Absence Procedures
Daily Notification is required If your child is not coming into school because of sickness or other absence. Pease ensure a daily telephone call is made to report their absence:-
Year 7 01480 375700 Extn 5766 transition@hinchbk.cambs.sch.uk
Mrs Darbyshire in the Transition Office in Lower school
Years 8-11 01480 375700 Extn 5825 myb@hinchbk.cambs.sch.uk
Mrs Benjafield in the Attendence Office in Lower School
Years 12-13 01480 375700 Extn 5741 haw@hinchbk.cambs.sch.uk
Mrs Weightman in the Sixth Form Office
Dentist, Doctor or Hospital Appointments
Please note that you need to ring in if your child has an appointment at the beginning of the school day. If students need to leave school at any time for an appointment they must sign out . Parents/ Carers must provide a note in the student’s planner outlining the reason for the absence.
If a student return’s to school after an appointment or is late, it is essential that they sign in at Student Reception.
Legal Requirements
It is a Legal requirement that ALL students register with their Form Tutor at 8.45 a.m. and in their Period 5 lesson.
We use an electronic Attendance system which enables us to register and monitor each student, each lesson. A First Day Response policy operates where we try to contact parents/carers by telephone on the first day of absence if there is no known reason for them to be out of school.
Absences for Holidays / Other
Holidays/Extended visits overseas/Other planned absences are to be avoided during term-time. The school and local authority actively discourage such absence
- The Educational Welfare Officer for Huntingdon monitors unauthorised holiday leave and may write to parents where such leave means that attendance is at an unacceptable level
- The school recognises that there may sometimes be wholly unavoidable or exceptional circumstances
- Current DFES guidelines give examples of such circumstances as:
Parent/grandparent is seriously ill
Significant trauma in the family
- An application form for Leave of Absence MUST be completed by parents/carers and sent to the Key Stage Manager in advance for consideration at least 10 days beforehand. Failure to do so will mean that the leave is automatically unauthorised. The form is available below or from Student Reception
- Where leave is considered appropriate AND the student has a history of good attendance, leave may be granted
- A letter will be sent to parents/carers in response to the application for leave to confirm the school’s decision.