My name is Mrs. Christa Emberson and I am the Attendance Officer at the school responsible for Years 7-11. We attach great importance to our work on improving school attendance in line with targets set by the Government. To this end, attendance is monitored very closely. Schools that work hard to improve attendance, like ours, have seen a measurable improvement in attainment.

May I take this opportunity to advise you of the absence reporting procedure:

• Students arriving after registration must report to the main office to receive their mark.
• Please call the appropriate absence line whenever your child is unable to attend school for any reason. This includes illness, medical appointments, college interviews, bereavements and funerals etc. Please call for every day of the absence.
• On returning to school, please provide the student with a note of explanation to cover the period of absence – this is a legal requirement.
• To enable us to authorise absences due to medical appointments (Hospital, Doctor, Dentist, Orthodontist or Physiotherapist) please provide evidence in the form of an appointment card or letter.

Please feel free to call me on my direct number (01376 556301) to discuss any matters relating to attendance.

The numbers to use to report absences are as follows: