstance.
Exceptional circumstances include:
- The funeral of an immediate family member
- Serious illness of a close relative
- Top-level out of school programmes in music, arts or sport
To apply for a leave of absence, a primary parent or carer must complete the Request for Leave of Absence Form and email it to
If a leave of absence is taken without permission, this will be marked in the school register as an unauthorised absence, and may result in a Local Authority Fixed Penalty Notice of £60 (rising to £120) issued to each parent for each student taken out of school.
In some cases, parents may be prosecuted for the offence of failure to ensure regular attendance at school. Further information can be found in Shropshire Council's Fixed Penalty Code of Conduct
For further information on attendance, please email our Attendance Officer, Mrs A Smallman, at
