Attendance and Punctuality

Ensuring good attendance at school is essential in helping students achieve their potential, make strong academic progress and maintain positive wellbeing. Getting students to school on time every day is one of the most important things families can do to support their child's education.

Soft Start - From 8:30am

• To help students start their day positively and feel ready to learn, form rooms are open from 8:30am for a soft start to the school day. This provides students with an opportunity to settle into school, organise themselves, speak to their form tutor about any concerns or issues, and access support before the formal school day begins.
• We encourage all students to make use of this time, particularly if they have any worries, questions or practical issues they would like to discuss with their tutor. 

Morning Registration and Punctuality

• Morning registration begins promptly at 8:40am, and students are expected to be in their form rooms ready for registration at this time.
• The Misbourne has high expectations for punctuality, both at the start of the school day and between lessons. Students travelling by public transport should plan their journeys carefully and, where necessary, catch an earlier bus to ensure they arrive on time. Students who arrive late without a valid reason will receive an appropriate sanction in line with our Behaviour Policy.

Reporting Absence

• If your child is unwell and unable to attend school, please notify us on the first day of absence using our 24-hour attendance answerphone on 01494 867843 or by emailing attendance@themisbourne.co.uk.
• Please include your child's name, form group, reason for absence and an estimate of how long they are likely to be absent. Families should continue to keep the school updated if the absence extends beyond the period initially reported.

Our Attendance Expectations

• Regular attendance is vital to students' academic success, wellbeing and sense of belonging. Every day in school provides opportunities for learning, building friendships and developing the skills needed for future success. Repeated absence can create gaps in learning and make it increasingly difficult for students to keep up with their peers.
• We encourage all students to aim for 100% attendance, with 96% as our minimum school attendance expectation, recognising that some students may have medical needs or individual circumstances requiring additional support.
• We are committed to working collaboratively with families to identify and address barriers to attendance, ensuring that every student is supported to attend school regularly, arrive on time and make the most of their education.
• We also use Attend software to monitor attendance, identify patterns of absence and communicate with families. As part of this process, families will receive automated notifications and attendance updates through Attend. These communications support our statutory responsibilities to monitor attendance, keep families informed and work together to address concerns at the earliest opportunity.

Supporting Good Attendance

At The Misbourne, we believe that good attendance is a shared responsibility between students, families and the school. We are committed to working closely with families to identify and remove barriers to attendance, ensuring that every student feels supported, included and able to access their education.

Our Attendance Team works alongside Performance Directors (Heads of Year), form tutors, pastoral staff and the local authority's attendance services to monitor attendance, identify emerging concerns and provide appropriate support.

We regularly review attendance and will contact families where patterns of absence are emerging or attendance is falling below our expectations. Support may include conversations with families, attendance meetings, individual attendance plans, reasonable adjustments and referrals to external services where appropriate.

We encourage families to contact us as early as possible if their child is experiencing difficulties attending school, whether these relate to health, anxiety, friendships, learning or circumstances at home. Working together at an early stage gives us the best opportunity to prevent absence becoming a longer-term concern.

Attendance Responsibilities and Legal Intervention

Parents and carers have a legal responsibility to ensure their child receives a suitable full-time education.

Where attendance remains a concern, we will work with families to understand the reasons for absence and offer appropriate support. Where unauthorised absence continues and support has not been successful, has not been engaged with or would not be appropriate, the school may work with the local authority to consider formal attendance interventions.

Under the national attendance framework, schools must consider whether a penalty notice is appropriate when a student reaches 10 sessions (five school days) of unauthorised absence within a rolling period of 10 school weeks. This does not mean a fine is automatically issued; individual circumstances and appropriate support must be considered.

Requests for Holidays During Term Time

Regular attendance is essential for maintaining progress and avoiding gaps in learning. We therefore ask families to arrange holidays during published school holiday periods.

Term-time holidays will not normally be authorised. Leave of absence may only be granted by the Headteacher where exceptional circumstances apply. Each request will be considered individually, and families should submit requests in advance.

Unauthorised term-time absence may result in a penalty notice or other action in line with national guidance and local authority procedures.

Is My Child Too Ill for School?

We recognise that deciding whether a child is well enough to attend school can sometimes be difficult. In many cases, students can attend with minor illnesses, and maintaining their normal routines can support both learning and wellbeing.

Feeling Anxious or Worried About School

Sometimes students experience physical symptoms, including headaches, stomach aches or nausea, when they are feeling anxious or worried about school.

We understand that these symptoms can be very real and distressing. However, remaining away from school can sometimes increase anxiety and make returning more difficult.

If your child is finding attendance challenging, please speak to their Performance Director or our Attendance Team. We can work together to understand the barriers and consider appropriate support, including adjustments where necessary.

Medical Support During the School Day

Our Medical Team is available to support students who become unwell or require first aid during the school day. For minor concerns such as mild headaches, tiredness, minor cuts or general aches, students should usually remain in lessons and seek routine medical support at break or lunchtime where it is safe to do so.

Students should bring a filled water bottle to school and are encouraged to develop independence in managing minor discomfort appropriately.

Urgent medical concerns will always be responded to, and individual arrangements for students with medical conditions, disabilities or additional needs will continue to be followed.

Keeping in Touch

Where an absence is unexplained, our Attendance Team will undertake first-day contact and safeguarding checks to ensure students are accounted for.

For prolonged or repeated illness-related absence, we may ask families to work with us to establish what additional support is needed. Medical evidence may be requested where there is a genuine need for clarification, in line with DfE guidance.

We want every student to feel that they belong at The Misbourne and that school is a place where they are supported to succeed. By working together, we can promote strong attendance, address barriers early and ensure that students have the best possible opportunities to learn, develop and thrive.

For further information, please see our Supporting Students with Medical Conditions Policy.