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Attendance

Good attendance is a crucial factor in the progress and outcomes for students. Research states that having 20 days (89%) off school every year means that a student will probably achieve one whole grade lower in their exams than they are actually capable of. Good attendance is judged as 98% or better. Each year, a large number of students achieve 100% attendance showing that this is an achievable target. Students are rewarded each term for good (98%) or outstanding (100%) attendance in a house achievement assembly.  Students with less than 90% fall into the persistent absence category and can lead to involvement from the education welfare service.

Absence from school during term time is discouraged and will only be authorised by the Principal in exceptional circumstances.

For any absence during term time parents should complete an S2 absence form;

You can print off a paper copy and email it to our Attendance officer at absence@smcc.devon.sch.uk

S2 Absence Request form

 

​What if my child is ill?

If your child is not going to be in school please inform the school via one of these methods:

  • call the office on 01769 572129 and select option 1 for absences
  • email the school on absence@smcc.devon.sch.uk
  • use the 'Report absence' tab on the Classcharts app

Please do this before 8:50 am on each day of the absence.

If we have not heard from you by 8:55am then we will start to call all the contact numbers that you have provided in order to gain an explanation for the absence. If we still have not been able to ascertain where your child is then we will aim to make a home visit. At this point if we still haven’t been able to get a response then we will report the matter to the police as your child will then be classed as a ‘missing child’.

School absence line 01769 572129

Sickness “48 hour rule”
From time to time children are sick (vomit) either at home or at school. Unfortunately it is not possible to distinguish between the causes, and therefore it is essential that the same rule of exclusion applies in all cases of vomiting or Diarrhoea.

In the Health Protection Agency document, “Guidelines for the Control of Infection and Communicable Disease in School and Early Years Settings”, the guidance is:

Diarrhoea and Vomiting exclusion
Diarrhoea and/or vomiting commonly affects children and staff and can be caused by a number of different germs, including viruses, parasites and bacteria. Infections can be easily spread from person to person (by unwashed hands), especially in children. In general, it is recommended that any staff member or child with diarrhoea and/or vomiting symptoms must stay away or be excluded from the school or early years setting until they have been free of symptoms for 48 hours (the ‘48 hour rule’) and feel well. Personal hygiene whilst ill must be very strict.If your child is sick at school, we will ask you or your emergency contact to take your child home. They should not return for 48 hours. We appreciate that this is inconvenient in many cases, and you may not believe your child is ill, but you will appreciate that we do this in all cases and it should reduce the risk of infection for all children in school.  As an example, if your child is sick at lunchtime on a Tuesday, they should not return to school until after lunch on Thursday, provided there have not been any further episodes of vomiting.

Thank you for your understanding with this.  Further guidance on infection control may be found on the Public Health England Website.

What if my child needs to leave school early for any reason?
We ask that medical and dental appointments are made outside of school hours although we realise this is not always possible. Should such an appointment occur during the school day, and where possible, please notify the school in advance. On the day of the appointment a note should be brought in from home stating the reason for leaving early and the time they need to leave. The student must see their Head of House to collect a signed blue permission slip to leave the school premises. The student must also sign out at the school reception before they leave the school premises.

What should my child do if he/she is late for school?
Your child must report and sign in at the school reception as soon as they arrive, so that we know he/she is in school