Computing
Attendance and Absence
There is a proven link between good school attendance and educational attainment and so we ask parents and carers to support us by ensuring their child comes to school as regularly as possible.
If your child is unable to come to school please email adminoffice@sunhill-jun.hants.sch.uk stating your child’s name and class, as well as the reason for absence, or you can phone the office on 01962 732801. If possible, please inform us before 9.30am. You should tell us on the first day that your child is absent and continue to inform us each day that they are absent.
What if I forget to tell school that my child is ill?
Please let us know as soon as possible, otherwise, the absence continues to show as unexplained and we will make contact to find out the reason. If you do not reply, the absence remains unauthorised and if it is still unauthorised at the end of the academic year, it becomes a permanent part of their school record. A high rate of unauthorised absence is viewed as a matter of concern both by the school and may result in a fixed penalty being issued following Hampshire County Council guidelines.
My child has a dentist appointment / music exam etc. What should I do?
We recognise it is not always possible but please try to make all appointments out of school hours. If this is not possible, please inform the office in writing or email adminoffice@sunhill-jun.hants.sch.uk.
I need to take my child out of school for another reason. What should I do?
Occasionally, you may need to ask permission to take your child out of school during term time. The circumstances under which the school is able to authorise absence are very limited. Absence can be authorised for the following reasons:
Sickness
Unavoidable medical/dental appointments
Days of religious observance
Bereavement or other exceptional personal circumstances
External examinations
When Traveller children go on the road with their parents.
Under the Hampshire code of conduct Head Teachers are only allowed to authorise an absence if it is ‘unexpected, rare, unavoidable and short’. A planned holiday in term time cannot be classed as unexpected.
If you need to apply for an authorisation of school absence during term time, please download the request form below.
Fixed Penalties for non school attendance
Section 444A of the Education Act gives powers to the local authority, and Head Teachers to issue penalty notices in circumstances where it is believed that a person has committed an offence under Section 444A(1); that is, where a child fails to attend regularly at their registered school. More information can be found here.